443. Neighbor (1)
King Shlomo (may he rest in peace) said in Mishlei “A near neighbor is better that a distant brother!”, and a good neighbor will help both in times of happiness and pain and a person should therefore seek to live amongst good neighbors. There is a well-known saying of the Sages that “Keep away from a bad neighbor!” and they decreed that we should pray every day before Hashem that He should save us from bad neighbors, for bad neighbors can do much harm. They also said “Woe to a wicked man; woe to his neighbor; It is good to be a righteous man; it is good to be his neighbor!”. Foe since the neighbor is evil, even if he will not be drawn after his neighbor or learn from his ways or have forbidden speech with him, it will be impossible to hold himself back from seeing with his eyes and hearing with his ears his evil speech and his rotten deeds, and he will be unable to protest with his hands at all times and any hour and in the end his coal of fire will be dampened and put out. Meeting such people is also bad for they increase dispute every day and at all times. It follows that a man who seeks life will not worry about his money and it would be far better to live in a corner of a roof with a good neighbor and it will be good for him with him.