Requirements for the Place of a Torah Scholar

ויקרא פרק כה, יח וַּעֲשִ יתֶּם אֶּת-חֻקֹתַּי וְאֶּת -מִשְפָׁטַּי תִשְמְרוּ וַּעֲשִיתֶּם אֹתָׁם וִישַּבְתֶּם עַל -הָאָרֶץ לָבֶטַח :

“Vishavtem al ho’oretz lo’vetach” – And you will reside on the land securely

The Gemara (Sanhedrin 17b) says that a Torah scholar should not reside in a community that does not have all ten of the following resources:

1. A source of water for bathing
2. A teacher for children
3. Toilet facilities
4. A blood-letter
5. A doctor
6. Charity
7. A scribe
8. A prayer house
9. A butcher
10. A court that can administer punishment

How are these ten resources alluded to in the above verse?

“Vishavtem” and you may reside there (in Eretz Yisrael) provided you have all ten of these requirements which are alluded to in the ten letters of the words “al ha’aretz la’vetach” על הארץ לבטח

• Ayin = “ayon” a wellspring,
• Lamed = “limud” teacher,
• Hei = “heichal” holy place of prayer,
• Alef = “uman” a professional (blood-letter),
• Reish = “rofei” a doctor,
• Tzadi = “tzedokoh” charity,
• Lamed = “lavlar” a scribe,
• Beis = “beis hakeise” toilet,
• Tes = “taboch” a butcher,
• Ches = “chachomim” a court of wise people that can carry out the law and administer punishments. (Note Rambam states this as a halacha; see hilchos Dei’os 4:23)

from Barchi Yosef