The Biblical Prohibition of Gezel

לֹ֖א תִּגְנֹ֑בוּ וְלֹא־תְכַחֲשׁ֥וּ וְלֹֽא־תְשַׁקְּר֖וּ אִ֥ישׁ בַּעֲמִיתֽוֹ׃

You shall not steal; you shall not deal deceitfully or falsely with one another.

{ס}        לֹ֣֖א תִּֿגְנֹֽ֔ב׃

You shall not steal.

״לֹא תִּגְנֹבוּ״ דִּכְתַב רַחֲמָנָא לְמָה לִי? לְכִדְתַנְיָא: לֹא תִּגְנֹב – עַל מְנָת לְמֵיקַט, לֹא תִּגְנֹב – עַל מְנָת לְשַׁלֵּם תַּשְׁלוּמֵי כֶפֶל.

The Gemara asks: Why do I need the prohibition: “You shall not steal” (Leviticus 19:11), that the Merciful One wrote? This is yet another prohibition against taking money by illegitimate means, and it could be derived from the other prohibitions mentioned previously. The Gemara answers that it is necessary for the Merciful One to write that prohibition for that which is taught in a baraita: “You shall not steal” applies in all circumstances, even if you do so only in order to aggravate the victim; “you shall not steal” applies in all circumstances, even if you do so in order to pay the double payment as a gift to the person from whom you stole.

שָׁאֲלוּ תַּלְמִידָיו אֶת רַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי: מִפְּנֵי מָה הֶחְמִירָה תּוֹרָה בְּגַנָּב יוֹתֵר מִגַּזְלָן? אָמַר לָהֶן: זֶה – הִשְׁוָה כְּבוֹד עֶבֶד לִכְבוֹד קוֹנוֹ, וְזֶה – לֹא הִשְׁוָה כְּבוֹד עֶבֶד לִכְבוֹד קוֹנוֹ. כִּבְיָכוֹל עָשָׂה עַיִן שֶׁל מַטָּה כְּאִילּוּ אֵינָהּ רוֹאָה, וְאוֹזֶן שֶׁל מַטָּה כְּאִילּוּ אֵינָהּ שׁוֹמַעַת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הוֹי הַמַּעֲמִיקִים מֵה׳ לַסְתִּר עֵצָה, וְהָיָה בְמַחְשָׁךְ מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם וְגוֹ׳״; וּכְתִיב: ״וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֹא יִרְאֶה יָּהּ וְלֹא יָבִין אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב״; וּכְתִיב: ״כִּי [אָמְרוּ] עָזַב ה׳ אֶת הָאָרֶץ, וְאֵין ה׳ רֹאֶה״. תַּנְיָא, אָמַר רַבִּי מֵאִיר: מָשְׁלוּ מָשָׁל מִשּׁוּם רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה? לִשְׁנֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁהָיוּ בְּעִיר וְעָשׂוּ מִשְׁתֶּה, אֶחָד זִימֵּן אֶת בְּנֵי הָעִיר וְלֹא זִימֵּן אֶת בְּנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ, וְאֶחָד לֹא זִימֵּן אֶת בְּנֵי הָעִיר וְלֹא זִימֵּן אֶת בְּנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ. אֵיזֶה מֵהֶן עוֹנְשׁוֹ מְרוּבֶּה? הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר: זֶה שֶׁזִּימֵּן אֶת בְּנֵי הָעִיר וְלֹא זִימֵּן אֶת בְּנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ.

§ The Gemara concludes its discussion of theft with several aggadic statements. His students asked Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai: For what reason was the Torah stricter with a thief than with a robber? Only a thief is required to pay the double, fourfold, or fivefold payment, not a robber. Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai said to them in response: This one, the robber, equated the honor of the servant to the honor of his Master, and that one, the thief, did not equate the honor of the servant to the honor of his Master. The robber fears neither God nor people, as he is not afraid to rob in public. The thief does not fear God but he does fear other people, which demonstrates that he is more concerned about humans than God. As it were, the thief establishes the eye below, i.e., God’s eye, as though it does not see, and the ear below, i.e., God’s ear, as though it does not hear. The Gemara cites verses that describe people who imagine that God does not see their actions, as it is stated: “Woe to them who seek deeply to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say: Who sees us, and who knows us?” (Isaiah 29:15). And it is written: “And they say: The Lord will not see, neither will the God of Jacob give heed” (Psalms 94:7). And it is written: “For they say: The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see” (Ezekiel 9:9). It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir said: To illustrate the severity of a thief over a robber, as per Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai’s explanation, they stated a parable in the name of Rabban Gamliel. To what is this matter comparable? To two people who were living in the same city, and both of them prepared a feast. One of them invited the people of the city to his feast but he did not invite the king’s sons. And the other did not invite the people of the city and also did not invite the king’s sons. Which of them deserves a greater punishment? You must say that it is this one who invited the people of the city but did not invite the king’s sons. Likewise, both the thief and the robber show disdain for God, but the robber does not display more respect for people.

