daf bit: Makkot 11

[cellio]

The torah calls for cities of refuge to be set aside, so-called because an accidental killer can flee there and be protected. (Somebody who intentionally commits murder is subject to the death penalty, but somebody who accidentally kills is not.) Per the torah, the accidental killer must live in the city of refuge until the current kohein gadol (high priest) dies, at which time he is free to go.

The mishna on today's daf says that mothers of high priests would provide food and clothing for the accidental killers in the cities, so that the killers would not pray for their sons' deaths. The g'mara asks: so what if they pray -- do you really think those baseless prayers would be answered? A venerable old scholar (yes, that's what it says) reported what he heard from Raba: the high priests were not without blame, as they should have implored Divine grace to avert the sorrows of their generation and failed to do so. (11a)

That sounds like a task akin to eilu d'varim, the tasks we are commanded to do but can never do enough of. Can we really hold the kohein gadol responsible for not doing more to prevent sorrow and sin in his generation? On the other hand, we know from the aftermath of the oven of Achnai that heartfelt prayers of sorrow can be answered, so maybe the rabbis, and the priests' mothers, are covering their bases ("just in case").