Babylonian Talmud, Baba Metzia 101b
תלמוד בבלי בבא מציעא קא:
המשכיר בית לחבירו בימות הגשמים - אינו יכול להוציאו מן החג ועד הפסח. בימות החמה - שלשים יום. ובכרכים, אחד ימות החמה ואחד ימות הגשמים - שנים עשר חדש
If one rents a house to one’s fellow in the winter [note: “winter” here is considered to start after Sukkot ends in the late fall], one cannot evict the tenant from Sukkot through Passover [around six months, the duration of the winter]. In the summer, [one cannot evict the tenant for] thirty days. [In other words, the landlord must give 30 days’ notice.] In large cities, whether in summer or winter, [the period is] twelve months [notice].

Suggested Discussion Questions:

What reasons can you imagine for prohibiting evictions “from Sukkot through Passover”?

Why is there a difference between the mandated eviction notice time in small towns vs. large cities?

What are the values about housing and about the way we conduct business underlying these texts?

Time Period: Rabbinic (Maccabees through the Talmud)