Makkos Daf 10 מאקוס דַף 10

A Baraisa teaches that an עיר מקלט cannot be a small village, nor a large city; rather, it must be a medium-sized town. It must have a water supply and a marketplace, and the population must be maintained. Tannaim debate if weapons may be sold there. All these laws are derived from the passuk saying he shall flee to the ערי מקלט, "וחי" – and live, teaching: עביד ליה מידי דתהוי ליה חיותא – provide for him that will enable him to live. Another Baraisa states: תלמיד שגלה מגלין רבו עמו – if a student was exiled, we exile his Rebbe with him, since an עיר מקלט must provide him with “life.” Rebbe Zeira observed: מכאן שלא ישנה אדם לתלמיד שאינו הגון – from here we see that one should not teach a student who is not worthy, because his teacher may ultimately be forced into exile.

Rebbe Yochanan said: הרב שגלה מגלין ישיבתו עמו – if a Rebbe is exiled, his Yeshiva is exiled with him. The Gemara asks that Rebbe Yochanan derived that Torah, like an עיר מקלט, also provides refuge!? It answers that this protection of Torah is only בעידנא דעסיק בה – during the time he is involved in learning it. Alternatively, the Torah’s protection is from the מלאך המות, not from his victim’s relative seeking vengeance.

Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi said that the passuk, "עומדות היו רגלינו בשעריך ירושלם" – our feet were standing in your gates, Yerushalayim, means: מי גרם לרגלינו שיעמדו במלחמה – what caused our feet to stand successfully in war? שערי ירושלם שהיו עוסקים בתורה – The gates of Yerushalayim, where they were involved in learning Torah. Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi explained another passuk: שיר המעלות לדוד שמחתי באומרים לי בית ה' נלך – a song of ascents to Dovid: I rejoiced when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of Hashem.” Dovid said to Hashem: רבונו של עולם – Master of the world! I heard people saying: מתי ימות זקן זה  – “When will this old man die, ויבא שלמה בנו ויבנה בית הבחירה and his son Shlomo will come and build [the Beis Hamikdash], ונעלה לרגל – and we will go up for the רגלים?” ושמחתי – and I rejoiced when hearing this. Hashem responded: "כי טוב יום בחצריך מאלף" – “For a day in Your courtyards is better than a thousand,” meaning: טוב לי יום אחד שאתה עוסק בתורה לפני – one day in which you are involved with learning Torah is better to Me מאלף עולות שעתיד שלמה בנך להקריב לפני על גבי המזבח – than the thousand [korban] עולות which your son Shlomo is destined to bring before Me on the mizbeiach.

Rav Huna said that from the Torah, נביאים, and כתובים it can be proven: בדרך שאדם רוצה לילך – in the path that a person wants to go, בה מוליכין אותו – in that [path] they lead him. In the Torah, Hashem told בלעם: "לא תלך עמהם" – do not go with them (to curse Klal Yisroel), but after בלעם showed he wanted to go with them, Hashem said: "קום לך אתם" – Arise, go with them. In נביאים, the passuk says: "אני ה' אלקיך מלמדך להועיל" – I am Hashem your G-d, who teaches you for your benefit (i.e., that which is good for a person), but the passuk concludes: "מדריכך בדרך תלך" – Who leads you in the path in which you will go (i.e., He leads man in the path he chooses). In כתובים, the passuk says: אם ללצים הוא יליץ ולענוים יתן חן – if one goes to the scoffers, he will scoff, but [if he goes] to the humble, he will find favor.