R. Akiva says: Laughter and light-headedness predispose to licentiousness. Masoreth (tradition) is a fence to Torah. [The (oral) masoreth passed on to us by the sages of the "defective" and "superfluous" readings in the Torah are a fence and strengthening of the written law. For through them we understand how to perform several mitzvoth, as in "basukkoth," "basukkoth" "basukkoth," two defective and one superfluous — whence we learn to rule a succah with three walls kasher, and as in "the festivals of the L rd which (ATM) you shall declare," which is written defective (to be pronounceable as "atem" ("you"), to teach: "you" (declare them) — even unwittingly; "you" — even deliberately; "you" — even mistakenly] Ma'asroth (tithes) are a fence to wealth, [it being written (Deuteronomy 14:22): "asser t'asser" — tithe so that you become rich ("titasher").] Vows are a fence to separation. [When one begins (a regimen of) separation and he fears lest he transgress, he takes it upon himself as a vow that he will not do such and such and thereby suppresses his inclination.] A fence for wisdom is silence. [What are we speaking of? If silence from words of Torah, it is written (Joshua 1:8): "And you shall meditate (lit., "speak") in it day and night, etc." If silence from talebearing, slander, and cursing — this is (interdicted) by the Torah! We must be speaking then of silence from permitted speech between a man and his neighbor — that one should minimize such speech as far as possible. And it is in this regard that Solomon said (Proverbs 17:28): "Even a fool who keeps quiet is regarded as a sage."]
Sefer HaChinukh
From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 3:13; Avot D'Rabbi Natan 2) about this for a fence, and that is that a man not motion with his hand nor hint with eyes to one of the sexual prohibitions, nor to joke with them at all. And it is even forbidden to smell perfume that is on them; and not to gaze at women at all, and even at a bride - with the intention to derive pleasure. And they forbade to stare even at their small finger. [This is] besides the wife of a man, as it is permitted for him to gaze at her beauty, and even while she is still menstruant, as she will be permitted to him later. And there is an assumption about an Israelite that his impulse is given over to his hand (under control) in an example like this, that is dependent upon time. And it is specifically at the revealed places upon her that they permitted to stare while she is still a menstruant, but not at the covered [places] so that his evil impulse not cover (overcome) him.
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Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De'ah
One who vows in order to straighten their mind and repair their actions, such a person is eager and praiseworthy. How so? A glutton who forswore meat for a year or two; or a drunkard who forswore wine for a significant amount of time, or forswore drunkenness forever; or one who chased bribes and then felt regret, and forswore gifts or benefits from people of that land; or a person proud of their good looks who swore to be a Nazirite. All such vows are ways of serving God, and it is of such vows that the sages said "Vows are a guard for abstinence" (Avot 3:13). Nonetheless, even though these are service of God, one shouldn't become accustomed to them, rather, one should abstain from what is worthy to be abstained from, without making a vow.
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Sefer HaChinukh
It is from the roots of the commandment [that] since God, may He be blessed, chose the tribe of Levi from among his brothers for his service in the Temple always, therefore it was from His kindness to them to give them their sustenance in an honorable way. As so is it proper for the servants of the King that their meals should be readied for them by others - that they should prepare it for them and that [the Levites] should not have to toil in anything besides the precious service of the King. And even though they were twelve tribes - and according to their equal portion, it would have been fitting that they take one twelfth part - this advantage to them is also for their glory. As since they are from the house of the King, it is fitting that their portion be more than all [the rest] of them. And it is a big advantage that the tenth part come to them free from all of the expenses of the land. And the blessing of God, may He be blessed, rests upon everything that belongs to the one who sustains the servants of God with his money. And this is what they, may their memory be blessed, said (Mishnah Avot 3:13), "Tithes are a safeguarding fence around wealth." They, may their memory be blessed, also said (Taanit 9a) that it is forbidden for a person to think in his heart and say, "I will test if God does good to me [for] my involvement in His commandments"; and about that which is similar to this is it stated (Deuteronomy 6:16), "Do not test the Lord, your God" - except for in this commandment. As it is permitted to test if God will bless him [for] his doing it and [for] his being alacritous about it. And it is made explicit by the prophets, as it is stated (Malachi 3:10), "Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse, etc. and put Me to the test with it, said the Lord."
