Neighbors

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Respecting Boundaries

TANAKH

Respecting and preserving the boundaries set by previous generations is crucial for maintaining peace and harmony in the community. The Torah prohibits moving boundary markers in the land allotted to the Israelites, emphasizing the importance of respecting the original division of the land.

You shall not move your neighbor’s landmarks, set up by previous generations, in the property that will be allotted to you in the land that your God יהוה is giving you to possess.

Deuteronomy 19:14

The Role of Neighbors in Jerusalem's Fall

TALMUD

The neighboring nations of Ammon and Moab played a pivotal role in the destruction of Jerusalem by encouraging Nebuchadnezzar to conquer it. The Talmudic tractate Sanhedrin discusses the judicial system and includes narratives about the historical events leading to Jerusalem's fall.

Sanhedrin 96b:10

Protecting Privacy Between Neighbors

GUIDES

The Talmud addresses the importance of privacy and the legal measures required to protect it. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Bava Batra mandates the construction of a barrier at least four cubits high to prevent invasion of privacy between neighbors.

The Gemara also concluded that invasion of privacy resulting from exposure to the gaze of one's neighbor is considered damage, and therefore in a place where there is such an invasion of privacy one party can compel the other to build a barrier, which must be at least four cubits high.

Introductions to the Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra, Summary of Perek I 2

The Influence of Neighbors

KABBALAH

The people we surround ourselves with can profoundly influence our moral and ethical behavior. The Zohar, a central text of Jewish mysticism, uses the examples of Elisha and Gehazi, and Abraham and Lot, to illustrate the impact of one's environment and associations.

We see this from the case of Gehazi when driven out by Elisha. So, too, with Lot: as long as Abram was with him, he did not associate with the wicked, but as soon as he left him, what do we find? “So Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan”; and further, “and he moved his tent as far as Sodom”, the inhabitants of which “were wicked and sinners against the Lord exceedingly”.

Zohar, Lech Lecha 8:56

Reviving the Kehillah

JEWISH THOUGHT

Jewish unity and cooperation are essential for transcending ideological differences and enriching Jewish life. Eliezer Berkovits argues for the renewal of the traditional kehillah (community) structure to foster unity among diverse Jewish ideologies.

In our day, when ideological dogmatism has become a serious threat to Jewish unity, the renewal of the kehillah might be a helpful way of getting Jews to cooperate on matters transcending ideology. Perhaps all synagogues in a particular neighborhood could unite to form a kehillah within which all would strive to sustain and enrich Jewish life through joint consultation in an atmosphere of mutual respect. It is hard to think of a better way to “atone” for each other’s shortcomings.

Unity in Judaism, Unity in the Midst of Plurality 21

Neighborly Rights and Business

TALMUD

The balance between a neighbor's right to peace and an individual's right to use their property for business is a nuanced issue. The tractate Bava Batra discusses the rules and limitations regarding business activities in shared residential spaces.

MISHNA: If a resident wants to open a store in his courtyard, his neighbor can protest to prevent him from doing so and say to him: I am unable to sleep due to the sound of people entering the store and the sound of people exiting. But one may fashion utensils in his house and go out and sell them in the market, despite the fact that he is not allowed to set up a store in the courtyard, and the neighbor cannot protest against him doing so and say to him: I am unable to sleep due to the sound…

Bava Batra 20b:15

The Right to a Window

HALAKHAH

The Mishneh Torah establishes the right of a property owner to maintain a window even if it causes damage to a neighbor. Maimonides, in his 12th-century legal code, Mishneh Torah, addresses the balance between individual property rights and communal harmony.

When a person has a window in his wall and a colleague comes and builds a courtyard next to it, the owner of the courtyard cannot tell the owner of the window: "Close this window, so that you will not look at me," for the owner of the window has established his right to maintain the window even though it is a source of damage.
If his colleague desires to build a wall opposite the window to block the invasion of his privacy, he must leave a space of four cubits next to the window, to avoid casting a shadow upon it.

