EXOD463 Although wherever possible the evil inclination tries to lead men to sin, there are some [offenses] that human nature finds more desirable, and with regard to these his evil inclination grants him greater leeway to rationalize and permit [that which is forbidden]. Therefore, in these areas one needs to strengthen himself to an even greater degree in order to conquer his evil inclination and to be cleansed of sin. Our Sages of blessed memory have said (Chagigah 11b): "Man's nature yearns for and desires theft and promiscuity." We see that although most people are not outright thieves, in the sense of literally grabbing money that belongs to others and keeping it, nonetheless most of them develop a taste for stealing in their business dealings when they permit themselves to profit at the expense of others, saying: "Business is different." Regarding stealing, many prohibitions have been stated in reference to it: "You must not steal" [this verse], "Nor shall you rob" (Vayikra 19:13), "You shall not oppress" (ibid.), "Nor may any man [among you] make a false denial" (Vayikra 19:11), "Or lie against his fellowman" (ibid.), "You must not cheat one another" (Vayikra 25:14), "You must not move back the border of your fellowman['s field]" (Devarim 19:14). All of these are distinct laws that relate to stealing, and their scope covers many of the acts that are commonplace in business dealings and financial activity. And each one of them contains numerous prohibitions. Indeed, not only the familiar and common acts of extortion and theft are prohibited, but also whatever ultimately leads to them and causes them is included in the prohibition. In this regard, our Sages of blessed memory stated (Sanhedrin 8a): "'And he did not defile his neighbor's wife' (Yechezkel 18:6) [refers to someone] who did not encroach on his neighbor's livelihood." [On these grounds] Rabbi Yehudah prohibited a storekeeper from giving out roasted grains and nuts to children to attract them to his store, and though the Sages permitted this it was only because his competitors could do the same (Bava Metzia 60a).