Yeshiva
Beit Midrash
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- P'ninat Mishpat
Ruling: [Last time we saw that the rental agreement was initially binding.]
Def brought no proof and only weak claims as to why they had reason to fear violent or illegal steps on pl’s part. Def made the impression of sensitive, timid people, and they come from a culture in which polite speech is the norm. Pl admits to speaking assertively, as he acted in beit din, which he feels is his right and is more accepted in Israel. Considering this and the fact that def had just arrived on aliya with minimal social and financial support, it is understandable that they would feel overwhelmed by the situation and even threatened. The question is whether that subjective feeling allows them to void a contract.
The Mishpat Tzedek (II, 31) allowed someone who rented a home on top of a store, which was subsequently rented to a violent non-Jew, to back out of the contract due to his fear of his neighbor. However, that was referring to a non-Jew with a proven record of violence in a society where anti-Semitism was tolerated. In this case, there are not subjective grounds for fear, just for the unpleasantness connected to financial disputes. Def also had other ways to deal with the situation, including having the rabbi or the lawyer deal with pl or looking for other tenants to take their place.
There are varied sources on the situation of bad relationships between landlord and tenant. The Rama (Choshen Mishpat 312:9) rules that one who rented a house to someone when they were friends cannot expel him when they become enemies. However, in 312:14 he says that if two people share a home and fought in court over ownership, the one who won the case can expel the other without a normal waiting period because of their enmity. The distinction is that in the former case, the relationship is just of landlord-tenant, whereas in the latter case, they share a home. Our case lacks the urgency that is grounds for breaking the contract.
The advice def received was not halachically/legally sound, and they are required to pay for the damages of the breached agreement. Beit din criticized pl’s insensitive and unwise behavior and urged him to significantly reduce the sum to which he is legally entitled to compensate for his behavior which, under the subjective circumstances, caused def pain and financial loss.
P'ninat Mishpat (835)
Various Rabbis
195 - Unsigned Estimates for a Contractor
196 - An Aggressive Landlord
197 - An Aggressive Landlord
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Various Rabbis
Various Rabbis including those of of Yeshivat Bet El, such as Rabbi Chaim Katz, Rabbi Binyamin Bamberger and Rabbi Yitzchak Greenblat and others.
Moreshet Shaul Moreshet Shaul: A Crown and its Scepter – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 294-5
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Undoing a Problematic Partnership – part III
based on ruling 84061 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Sharing in Plumbing Expenses – part I
based on ruling 85013 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Various Events FOR WHOM NOT TO VOTE
Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook stressed that Israeli politics is G-dly, so I have no problem answering this common question on a Torani blog. Also, Free-Will is a G-d-given right and obligation, to "destine one's fate" (R. Soloveichik, Kol Dodi Dofek, 67), so I obviously don't tell others how to vote. But once not a few (especially young) have already asked, a couple of personal words from experience and thoughts from chazal & Rav Kook which may be of help to others, mainly for whom NOT to vote.
P'ninat Mishpat Fallout from Failure to Install Elevator – part II
based on ruling 85007 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