Mishneh Torah, Neighbors 7:1

The Ripple Effect of Coveting

MIDRASH

The Torah states that one may not covet, and rabbinic literature elaborates on the boundaries of the prohibition. Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, an ancient midrash on the book of Exodus, clarifies that coveting extends to what is acquired and bestowed, reinforcing the importance of respecting others' belongings.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house" — general. "and his man-servant, and his maid-servant, and his ox, and his ass — particular. general-particular (The rule is:) There exists in the general only what exists in the particular. "and all that belongs to your neighbor" — reversion to the general. (This leaves us with) general-particular-general (The rule is:) You deduce only what is in accordance with the particular, viz.: Just as the particular is something which is acquired and bestowed, so, all that is acquired and bestowed (comes under "You shall not covet…

Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Bachodesh 8:24

Fostering Community Through Eruv

LITURGY

Creating an eruv fosters a sense of shared space and cooperation among neighbors. The eruv tavshilin prayer, recited before a Jewish holiday that falls on a Friday, allows for cooking and other preparations for Shabbat to be done on the holiday.

“By means of this eiruv it will be permissible for us to take out and to bring in from the houses into the courtyard and from the courtyard into the houses and from one house into another, for all the Jews who live in the houses of the courtyard.”

Siddur Sefard, Eruv Tavshilin 15

The Joy of Giving on Purim

CHASIDUT

Sending gifts to neighbors and the poor during Purim is a mitzvah that brings joy and fulfillment. Rabbi Nathan of Breslov, in his collection of prayers, emphasizes the importance of joy and perfection in fulfilling the mitzvah of gift-giving on Purim.

May we keep the mitzvah of “sending gifts, each person to his neighbor, and gifts to the poor,” along with the mitzvah of the Purim feast, with great perfection and vast, intense joy.

Likutei Tefilot, Volume II 37:55

The Power of Collective Prayer

COMMENTARY

Almost all Jewish prayers are written in the plural. Using an analogy about neighbors, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, in his commentary on the Torah portion 'Naso' from the book of Numbers, explains the merits of praying as a community .

Halevi adds that there is nothing mystical in this idea. He explains it with the following analogy. Imagine, he says, trying to defend your house against enemies. There are two ways of doing so. One is to build a wall around the house. The other is to join with neighbours and build a wall around the town. The former is more expensive and offers less protection. To act with others for everyone is easier and more secure.

Covenant and Conversation; Numbers; The Wilderness Years, Nasso, The Priestly Blessings 36

Privacy and Light Guidelines

COMMENTARY

The Mishnah provides detailed guidelines to ensure privacy and prevent obstruction of light between neighbors. This foundational Jewish legal text from around 200 CE addresses property laws and neighborly relations.

And [if he builds a wall opposite his friend’s] windows, whether it is higher or lower than them or level with them, it may not be within four cubits. If a person wishes to build a wall opposite another person’s windows he must fulfill three conditions: 1) If the wall is higher than the window it must be more than four cubits higher so that he will not be able to use his wall to look into his friend’s window. 2) If the wall is lower than the window it must be more than four cubits lower so that he will not be able to stand on the wall and look into the window…

English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra 2:4:3

Balancing Personal Use and Communal Responsibility

MISHNAH

The Mishnah provides specific regulations to ensure that one's personal activities do not harm or disturb their neighbors, emphasizing the balance between individual rights and communal responsibility. This foundational Jewish legal text from around 200 CE addresses property rights and neighborly conduct, reflecting the importance of communal harmony and respect for others' property in Jewish law.

A person may not open a bakery or a dye shop beneath the storeroom of another, and he may not establish a cattle barn there, as these produce heat, smoke, and odors, which rise and damage the items in the storeroom. The mishna comments: In truth, the halakha is that in the case of a storeroom of wine the Sages rendered it permitted to set up a bakery and a dye shop beneath, as the heat that rises does not damage the wine. But they did not render it permitted to establish a cattle barn…

Mishnah Bava Batra 2:3

Borrowing from Neighbors

TANAKH

The act of borrowing vessels from neighbors underscores the importance of communal support and cooperation in times of need. In the biblical narrative of Kings II, the prophet Elisha instructs a woman to collect empty vessels from her neighbors, emphasizing the value of community.

“Go,” he said, “and borrow vessels outside, from all your neighbors, empty vessels, as many as you can.

II Kings 4:3

Jewish Quarter in Amsterdam, Max Liebermann, 1905

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