1. What responsibility does the Bible say a home builder has to protect people from harm in their house?
2. What might a literal interpretation of the mitzvah of building a ma’akeh look like today? A more expansive definition?
3. Some have moved beyond a literal interpretation of this text. What else in modern society may benefit from a ma'akeh?
| Translation | Original |
|---|---|
| One who rents a house to another is obligated to construct doors and to fix broken windows, to reinforce the ceiling and to fix broken beams, and to provide a bolt and a lock and similar things which are produced by skilled craftspeople and which are essential to living in a house. The tenant is obligated to put up a ma’akeh and a mezuzah... And if they [the tenant] want a ladder [that goes up to the parapet] or to fix a gutterspout or plaster the roof [i.e., so it looks nice], they should do that for themselves (Some translation from Rabbi Jill Jacobs). |
המשכיר בית לחבירו חייב להעמיד לו דלתות ולפתוח לו החלונות שנתקלקלו ולחזק את התקרה ולסמוך את הקורה שנשברה ולעשות נגר ומנעול וכל כיוצא באלו מדברים שהן מעשה אומן והם עיקר גדול בישיבת הבתים והחצרות, השוכר חייב לעשות מעקה ומזוזה ולתקן מקום המזוזה משלו, וכן אם רצה לעשות סולם או מרזב או להטיח גגו הרי זה עושה משל עצמו.
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1. How do you explain the difference between what the landlord has to provide and repair and what the tenant is responsible for providing and repairing?
2. This text appears to contradict the Biblical text from Deuteronomy, which places the responsibility for the ma’akeh on the builder. Is there a way to explain why it’s not actually a contradiction? Alternatively, why might it make sense to make the tenant responsible for building the ma’akeh?
3. How does halacha/Jewish law compare to American landlord-tenant law (as far as you’re aware)?