Our Gemara on Amud Beis relates a story of a woman who was duped and then how her vigilante justice was vindicated by the rabbis:
הָהוּא גַּבְרָא דִּזְבַן אַרְבָּא דְחַמְרָא. לָא אַשְׁכַּח דּוּכְתָּא לְאוֹתוֹבֵיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ לְהַהִיא אִיתְּתָא: אִית לָךְ דּוּכְתָּא לְאוֹגוֹרַי? אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ: לָא. אֲזַל קַדְּשַׁהּ יְהַבָה לֵיהּ דּוּכְתָּא לְעַיֹּילֵיהּ. אֲזַל לְבֵיתֵיהּ כְּתַב לַהּ גִּיטָּא, שַׁדַּר לַהּ. אֲזַלָא אִיהִי, אֲגַרָא שָׁקוֹלָאֵי מִינֵּיהּ וּבֵיהּ, אַפֵּיקְתֵּיהּ וְאוֹתְבֵיהּ בִּשְׁבִילָא. אָמַר רַב הוּנָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב יְהוֹשֻׁעַ: ״כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה כֵּן יֵעָשֶׂה לּוֹ גְּמוּלוֹ יָשׁוּב בְּרֹאשׁוֹ״.
The Gemara relates: There was a certain man who purchased a boat laden with wine. He was unable to find a place to store it. He said to a certain woman: Do you have place to rent to me? She said to him: No. He was aware that she did own a suitable place, so he went and betrothed her, and then she gave him a lease on the place for him to bring in his wine there. He went back to his home and wrote a bill of divorce for her, which he then sent to her. Upon receiving the bill of divorce and realizing that the betrothal had been nothing more than a ruse, she went and hired porters, paying them from the wine itself, and instructed them to take the wine out of her place and put it on the street. Upon being presented with this case, Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, said, paraphrasing Obadiah 1:15: Like he did, so shall be done to him, his repayment shall come back on his head; she was entitled to do as she did.
The Rama (CM 312:9), based on a Nimukei Yosef from our Gemara, derives a practical halacha:
מי ששכר בית לחבירו והיה אוהבו ונעשה שונאו אין יכול להוציאו מן הבית ואם א"ל מתחילה שאינו משכיר לו רק משום שהוא אוהבו ונעשה שונאו יכול להוציאו
A person who rents a house to his friend and later they become enemies cannot evict him from the house on that basis. But if he initiated the rental with a clearly stated understanding that he is only renting because he is a friend, then a newly developed emnity is grounds for eviction.
Shalah (Vavei HaAmudim, Chapter 26) uses this halacha to explain the exhortative verses in Devarim (34:26 and 37):
הַעִידֹ֩תִי֩ בָכֶ֨ם הַיּ֜וֹם אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ כִּֽי־אָבֹ֣ד תֹּאבֵדוּן֮ מַהֵר֒ מֵעַ֣ל הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר אַתֶּ֜ם עֹבְרִ֧ים אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֛ן שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּ֑הּ לֹֽא־תַאֲרִיכֻ֤ן יָמִים֙ עָלֶ֔יהָ כִּ֥י הִשָּׁמֵ֖ד תִּשָּׁמֵדֽוּן׃
I call heaven and earth this day to witness against you that you shall soon perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess; you shall not long endure in it, but shall be utterly wiped out.
וְתַ֗חַת כִּ֤י אָהַב֙ אֶת־אֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ וַיִּבְחַ֥ר בְּזַרְע֖וֹ אַחֲרָ֑יו וַיּוֹצִֽאֲךָ֧ בְּפָנָ֛יו בְּכֹח֥וֹ הַגָּדֹ֖ל מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃
And having loved your ancestors, [God] chose their heirs after them; [God] personally —in great, divine might—led you out of Egypt.
Hashem is warning, “You might believe that once I gave you the Land of Israel, I would have no right to evict you. However, since I made it clear from the beginning that you are granted this land because of my love, if you fall out of favor you may lose it.”
The sobering fact is that our tenancy on this Earth is completely subject to God’s will and, if we do not engender good relations with the landlord, we can be suddenly evicted.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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