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LEVITICUS — 19:11 falsely

LEV334 It is a negative commandment not to deny [falsely] anything of value [owed] for Scripture says, neither shall you deal falsely [this verse], and this is an admonition against the lying denial of anything of value worth from a p'rutah and up. It includes all kinds of denial in monetary matters, whether about something entrusted for safekeeping or a loan; whether one person robbed another or cheated him; or he found a lost object and did not return it. If the other sued him for it and he gave a false denial, he has violated this prohibition and becomes disqualified to be a witness and give testimony.

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LEVITICUS — 19:11 falsely

LEV336 The Torah clearly prohibits lying in several places: "You must not carry false rumors" (Exod 23:1); "Keep far from a false charge" (Exod 23:7); and "You shall not deal deceitfully or falsely with one another" [this verse]. While eschewing lies is necessary for the maintenance of trust among people, thus making human society possible, the Rabbis recognized that not every untruth is an evil to be avoided, not every truth necessary to reveal. According to a story on B. Sanhedrin 97a, Rava at first despaired of finding truth in the world. He then learned of another rabbi who never told lies and who had settled in a town called "Kushta" ("truth"). No one in Kushta ever told lies or died prematurely. The Kushtan rabbi married and had two sons. One day a neighbor called for his wife, who was washing her hair. The rabbi thought it inappropriate to mention that fact, and so (falsely) stated that his wife was not present. His two sons died, and when the townspeople investigated this unheard-of tragedy and learned how it had come about, they asked him to leave Kushta. The story's point is that absolute truth cannot abide an untruth told even for a virtuous purpose, and human life itself cannot be sustained within the realm of absolute truth. This latter rabbinic insight appears in a number of places in the Talmud and post-talmudic literature where the point is not necessarily that physical human life is endangered by absolute truth, but that absolute truth may endanger human relations, emotions, and psyches. For example, Genesis Rabbah 48:18 points out that while the matriarch Sarah had included her husband's advanced age along with her own as the reason she could not conceive (Gen 18:12), God reported her statement to Abraham as mentioning only her own age (Gen 18:13). The midrash points out that the Torah altered her statement in order to keep peace between them. B. Yevamot 65b also refers to Joseph's brothers' reference to the deceased father's non-existent request that Joseph forgive them (Gen 50:15-17), as well as to Samuel's misleading Saul as to the real purpose of his coming to see him (I Sam 16:2) -- which was to inform him of God's rejection. In the first and third of these biblical examples, it is God Himself Who utters or suggests the untruth. Referring to Genesis 50:15–17, Rabbi Il'a states that it is permitted to alter a statement for the sake of peace, but Rabbi Nathan relies on I Samuel 16:2 in asserting that it is a mitzvah to do so. The passage on B. Yevamot 65b closes with reference to God shading of the truth in Genesis 18:13, thus tipping the scale in Rabbi Nathan's favor. (By Alyssa M. Gray, "Jewish Ethics of Speech")

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LEVITICUS — 19:11 lie

LEV337 It is a negative commandment not to swear falsely over the denial of a monetary matter as Scripture says, nor shall you lie one to another [this verse]. If someone sues his fellow-man for something of value (excluding land or deeds) worth from a p'rutah [the smallest coin] and up, where if the other admitted it he would be obligated to pay (excluding cases of fines) but he denied it and took an oath, or the claimant (plaintiff) pronounced an oath on him and he denied it [falsely]--the defendant is punishable, even if he did not answer amen. This is [known as] an oath over a pikadon (an object entrusted for safekeeping), and he is obligated to pay the principal [original amount] and a fifth. Whoever violates this prohibition violates also the injunction, And you shall not swear by My name falsely (Ya-yikra 19:12), which applies to an oath of expression. If a person denies his fellow-man's claim to landed property or deeds and he swears falsely, although he is free of pikadon, he is nevertheless liable on account of an oath of expression, since he swore to a lie.

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LEVITICUS — 19:11 steal

LEV344 Stealing is more than merely violating a Torah precept, although it is that as well [this verse]. It is also a statement of non-belief in God as an active force in the world. Although every sin shows a certain disbelief in God (since if we were conscious of a God who is watching and caring about us, how can we do anything wrong--see the chapter "Choices and Freedom"), stealing in particular denies an active God in the world. Belief in an active God implies that there is a certain reason that each person was granted the lot he has been given, even if we cannot understand why. Thus, God gave certain people a lot of talent, others great intelligence, and still others much wealth. By taking that wealth from one person and giving it to himself, a thief is saying, in essence, they he does not believe that there is a structure from God why people have what they do, and this thief will "redistribute the wealth" the way he sees fit and not the way God sees fit. Of course, most thieves do not actively think about this and most steal out of greed, not creed, but the effect is the same. Nevertheless, it was because people stole that the world was destroyed. Rashi, (commentary on Gen. 6:13), quoting the Talmud (Sanhedrin 108b), says that although there were many sins and crimes committed during that generation, the one sin that sealed the world's destruction was stealing. Because people demonstrated absolutely no belief in a higher being (and destroyed the fabric of society in the process), the world could not continue. That is why there is no difference in Judaism between a small theft or large theft, since in both, denial of God and His structure is implied.

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LEVITICUS — 19:11 steal

LEV339 It is a negative commandment to steal no object or item whatever of monetary value as Scripture says, You shall not steal [this verse]. The prohibition applies to anything worth from a p'rutah [the smallest coin] and up. It is all one whether a person steals the item of monetary value of a Jew, a minor, or a non-Jew; he has to make compensation. It is forbidden to steal anything at all by the law of the Torah, as its law applies [even] to anything half [or less than] the minimum amount. It is forbidden to steal anything by way of a joke, or with the intention of returning it, or with the intention of paying for it. It is forbidden to buy anything which can be firmly assumed to have been stolen.

