Thou shalt not steal - from God
by Danny Ginsbourg Oct 2022
Is stealing from one another really the reason for The Flood?
Our Sages conclude, based on the words of our Parasha, that the verdict of the flood was determined only because ‘the earth was full of robbery’- in other words, despite all the other grievous transgressions of the people, they would have been spared had they not all engaged in חמס: in robbery.
Add our Sages: What was the nature of this robbery? It was not armed or violent robbery, but ‘calculated’ robbery, that could not be recovered through the courts: it was of such small amounts that could not be so claimed.
Further, their robbery was not, as our Sages teach, that which transgressed the Commandment: ‘Thou shalt not steal’, as that forbisa kidnapping and stealing a ‘soul’: a person.
Instead, it ‘only’ transgressed the negative Mitzvah, in Parashat Mishpatim, against stealing property.
Why, then, did it merit such a terrible punishment, the virtual destruction of the whole generation?
To answer this, let us share two insights of our wise commentators:
The Kli Yakar, on the very first Rashi on the Torah, provides the following exposition as to why the Torah begins with the story of the Creation, and not, as we might have expected, with the first Mitzvah.
This, he explains, is that it was essential to our belief that G-d created, and continues to rule the world, and all in it.
By relating that He created the world, He forestalled the possibility of the nations claiming, that the ‘conquest’ by Bnei Israel of the land of Israel, proved that there ‘was no Supreme Judge and no Justice’, as, had there been One, He would not have permitted this ‘unjust’ act.
By relating that Hashem created this world, the Torah answered: As Hashem created the world and all in it, , He justifiably gave the land to the nation most deserving of it- they did not ‘steal’ it.
He concludes: This clear declaration against robbery, is a foundation of our knowledge of the Creator, and His ways, and is therefore made clear at the very beginning- the בראשית - of the Torah.
The Chidushei Ha’rim on our Parasha, lays down that robbery ‘is the אב: the father, of all transgressions’.
To understand this intriguing comment, and thereby, to hopefully answer our query, let us delve into another saying of our Sages:’Whoever benefits from anything in this world without pronouncing a bracha, is robbing Hashem of His bracha.’
Literally understood, this states that Hashem is ‘owed’ a bracha, by those who benefit from his particular benevolence.
On a deeper level, might it not mean that, by not acknowledging, by making a bracha, that that which we enjoyed, or are about to enjoy, is Hashem’s, and that He, in His goodness, allowed us to utilize and benefit from it, the person is, in effect, ‘denying’ that the goodness comes from Hashem, and, instead, ‘declares’ that it is his.
This, surely, is the root of apostasy, and can rightly be described as the ‘father of all sins’!
So, transposing this to the generation of the flood: as we have, they were only concerned with liability to man, and the earthly institutions.
They had no concern that their conduct might be transgressing Hashem’s Will, presumably because it was of no relevance in their eyes- the peak of apostasy, and ingratitude, which, in turn, merited their singular punishment.
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