LEV361 You shall not hold back what belongs to your neighbor. Our Torah, the only complete and perfect system of law, distances us from the cruel practice of retaining possession of what belongs to another or is rightfully due him. When someone comes to collect from us what is his, we are not allowed to hold back payment, and neither are we allowed to keep him in suspense as to when his demand will be met. One is forbidden to push him off, saying, “Come back tomorrow,” every time he comes for what rightfully is his. The Torah forbids any sort of deceptive tactic whose aim is to withhold a rightful claim. Included is the case of an employer who owes his worker wages (although here, by unlawfully withholding the wage, he is not holding back anything that belonged to the claimant previously). There are three ways to unlawfully withhold something that is rightfully the claimant’s: holding it back (עשק), stealing it (גנבה) or robbing it (גזלה). The Torah writes separate prohibitions for each of the three transgressions, for the following reasons: 1) Hashem wants only our good. So that we stay far clear of unlawful possession of what is not ours, He repeatedly warns us about taking or keeping what belongs to others. 2) Hashem wants to bestow merit upon us. To this end, He gives us, His chosen nation, a number of mitzvos, each one presenting us with another opportunity to earn reward. Reward also accrues to us when we abstain from violating prohibitions. Accordingly, although we could have been given one general commandment, such as, “Do not unjustly keep or take what belongs to another,” we were given three separate prohibitions, to increase our reward for refraining from these transgressions.