You Shall Not Steal

Telushkin tells the story of a 19th-century rabbi who asked different ones what they would do if they found a wallet with a lot of cash inside. One man answered, "I'd return it to the owner immediately." Another said, "I'd keep it. When else will I have an opportunity to get money so easily?" A third answered, "How can I be certain what I'd do? I know that I must return it, but how can I be sure that I would? I pray to G-d that I would have the strength to overcome my evil inclination and return it."

While I think all three were being honest in their answers, the rabbi was only pleased with the final answer. It was, indeed, a good and honest answer -- the answer of one who had searched her/his own heart! And who is to know what one might do in a case of extreme poverty?

However, as a believer in Yeshua, if this person were also a believer in Yeshua, I would find the answer very disturbing. For this reason, I wanted to skip this part here. Why bother, I reasoned: this is so elementary that I don't think it would be of any use here. But is it elementary? Really?

Some time back, my husband found a large business "wallet," like a large zippered binder, at a gas station, when he pulled up to fill the van's tank. He picked it up, and it was full of catalogued credit cards of all sorts as well as hundreds of dollars in cash. He called the person whose name was in the case, leaving a message on the answering machine. They called after he got home, and my husband went directly to the man's home to return it.

The man was so grateful, of course. He wanted to reward my husband, but he said no. The man asked, then, if my husband had a favorite charity where he could send a reward. My husband chose one where I work, and a couple or three weeks later, a check came in the mail.

. . . Two men, both evidencing integrity in this situation.

Honestly, however, I would expect nothing less of my husband. Why would he even question what he would do? Of course, he would return the wallet with everything as he had found it. This is the life touched by Yeshua: He makes the difference.

The Bible is clear: "You shall not steal" [Exodus 20:15, Deuteronomy 5:19] Many other Scriptures stress this concept, stressing the importance of respecting one's own possessions/property and more so, that of others'.

The Pirkei Avot says:
"Let your friend's money be more dear to you than our own." (2:17) It also says that if one puts one's hand out to take an item unto themselves, that one must be very aware of the grave responsibility that one is taking before HaShem!