DEUT1153 Build a fence (parapet) on your roof. Included in the mitzvah is that we must repair any wall, fence or other standing object (e.g. a tree) that is no longer sturdy and threatens to fall. Our Sages enacted many laws and prohibitions in order to prevent accidents, property damage and other harm, for as intelligent beings, it is inappropriate to leave ourselves open to danger and injury. A person not only must be aware of objects and situations that present a potential danger to him; he also must take care that neither he nor his property endangers others. Key concept: Divine Providence reaches down to every individual, which means that Hashem is intimately aware of every person’s every deed, and whatever happens to us, good or bad, is a result of His decree, based on our merits and sins. Nevertheless, we are not exempt from watching out for “natural” occurrences. Hashem created the world in such a manner that fire burns, water extinguishes fire, a large boulder that falls on a person’s head will crush his brain, and someone who falls him a great height will die. The Creator, blessed be He, blows into a person's nostrils a living soul that knows to protect from harm the body that houses it. The Torah, as well, explicitly commands us to beware of natural events that might hurt or kill us, and the Torah forbids us to place ourselves in dangerous situations and rely upon miracles to save us. We are not allowed to trust that the Almighty violate His laws of nature in order to save us from our own negligence. [True, some people are so saintly and cling so tightly to Hashem, they are masters over nature. Avraham Avinu, for example, was thrown into a blazing furnace and emerged unharmed. Clearly, however, most of us, because of our sins, are not on such a high level, so nature poses real threats to our safety, and we cannot rely on miracles to save us from them.]

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DEUT1160 Do not eat of produce grown from “mixed seeds” (kila’yim) in your vineyard. The more that any given thing is likely to be a stumbling block, the more Hashem places restrictions on it and puts us at a distance from it. Without question, wine presents a great number of stumbling blocks, and untold number of souls have been led to ruin by it. As is known, wine awakens man's yetzer hara (evil inclination) and pushes aside his noble aspect--the yetzer hatov. Man’s evil inclination-- the baseness in him-- wants him only to eat, drink, lounge around and sleep. Wine is a major cause for this style of life. On the other hand, because wine does have some benefits, Hashem allows us to drink it when necessary. At the same time, since it is permitted only for certain essential purposes, if any trace of sin is associated with it at its outset--at the time of the planting of the vines--we are not to derive any benefit from it. Is enough that wine is a powerful stumbling block, so we certainly should not partake of it when a sin was committed in the original planting of the vine.

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DEUT1161 Do not sow a mixture of seeds (kila'yim) in your vineyard. See [[LEV742]] Leviticus 19:19 mixed CHINUCH 154-5

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DEUT1172 Do not work two different species of animal under the same yoke. Key concept: According to the Rambam this mitzvah is connected to the Torah’s prohibition on crossbreeding (See [[LEV742]] Leviticus 19:19 mixed CHINUCH 154-5). Were it permitted to tie different species of animals to the same yoke, the animals probably would be housed in the same barn and the owners would be tempted to engage in crossbreeding. For this reason, working different species together is prohibited. The Sefer HaChinuch offers a different reason: The Torah forbids us to cause pain to any creature. Animals and birds experience great discomfort when they dwell with creatures that are not of their kind. All the more they experience discomfort when they are forced to work side by side with a different species. We observe that when animals are allowed to roam free, they cling exclusively to their own kind. The wise at heart should be take note of the above and be aware that when two people must be appointed for any given project or task, one should not appoint people who are vastly different in terms of their nature or behavior. For example, do not make a righteous individual work with someone who is known for wickedness. Do not pair up someone of noble character with someone who acts as if he has no shame. We see that the Torah forbids unfit pairing of animals--creatures that are practically devoid of all intelligence. All the more so must we be careful not to create inappropriate pairings of human beings, who think and understand.

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DEUT1175 Do not wear shaatnez (mixed threads). A hint of key concept: See [[EXOD634]] Exodus 22:17 sorceress CHINUCH 41. According to the Rambam, shaatnez used to be worn by priests of idol worship. He wrote that in Egypt even in his day, it was well known that priests of idol worship wore robes of shaatnez.

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DEUT1177 Consummate marriage according to the Torah’s directives. Key concept: The Torah commands that before a man takes a woman into his home to live together as man and wife, he must perform an act of acquisition to designate her as his wife. This procedure impresses upon her that she has become singled out only for him and must always remain faithful to him, never having intimacy with anyone else. She now is obligated to honor and respect him, help him in every way and devotedly meet his needs. If she does so, they will dwell together in peace and harmony for always. Homes such as these are the fulfillment of [the] Holy One’s Will, Who wants His world to be settled and populated. For this reason, the custom is that the man give the woman a ring for the sake of kiddushin. Wearing the ring on her finger and seeing it constantly, she is always reminded of her purpose and duties as a married woman.

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DEUT1192 See [[EXOD545]] Exodus 21:12 strangulation CHINUCH 35 and [[EXOD579]] Exodus 21:20 sword CHINUCH 36

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DEUT1196 … a person cannot be held responsible for an act that he did against his will.

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DEUT1202 If a man forces relations on an unmarried chaste woman, he must marry her. Key concept: Discourage immoral men from committing this despicable sin, and to save our nation's young women from being preyed upon. If the assailant knows that after his deed, his victim will be attached to him forever, and even if she is despicable to him, he will have to feed and clothe her and live with her as all men live with their wives, he will think twice. If he realizes that he also will have to pay a fine to her father, he hopefully will control himself and refrain from the sin. Also, this law provides some degree of consolation for the disgraced maiden, for she now has a husband, and no one will embarrass her further.

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DEUT1204 A man who is a saris shall not marry a Jewish woman. Our nation is holy. To prevent Jewish men from losing the ability to procreate, the Torah commands that if a man undergoes castration, he is forbidden to marry a Jewish woman.

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