גָּזֵל, דִּכְתִיב: ״כְּיֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת כֹּל״. וְאָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי: כְּיֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב, וְלֹא כְּיֶרֶק גִּנָּה. וְאִידַּךְ? הָהוּא לְמִישְׁרֵי בָּשָׂר הוּא דַּאֲתָא. וְעַל הַגָּזֵל בֶּן נֹחַ נֶהֱרָג? וְהָתַנְיָא: עַל הַגָּזֵל, גָּנַב וְגָזַל, וְכֵן יְפַת תּוֹאַר, וְכֵן כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן – גּוֹי בְּגוֹי וְגוֹי בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אָסוּר, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגוֹי מוּתָּר. וְאִם אִיתָא, נִיתְנֵי ״חַיָּיב״! מִשּׁוּם דְּקָבָעֵי לְמִיתְנֵי סֵיפָא: ״יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגוֹי מוּתָּר״, תְּנָא רֵישָׁא: ״אָסוּר״.

The prohibition of robbery is stated, according to the school of Menashe, as it is written: “Every moving thing that is alive shall be for food for you; like the green herbs I have given you all” (Genesis 9:3). And Rabbi Levi says: Like the green herbs that sprout all over by themselves and are ownerless, and not like the vegetation of a garden, which belongs to the garden’s owner alone. This indicates that robbery is prohibited. The Gemara asks: And how do the other tanna’im interpret this verse? The Gemara answers: In their opinion, that verse comes to permit the consumption of meat. The Gemara asks: But is a descendant of Noah executed for robbery? But isn’t it taught in a baraita: With regard to the following types of robbery: One who steals or robs, and likewise one who engages in intercourse with a married beautiful woman who was taken as a prisoner of war, and likewise all actions similar to these, if they are done by a gentile to another gentile, or by a gentile to a Jew, the action is prohibited; but if a Jew does so to a gentile, it is permitted? The Gemara explains the question: And if it is so that a gentile is liable to be executed for robbery, and it is not merely prohibited to him, let the baraita teach that he is liable to be executed. The Gemara answers: Because the tanna wanted to teach in the latter clause that if a Jew does so to a gentile, it is permitted, he taught in the former clause that if a gentile does one of these, it is prohibited. If the baraita were to state that if a gentile does so, he is liable, it would have to state that if a Jew does so to a gentile, he is exempt, because this is the opposite of liable. That would indicate that it is actually prohibited for a Jew to do so to a gentile, and that he is merely exempt from liability, which is not the case. Therefore, the word prohibited is used with regard to a gentile. Therefore, this does not prove that a gentile is exempt from capital punishment.

שהזהירנו שלא לגזול מה שאין לנו בו זכות באונס והכרח. והוא אמרו לא תגזול. וכן בארו בעלי הקבלה לא תגזול כענין ויגזול את החנית מיד המצרי. והוא לאו הניתק לעשה.

He prohibited us - that we not steal that to we which we do not have entitlement, by force and duress. And that is His saying, "and you shall not rob" (Leviticus 19:13). And so have the masters of the tradition explained (Bava Kamma 79b) - "you shall not rob," is like the content of, "and he robbed the spear from the hand of the Egyptian" (II Samuel 23:21).

