EXOD468 See [[LEV367]] Leviticus 19:13 robbery SPERO 305-6

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EXOD465 In the Ten Commandments, "You shall not steal" appears in the singular form and is understood by the sages to refer to the act of kidnapping and the selling of slaves. The injunction against stealing in its usual sense appears in the Bible in Leviticus [19:11] in the plural. Answering a Chasid's question as to this distinction, a Chasidic master replied, "Kidnapping of men for sale as slaves is a marginal act in our society, whereas common theft and fraud is something we are all too guilty of." No functioning economic society can exist for very long without a legal system to prevent fraud. It would be misleading, however, to consider the communal edicts, halakhic decisions, and homiletic literature against theft, in its widest connotations, as simply constituting Jewish interpretations of a universally accepted dictum. Rather, the majority of authorities (in contrast to Maimonides [Shmoneh Perakim, chapter 6], saw the prevention of theft or dishonesty as part of a distinctly Jewish socioreligious morality based on the notion of the Divine source of wealth. [Malbim, Commentary on the Bible, Exodus 20]. The Divine source of wealth makes all form of theft and dishonesty religious crimes, over and above their social aspects. Furthermore, society's concept of morality, economic and otherwise, are flexible, and change from one generation to another and one cultural group to another. However, forbidding stealing as part of a Divinely related law makes the injunction definitive and absolute, and provides a yardstick that cannot be blurred by conventionally accepted infringements.

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EXOD469 Stealing of souls [i.e., kidnapping] is being referred to; for as far as stealing of money is concerned, this is subsumed in (Leviticus 19:11): "You shall not steal" (Sanhedrin 86a)

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EXOD470 This is an exhortation vis-à-vis scheming witnesses [edim zomemin (Deuteronomy 19:19)] (Makkoth 4b)

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EXOD471 Now we discuss the class of liars. The subject of this class is divided into nine categories: the first category--a man of falsehood, who has forsaken the Torah, verbally causing evil and destruction, such as one who makes a false denial to his fellowman regarding something deposited by him for safekeeping, or money entrusted to him, or the wages due a laborer [See Vayikra 5:21], as the pasuk says (Vayikra 19:11), "Nor may any man [among] you may make a false denial, or lie [by oath] against his fellowman." Included in this category is general fraud and cheating in one's business dealings with one's partners, as the pesukim say (Vayikra 25:14), "You must not cheat one another," and (Tehillim 55:12), "Cunning and fraud depart not from its main square." He is also referred to as a man of iniquity and one without constraints--this is of greater severity than those sins found within the other classes of evildoers, as we have prefaced in The Gates of Fear of Sin [See the First Gate, note 97]. This man of iniquity is characterized by his winking eyes and pointing fingers, as the pasuk says (Mishlei 6:12-13), "An unconstrained man, a man of iniquity... He winks with his eyes, [scrapes with his feet, points with his fingers.]"[i.e., he uses all his faculties to hint deceitfully (Zeh Hasha'ar)].

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EXOD472 It is a negative commandment to give no false testimony as Scripture says, You shall not bear false witness against your fellow [this verse]. If someone gives as testimony what he heard from others, even definitely trustworthy people, he likewise violates this prohibition. If a person hires false witnesses, or if one suppresses his testimony [and does not go to give it] he is free, not punishable, by the laws of man, but punishable by the laws of Heaven.

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EXOD473 See [[DEUT848]] Deuteronomy 16:20 justice DORFFDRAG 114-5

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EXOD480 It is a negative commandment not to covet (desire) anything belonging to one's fellow-man as Scripture says, You shall not covet, etc. [this verse]. Now, coveting denotes that a person invest effort to put his thought into action; he sends many friends to the fellow, and importunes him, until he takes it [the object he desires] from him. Even if he has given him a great price for it, he thus violates it [the commandment]. This often occurs when a son-in-law pressures his father-in-law before the wedding that he should give him this-and-that object, which they did not stipulate when the t'na'im (conditions of the marriage) were written. Even if his father-in-law fulfills his demand, the son-in-law nevertheless violates his probation not to covet it, etc. (and see Rabad on Rambam, Yad, hilchot g'zelah, i).

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EXOD481 See [[DEUT186]] Deuteronomy 5:18 crave CCCBM 135

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EXOD478 Do not covet another's property. Do not plan methods to gain possession of another’s belongings. Technically, however, the prohibition is violated only once such a forbidden plan bears fruit and one actually takes possession of the item that he covets. Someone who coerces his fellow into relinquishing possession of any of his belongings violates this prohibition even if he pays for the item. Coveting leads to much misery, for once a person sets his eyes upon something owned by his fellow, he loses his sense of proportion. If the owner refuses to sell him the item, the one who covets it will use force to gain possession. If all efforts fail and the owner remains obstinate, the one who covers the item might even resort to murder to gain hold of the thing.

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