Theft, Stealing

Explore Talmudic logic and halachic principles on the liability of theft and its legal ramifications in real life cases.

Discover the Torah’s principles and parameters behind the prohibition related to theft and robbery. We learn two differing perspectives for defining the prohibition of stealing, providing new depth to understanding the precept.

This five-part Talmud series will be exploring and analyzing the seventh chapter of tractate Bava Kama, which focuses on the principles related to theft and robbery, and the logic behind the various levels of penalties. You be the judge!

Study the daily lesson of Sefer HaMitzvos for day 247 with Rabbi Mendel Kaplan, where he teaches the mitzvah in-depth with added insight and detail.

The Theft When my family returned from a two-day trip, we found our home burglarized. The thief broke a window to gain access, rifled through drawers, left a mess, and walked away with a few meager items and a charity box. The things he took were just thi...

"Everything here seems so Jewish, even the non-Jews have something Jewish about them here. Tell me, Senya, what's Jewish about you?" I ask innocently.

A high administrative official in our synagogue embezzled a great sum of money from the congregational offerings. He is well versed in Torah, and certainly knows the difference between right and wrong. So, how is it possible that he did such a thing?

"Thou shall not steal." Some of the precepts that are included in this prohibition.

There once lived a certain pious, young scholar, G‑d-fearing and pure of heart, who invested all his time and energy in Torah learning . . .

Finally, Reb Yehoshua set a price of 25 Napoleons—a sum that would support a family for two years. Surely, no one would be so foolhardy as to pay that kind of money for a horse . . . !