אָסוּר לִגְנֹב כָּל שֶׁהוּא דִּין תּוֹרָה. וְאָסוּר לִגְנֹב דֶּרֶךְ שְׂחוֹק אוֹ לִגְנֹב עַל מְנָת לְהַחְזִיר אוֹ עַל מְנָת לְשַׁלֵּם הַכּל אָסוּר שֶׁלֹּא יַרְגִּיל עַצְמוֹ בְּכָךְ: אֵיזֶה הוּא גַּנָּב זֶה הַלּוֹקֵחַ מָמוֹן אָדָם בַּסֵּתֶר וְאֵין הַבְּעָלִים יוֹדְעִים. כְּגוֹן הַפּוֹשֵׁט יָדוֹ לְתוֹךְ כִּיס חֲבֵרוֹ וְלָקַח מְעוֹתָיו וְאֵין הַבְּעָלִים רוֹאִין. וְכֵן כָּל כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה. אֲבָל אִם לָקַח בְּגָלוּי וּבְפַרְהֶסְיָא בְּחֹזֶק יָד אֵין זֶה גַּנָּב אֶלָּא גַּזְלָן. לְפִיכָךְ לִסְטִים מְזֻיָּן שֶׁגָּנַב אֵינוֹ גַּזְלָן אֶלָּא גַּנָּב אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַבְּעָלִים יוֹדְעִים בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁגָּנַב:

The Torah prohibits stealing even the slightest amount. It is forbidden to steal as a jest, to steal with the intent to return, or to steal with the intent to pay. All is forbidden, lest one habituate oneself to such conduct. Who is a thief? A person who takes assets belonging to a colleague in stealth, without the owner's knowing - e.g., a pickpocket who is not detected by the owner or the like. If, however, a person takes a colleague's assets in open view and with public knowledge by force, he is not considered a thief, but rather a robber. For this reason, an armed bandit who steals is not considered a robber, but a thief. This applies even when the owner takes notice when he steals.

הלכות גניבה אסור לגנוב אפילו כל שהוא אפי' דרך שחוק ואפי' ע"מ להחזיר או ע"מ לשלם הכל אסור שלא ירגיל עצמו בכך וכל הגונב אפי' ש"פ עובר על לאו דלא תגנובו וחייב לשלם: אחד הגונב מישראל בין קטן בין גדול ואחד הגונב מעובד כו"ם שגניבתו אסור: ואיזהו גנב כגון הלוקח בסתר ואפי' רואין אותו כיון שמטמין עצמו להסתיר דבריו נקרא גנב. וגזלן זה הלוקח בגלוי ובחזקה:

וזה מפני כי הדבר שהוא יוצא מן הראוי ומן המיצוע, כמו שהרשע יוצא ברשעתו מן המיצוע, הפך הצדיק שנקרא צדיק בשביל הצדק והיושר שבו, והרשע הפך זה יוצא מן הצדק בזרוע רמה שלו וכדכתיב (תלים י') שבור זרוע רשע, והדבר שהוא יוצא אל הקצה יש לו קצה וסוף ג"כ ונאבד. ולכך אמר כעבור סופה ואין רשע, וצדיק שהוא צדיק בשביל הצדק אשר הצדק אינו יוצא מן המיצוע ולכך הוא יסוד עולם, כי כן כל דבר שהוא הצדק אינו יוצא מן המיצוע כמו הצדיק הוא יסוד קיים.

איסור גניבה ומי נקרא גנב ומאיזה שעה מתחייב. ובו ח סעיפים: אסור לגנוב אפי' כל שהוא דין תורה ואסור לגנוב אפי' דרך שחוק ואפי' ע"מ להחזיר או כדי לשלם תשלומי כפל או כדי לצערו הכל אסור כדי שלא ירגיל עצמו בכך: כל הגונב אפי' שוה פרוטה עובר על לאו דלא תגנובו וחייב לשלם אחד הגונב ממון ישראל או הגונב ממון של עכו"ם ואחד הגונב מגדול או מקטן: הגה טעות עכו"ם כגון להטעותו בחשבון או להפקיע הלואתו מותר ובלבד שלא יודע לו דליכא חילול השם (טור ס"ג) וי"א דאסור להטעותו אלא אם טעה מעצמו שרי (מרדכי פרק הגוזל בתרא):

It is forbidden to steal even if it is a small amount according to the judgment of the Torah and it is forbidden to steal, even if it is in a playful manner, even on the condition of returning it or in order to repay double or in order to cause pain. Everything is forbidden in order that he not accustom himself to this. Anyone who steals even on par with a penny’s worth transgressed not stealing and he is obligated to pay, one that steals money of a Jew or who steals money of a non-Jew and one that steals from the great or from the small. Note: a gentile’s mistake, for example to mistake in counting or repaying his loans, is permitted, and provided that he doesn’t know, so that there is no blasphemy. And there are those who say that it is forbidden to mislead him except if he makes the mistake from his own, and then it’s allowed.