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LEVITICUS — 19:11 steal

LEV338 "You must not steal, or make a false denial, or lie [by oath]" [this verse]. Our sages said (Bava Metzia 61b), "Do not steal with the intent of causing another distress, " i.e., one should not say, "Let me steal so-and-so's utensil so that he will be upset and distressed, [to teach him] to be more careful in guarding his utensils -- afterwards I will return it to him." It is also forbidden to take a utensil from his neighbor's house in the manner of a thief, with the intent of using it and then returning it. He should also not retrieve his own object from behind the back of the one who stole it from him, to avoid appearing like a thief [himself].

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LEVITICUS — 19:11 steal

LEV345 We are forbidden to take anything that does not belong to us without permission from the owner. 1) The term ganov, which is referred to in this verse, applies to someone who secretly steals money or any article from another person (Chosen Mishpot 348:1). The following are some examples: a) Shoplifting b) Pickpocketing c) Using an item that someone asked you to watch for him when he did not give you explicit permission to use that item d) An employee covertly taking something from an employer; this applies even to items such as pencils and envelopes. 2) You are forbidden to steal even the smallest article from either a Jew or a non-Jew. (Choshen Mishpot 348:1) 3) You are forbidden to use someone else's possession without permission, even though you intend to return it. (ibid. 358:1; SMA, ibid.) 4) It is permissible to use someone's talis or tefilin without explicit permission (Orach Chayim 14:4). You may assume that the owner would consent to your fulfilling a mitzvah with his possessions. But you may do so only occasionally; not on a permanent basis. Moreover, you may only use his talis or tefilin in the same place where you found them. You must refold or rewind them when finished using them. When you are able to ask the owner permission, you are obligated to do so. When you know that someone does not want others to use his talis or tefilin, you are forbidden to do so even once. (Mishnah Brurah 14:13). 5) You are forbidden to take an article from someone as a practical joke or in order to make him suffer, even if you intend to return it. (Choshen Mishpot 348:1 and Ktzos Hachoshen, ibid.; Machaneh Yisroel 2:6). 6) you are forbidden to steal an article from someone even if you do so for his benefit. For example, you want to give someone a present or charity, and he refuses to accept it. You therefore plan to steal something from him in order that a Bais Din should obligate you to pay him double the value of the object you took. Even though you have good intentions, your action is forbidden. (Choshen Mishpot 348:1, and SMA; see Kesef Haksoshim, ibid.). Similarly, it is forbidden to steal someone's possession in order to teach them to be more careful with his belongings. (Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliyahshuv). 7) You are forbidden to buy stolen goods. If a thief would know that he is unable to sell his stolen goods, he might not steal anymore. Similarly, it is forbidden to help someone steal (for example, to serve as a lookout, or to drive someone to the scene of the crime). (Choshen Mishpot 356:71). 8) if a person who offers to sell you something that might be stolen tells you that you must keep the article hidden, you are forbidden to buy it. (Choshen Mishpot 358:3). 9) If someone asks a locksmith to make a key, offering more money than usual and asking him to keep the matter secret, he is forbidden to make the key. Under such circumstances, it maybe suspected that the person asking for the new key intends to gain entry with it and steal. (SMA, Choshen Mishpot 356:3). 10) It is forbidden to reprint a book without permission from the author or his descendants, or the publisher when he has purchased the copyright. If someone illegally reprints a book, it is forbidden for anyone to buy it. (Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Rabbi Yaakov Yisroel Kaniewsky Rabbi Shmuel Ehrenfeld, and Rabbi Shmuel Vozner in their approbations to the Shabsai Fankel edition of the Rambam). 11) If you expound an idea that you heard from someone else in your own name, it is similar to stealing (Midrash Tanchuma, Bamidbar; Mogen Avraham, O.C. 156; Nodah B'yehuda, vol. 2, Orach Chayim 20). Conversely, whoever quotes something in the name of the one who said it brings redemption to the world (Pirkei Avos 6:6). 12) A person who has an expense account from his place of employment must be careful not to waste money. 13) If a student in a yeshiva does not study diligently, he is stealing the money that donors contribute. 14) A child is forbidden to take money from his parents without their permission. (Bais Shlomo, p. 136). 15) If a person is in mortal danger and can save his life only by taking something without permission, he is permitted to do so on the condition that he intends to pay for what he takes. (Choshen Mishpot 359:4). 16) A person should punish his young children severely for stealing so that it should not become a habit. (Aruch Hashulchan, Choshen Mishpot 348:3). 17) Unnecessarily causing someone a loss of money is considered stealing. (Rabainu Yonah to Pirke Avos 1:1). 18) The Torah writes, "You shall not steal," in second person plural (in Hebrew). This is to teach us that if someone witnesses another person stealing and remain silent, he is also considered to have participated in the theft. (Ibn Ezra, on this verse). 19) Just as it is forbidden to steal money or property, so too it is forbidden to "steal" someone's opinion or feelings. Included in this prohibition are all actions or words that will cause someone to have a higher opinion of us or a greater feeling of gratitude toward us then we actually deserve. Some examples are: A) You may not insist that someone should eat with you when you are sure that he will refuse, because your insistence is merely an attempt to gain unearned gratitude (Choshen Mishpot 228:6). However, asking once or twice out of politeness is permissible (SMA, ibid.). B) You may not keep offering someone gifts when you know that he will refuse to accept them. (Choshen Mishpot, ibid). C) You should not do or say anything to someone that will make him assume that you have troubled yourself on his behalf when such is not the case. However, in situations when the person should have realized on his own that you did not exert yourself on his behalf, you need not notify him that he is in error if he assumes that you troubled yourself especially for him. (ibid).

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