NUM32 They [the men of the Great Assembly] said three things:… and make a fence for the Torah. Pirkei Avot, Perek I, mishnah 1. People wonder about the need for the many Talmudic laws that we are required to observe. Essentially they are a "fence," instituted to protect the biblical commandments against the danger of violation. This is a basic approach, found in the Bible itself. The nazir is a person who took upon himself a vow of abstinence which forbade him to drink any wine or other intoxicating liquors [this verse ff.] The Bible, however, imposes upon him further restrictions: he may not drink vinegar derived from wine, or eat dried grapes, raisins or anything else derived from the grape vine. These are fences designed to keep the individual distant and remote from the area where danger might lurk. Man is only human and can succumb to temptation. The least association with the forbidden can ignite a chain reaction which could shortly lead to the most flagrant transgressions. The Sages of the Talmud had a most realistic view of human nature and the power of the attraction of sin. If you have a small-voltage battery with water exuding, you can touch it without receiving a shock, because it is weak. But if you have a 110-volt battery, you must insulate it against the strength of the current by putting tape or some other material around it. When you are dealing with a powerful dynamo, certainly you need something even stronger by way of insulation. The Sages were well aware of the power of sin. Both in its moral and intellectual forms, sin appeals to the human being with a force and pull that is almost compulsive. Furthermore, sin is all-pervasive. Particularly in the lands of our dispersion, the very environment militates against Torah and its observance. Under such circumstances, the Sages were wise to insist upon heavy and continual insulation. "Make a fence around the Torah." Stay far away from sin.