Print This Post Print This Post

Bad neighbours

Written by d fine

In downtown perek 14 (pasuk 40), we are told that if bona fide tzara’as is found on a house, the affected stones must be removed and plonked outside of the city.

This poses problems when one lives in a detached house; what happens when your neighbour’s house has contracted tzara’as, and the adjoining (corner) stone which both you and your neighbour share has to be removed. Rashi (Sukkah 56b) cites the Midrash which confirms that the shared stones must indeed be removed.

But why must poor innocent you (we are always innocent!) suffer? Rashi seems to explain that it was because you had some hand in your neighbour’s sin – the tzara’as was caused by the fact that your neighbour looked at your material bliss with a stingy/greedy/jealous eye (a sin which can cause tzara’as). Had you have taken the time to develop a good, positive, friendly relationship with your neighbour then he would have been happy with your success. In some way or another, you were responsible for your neighbour’s sin, so your suffer the consequences of losing a (shared) brick too.

Leave a Comment