(ו) הַבָּא בַמַּחְתֶּרֶת נִדּוֹן עַל שֵׁם סוֹפוֹ. הָיָה בָא בַמַּחְתֶּרֶת וְשָׁבַר אֶת הֶחָבִית, אִם יֶשׁ לוֹ דָמִים, חַיָּב. אִם אֵין לוֹ דָמִים, פָּטוּר:
(6) [The thief] who burrows his way in [to someone’s home] is judged on account of his outcome. If he burrowed his way in and broke a jug, should there be blood-guiltiness for him, he must pay [for the jug], but if there is no blood-guiltiness for him, he is not liable.
The baraita continues: And one may not sell weapons or hunting tools in the cities of refuge, to prevent the blood redeemer from gaining access to means that he could exploit to kill the unintentional murderer who fled to the city of refuge; this is the statement of Rabbi Neḥemya. And the Rabbis permit selling weapons and hunting tools. And Rabbi Neḥemya and the Rabbis agree that one may not spread nets in the cities of refuge, nor may they braid [mafshilin] ropes in those cities, so that the foot of the blood redeemer will not be found there. If the blood redeemer were to enter the city of refuge to purchase nets or ropes, he is apt to encounter the murderer and kill him.
R. Isaac asked: What is the Scriptural authority [for all these provisions]? — The verse, "and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live" [Devarim 4:42] which means — provide him with whatever he needs so that he may live.
ויאמר למך לנשיו... אבל הנראה בעיני כי היה למך איש חכם מאד בכל מלאכת מחשבת ולמד לבנו הבכור ענין המרעה כפי טבעי הבהמות ולמד את השני חכמת הנגון ולמד את השלישי ללטוש ולעשות חרבות ורמחים וחניתות וכל כלי המלחמה והיו נשיו מתפחדות שלא יענש כי הביא החרב והרציחה בעולם והנה הוא תופש מעשה אבותיו בידו כי הוא בן המרצח הראשון וברא משחית לחבל והוא אמר להן אני לא הרגתי איש לפצעים ולא ילד לחבורות כאשר עשה קין ולא יענישני השם אבל ישמרני מן ההריגה יותר ממנו והזכיר כן לומר כי לא בחרב וחנית יכול אדם להרוג בפצעים וחבורות שימית במיתה רעה יותר מן החרב ואין החרב גורם הרציחה ואין על העושו חטא
The wives of Lamech feared that he [Lamech] may be punished, for he brought sword and murder into the world, for he had continued in the ways of his fathers, the first smiths… And he said the to them 'I have not killed a man for my bruise, or a youth for my injury as Cain did. Thus, Hashem will not punish me but rather protect me from being killed far more than him. And he reminded them that it is not the sword or spear which kills a man but the wound which is inflicted upon him… and it is not the sword that causes murder, and thus on its creator there is no sin.
(ד) לֹא יֵצֵא הָאִישׁ לֹא בְסַיִף, וְלֹא בְקֶשֶׁת, וְלֹא בִתְרִיס, וְלֹא בְאַלָּה, וְלֹא בְרֹמַח. וְאִם יָצָא, חַיָּב חַטָּאת. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, תַּכְשִׁיטִין הֵן לוֹ. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, אֵינָן אֶלָּא לִגְנַאי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה ב) וְכִתְּתוּ חַרְבוֹתָם לְאִתִּים וַחֲנִיתוֹתֵיהֶם לְמַזְמֵרוֹת, לֹא יִשָּׂא גּוֹי אֶל גּוֹי חֶרֶב וְלֹא יִלְמְדוּ עוֹד מִלְחָמָה. בִּירִית, טְהוֹרָה, וְיוֹצְאִין בָּהּ בְּשַׁבָּת. כְּבָלִים, טְמֵאִין, וְאֵין יוֹצְאִין בָּהֶם בְּשַׁבָּת:
(4) A man may not go out with a sword, bow, shield, club, or spear, and if he does go out, he incurs a sin-offering. Rabbi Eliezer says: they are ornaments for him. But the sages say, they are nothing but a disgrace, as it is said, “And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:4). A garter is clean, and they go out [wearing] it on Shabbat. Knee-bands are unclean, and they may not go out with them on Shabbat.
(22) And if you make for Me an altar of stones, do not build it of hewn stones; for by wielding your sword upon them you have profaned them.
ותחללה THEN THOU HAST PROFANED IT — Thus you may learn that if thou liftest up thy iron tool above it thou profanest it. The reason of this it, because the altar is created (its purpose is) to lengthen man’s days and iron has been created (one of its purposes is) to shorten man’s days, it is not right that an object which shortens man’s life should be lifted up above that which lengthens it (Mekhilta, Middoth 3:4).
