When the 'sense' is omitted - the innocent will suffer...

This short comment concerns the seventh commandment “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20: 15). The accepted ‘universal’ sense of this is as translated into English - steal - as in theft, and chiefly in our minds this concerns the stealing of property, money or material goods. We are accustomed to this translation and interpretation; and pay only a superficial glance to its prohibition since it is self evident what ‘stealing’entails, however that ‘superficiality’ has produced a dangerous omission of the very essence of what it means to be human, and why the missunderstanding of this particular commandment has provided a ‘loop-hole’ through which a crime of immeasurable cruelty is perpetrated without apparent ‘divine’ comment.

In the Talmud Bavli [Sanhedrin 86a] we note:-

“...The Rabbis taught in a baraisa:-in the verse [Ex.20:13]{The Gemara below will explain how it is known that this verse refers to kidnaping rather than to monetary theft [Rashi]} you shall not steal Scripture speaks of one who kidnaps now you say that the first deals with one who kidnaps: but perhaps it speaks only if one steals money? To this you can respond: Go and learn the meaning of the verse from one of the 13 methods of exegesis through which the torah is expounded: specifically the method of “a matter that is learned from its context” let us examine the context in which this phrase you shall not steal appears: what general topic is Scripture discussing in the adjacent verses? It is dealing with capital crimes such as murder and adultery. Here to then the prohibition expressed in the words you shall not steal is one that involves a capital crime. Thus the verse can only be referring to kidnapping...” {the only type of ‘stealing’ punishable by death is kidnapping see Exodus 21:16, Deut.24:7. Thus it must be the type of theft to which the verse refers (Rashi; cf. Aruch La Ner)}...” [Art Scroll Schottenstein Talmud Bavli and textual apparatus]

This is followed by a mirror image Gemara referring to Leviticus 19:11 where the verb steal is stated in the plural form see Margoliyos HaYam and Toras Chaim, and is situated in transgressions ‘involving money’ - therefore it refers to monetary theft not kidnapping. [op.cit.]

This may come as a surprise to many, and a shock to many Christians and Moslems, who have taken these ‘commandments’ at ‘face value’ and have ignored or rather never been made aware of this interpretation and wisdom.

It is interesting to note that the ‘ten commandments’ are paraled in the Moslem Qur’an [omitting the observance of the Shabbath which Moslems accept as something that only belongs to the Jews] as follows:-

1. In Bible, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20: 2-3); in the Qur’an: (Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him) (Al-Isra’ 17: 23).

2. In the Bible: “You shall not make unto you any graven image … You shall not bow down to them or worship” (Exodus 20: 4–5); in the Qur’an, (Therefore keep away from the defiling idols.) (Al-Hajj 22: 30).

3. In the Bible: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Exodus 20: 7); In the Qur’an, (Make not Allah, by your oaths, a hindrance to your being righteous) (Al-Baqarah 2: 224).

4. In the Bible: “Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20: 12); in the Qur’an: ((Your Lord has decreed) that you show kindness to your parents) (Al-Isra’ 17: 23).

5. In the Bible: “You shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13); in the Qur’an: (And kill not one another) (An-Nisa’ 4:29).

6. In the Bible: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20: 14); in the Qur’an: (Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts… And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their private parts.) (An-Nur 24: 30-31)

7. In the Bible: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20: 15); in the Qur’an: (They shall not steal) (Al-Mumtahanah 60: 12).

8. In the Bible: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20: 16); in the Qur’an: (You shall shun false testimony) (An-Nisa’ 4: 29).

9. In the Bible: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20: 17); in the Qur’an: (Do not desire the things which Allah has given to some of you in preference to others) (An-Nisa’ 4: 32).

Common ethical morals in the modern world, of course, has now recognized the ‘seriousness’ of kidnapping, but the association with monetary gain, or rather as a proxy-coercive form of stealing, namely ransoming for money, has been the chief educator in this. When human life was cheap, kidnapping was called slavery, only when the rich, or powerful had something to lose, did the law begin to enshrine the ‘evil’ of kidnapping for ransom.

The Jewish Sages knew all along of this simple fact, that the true ‘stealing’ is stealing a life, and that ‘monetary stealing’ is of ‘secondary’ importance to this - though it could be said that the modern ‘debt based’ economy steals life and compels it to pay ransom in interest payments just to live - but that is for another discussion on the ‘evil’ of usury.

However to conclude: This lack of ‘educative’ action on the part of the Jews in pointing out this ‘error’ of interpretation has in my opinion led to much suffering that could have been avoided had the full weight of ‘Divine Edict’ been impressed upon the consciousness of the gentiles, and with the modern climate of Islamic Fundamentalism and their use of kidnapping, could have found its way into the Quran as a ‘divine prohibition’. It is a prescient reminder that one of the charges of the people of Israel is to be a ‘light unto the gentiles’ and the consequences of this not being remembered.

The Talmud exhorts ‘Go and learn’ in the passage quoted above - the next phase is ‘Go and Teach’...

”...The Talmud itself contends that gentiles may learn material necessary to properly observe the seven Noahide laws. In this spirit, Rabbi David Tzvi Hoffman argued that one may teach non-Jews the narrative portions of the Torah which will inspire belief in the grandeur of God...” [http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Judaism/Ask-the-rabbi-May-a-Jew-teach-Torah-to-a-gentile]

The Noahide laws are enumerated as follows:-

1. Do Not Deny God
2. Do Not Blaspheme God
3. Do Not Murder
4. Do Not Engage in Incestuous, Adulterous or Homosexual Relationships.
5. # Do Not Steal  #[My Emphasis]
6. Do Not Eat of a Live Animal
7. Establish Courts/Legal System to Ensure Law Obedience

The Talmud and Maimonides are clear that a Gentile who violates these laws is subject to the Death Penalty - is it reasonable to infer then that the ‘stealing’ here refers to ‘kidnapping’ by the same exegetical manner quoted in the extract from the Talmud above? I am not qualified to answer, but I would say that if the ‘sense’ is not understood then the result is ‘non-sense’ and that has and is causing great suffering in the world.

Shraga Kreska 'Apex'