כִּי לֹא הַמַּעֲשֶׂה הַנִּכָּר וּמְפֻרְסָם בְּעֹשֶׁק וּבְגָזֵל הוּא לְבַדּוֹ הָאָסוּר. אֶלָּא כָּל שֶׁסּוֹף סוֹף יַגִּיעַ אֵלָיו וְיִגְרֹם אוֹתוֹ, כְּבָר הוּא בִּכְלַל הָאִסּוּר. וְעַל עִנְיָן זֶה אָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סנהדרין פא): וְאֶת אֵשֶׁת רֵעֵהוּ לֹא טִמֵּא (יחזקאל יח): שֶׁלֹּא יָרַד לְאֻמָּנוּת חֲבֵרוֹ.

CLEANLINESS FROM THEFT: We can observe that even though most people are not blatant thieves, literally taking with their hands the possession of their fellow and putting it in their own possessions, nevertheless, most people experience a taste of theft in their business dealings by rationalizing permission to profit through their fellow's loss. They may tell themselves: "Business is different". Many negative commandments refer to theft such as "you shall not steal" (Shemot 20:13, "you shall not rob" Vayikra (19:13), "you shall not oppress" (ibid); "nor deny nor lie one to another" (Vayikra 19:11), "you shall not oppress one another" (Vayikra 25:14), "You shall not push back your neighbor's boundary" (Devarim 19:14). All these are divisions of the laws of theft which apply to many common business transactions and each one includes many prohibitions under it.

בשם אדוני אבי מורי ורבי זצוק"ל עם לבן גרתי, פירש רש"י ותרי"ג מצות שמרתי. הודיע לו זאת דרבותינו ז"ל אמרו ששלח לו להגיד ויהי לי שור וחמור, שלא יקנאו בו שלא נתקיים בו הברכות מטל השמים ומשמני הארץ, שזה אינו לא מטל השמים ולא משמני הארץ וכדי שלא יאמר דמהאי טעמא לא נתקיימו מחמת שלא שמר התורה והברכות לא נתנו לו רק על מנת שיקיים התורה כפי' בפרשת תולדות בפסוק (בראשית כז, מ) והיה כאשר תריד כו' לזה שלח לו שתרי"ג מצות שמרתי ואף על פי כן לא נתקיימו בי הברכות אף על פי ששמרתי התורה אם כן אין לך לנטור שנאה על הברכות וקל להבין:

He supposedly emphasized to Esau that in spite of ‎his having acquired considerable wealth, none of it had been at ‎the expense of Esau, as his father’s blessing which was: “may the ‎Lord give you from the dew of heaven and the fat parts of the ‎earth” (Genesis 27,28) had not been fulfilled. Should Esau counter ‎that the reason Yitzchok’s blessing had not been fulfilled was that ‎he, Yaakov, had not observed the commandments, this was not ‎so. Esau knew that his father’s blessings were conditional on a ‎certain mode of conduct by Yaakov, and that is why he had told ‎him (Genesis 27,40) ‎והיה כאשר תריד ופרקת עול מעל צוארך‎, (according ‎to Rashi) “if the Israelites will fail to observe the ‎commandment you will be able to shake off his yoke from your ‎neck.” Yaakov hints to his brother that in spite of having ‎observed the commandments he does not own any land, so that ‎his father’s blessings could not have been fulfilled. Yaakov ‎reassures Esau that he has no reason to revenge himself for ‎Yaakov having obtained this blessing.‎

או יאמר "ויהי לי שור וחמור" דהנה כתיב "ויאמר אלקים ישרצו המים שרץ נפש חיה ועוף יעופף על הארץ".

And this is "thus you will say to my master, to Esav" - meaning, call him master when you talk to him, and then he will continue to do evil to you, through taxes and forced contributions - they will be charged with stealing, and through this Hashem will have compassion on us, since it is enough that we should be submissive to them and give them honor.