ותחללה. הָא לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁאִם הֵנַפְתָּ עָלֶיהָ בַּרְזֶל חִלַּלְתָּ, שֶׁהַמִּזְבֵּחַ נִבְרָא לְהַאֲרִיךְ יָמָיו שֶׁל אָדָם וְהַבַּרְזֶל נִבְרָא לְקַצֵּר יָמָיו שֶׁל אָדָם, אֵין זֶה בַּדִּין שֶׁיּוּנַף הַמְקַצֵּר עַל הַמַּאֲרִיךְ (מכילתא).
It is preferable that an armed soldier entering a synagogue to pray cover his weapon with his clothing. If this is not possible, for instance, because he is armed with a large rifle, and there is a great need for him to be carrying his weapon, such as due to security concerns and the like, he may be lenient and enter the synagogue to pray in this manner.
Nowadays (in Talmudic times) we sell weapons [to idolaters] that are fully assembled because they protect us, they fight on our behalf to protect the city and its inhabitants and there is definite [protection from danger], whereas there is only a small possibility that they might use it to harm a member of the Jewish community and this is what we rely on.
Israelites living among idolatrous neighbors, with whom they made a covenant of peace, are permitted to sell weapons to the king's servants and militia, because they conduct war therewith against the country's enemies to save it, as a consequence whereof they protect the Israelites who dwell among them. A city wherein there is an established house of idolatry, one is permitted to pass by it without its boundaries, but is forbidden to enter it; if the idolatry is established without its boundaries he may enter it.
(יב) אָסוּר לִמְכֹּר לְעַכּוּ''ם כָּל כְּלֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה וְאֵין מַשְׁחִיזִין לָהֶם אֶת הַזַּיִן וְאֵין מוֹכְרִין לָהֶן לֹא סַכִּין וְלֹא קוֹלָרִין וְלֹא כְּבָלִים [שֶׁל בַּרְזֶל] וְלֹא שַׁלְשְׁלָאוֹת שֶׁל בַּרְזֶל הִינְדּוּאָה וְלֹא דֻּבִּים וַאֲרָיוֹת וְלֹא כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ נֵזֶק לָרַבִּים. אֲבָל מוֹכְרִין לָהֶן תְּרִיסִין שֶׁאֵינָן אֶלָּא לְהָגֵן:
(יג) וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁאָסְרוּ לִמְכֹּר לְעַכּוּ''ם כָּךְ אָסְרוּ לִמְכֹּר לְיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁמּוֹכֵר לְעַכּוּ''ם. וּמֻתָּר לִמְכֹּר כְּלֵי זַיִן לְחַיִל שֶׁל בְּנֵי הַמְּדִינָה מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵן מְגִנִּין עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל:
(12) It is forbidden to sell arms of any kind to heathen ; one should not sharpen their weapons; one should not sell them a knife — — or anything that is likely to be a public danger. Shields, however, may be sold to them, since they are used only for defense.
(13) Just as the sages have prohibited the sale of arms to a heathen, so have they prohibited selling the same to a Jew who sells to a heathen. On the other hand, weapons may be sold to the local citizens' force, since they protect the Jewish population.
אמר רב כהנא אמר רבי שמעון בן לקיש ואמרי לה אמר רב אסי אמר (ריש לקיש) ואמרי לה אמר רבי אבא אמר רבי שמעון בן לקיש כל המגדל כלב רע בתוך ביתו מונע חסד מתוך
Rav Kahana said that Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said, and some say Rav Asi said that Reish Lakish said, and some say Rabbi Abba said that Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Anyone who raises an evil dog within his home prevents kindness from entering into his home, since poor people will hesitate to enter his house.
(ו) כל המניח גגו בלא מעקה ביטל מצות עשה ועבר על לא תעשה שנא' ולא תשים דמים בביתך:
(ז) אחד הגג ואחד כל דבר שיש בו סכנה וראוי שיכשול בה אדם וימות כגון שהיתה לו באר (או בור) בחצירו בין שיש בו מים בין שאין בו מים חייב לעשות חוליא גבוה י' טפחים או לעשות לה כיסוי כדי שלא יפול בה אדם וימות:
(ח) וכן כל מכשול שיש בו סכנת נפשות מצות עשה להסירו ולהשמר ממנו ולהזהר בדבר יפה שנאמר השמר לך ושמור נפשך ואם לא הסיר והניח המכשולות המביאים לידי סכנה ביטל מצות עשה ועובר בלא תשים דמים:
(6) All that do not build a fence on their roof violates a positive commandment and a negative commandment. As it says, "do not place blood in your home".
(7) Both a roof or anything dangerous where it's probable that someone will stumble upon and fall, for example if there was a well or a hole in his yard, whether there is water in it or not, one is obligated to make an embankment ten-handbreadths high, or to cover it, lest a person fall into it and die.
(8) Likewise, one has a positive duty to remove and guard oneself of any life-threatening obstacle, as it is said "beware and guard your soul". If one did not removed said obstacles, one has cancelled a positive commandment and transgressed "do not bring bloodguilt" (Deut. 22:8).