Why Does Stealing Make G-d Angry?

Last week I almost became a millionaire. Well, maybe not a millionaire, but a seventy-dollar-aire.

It happened when I went to make a deposit at my local TD bank. I filled out my form, and it was sitting right there – an abandoned envelope full of cash. I looked around, but it was truly abandoned. I considered taking it home with me. And according to Jewish law, I may have been able to do just that. Or not.

Jewish law mandates that one who finds a lost object should try to locate the owner. In biblical times, there was a particular stone where people would announce the item they’d found, and others could come forward to identify and claim their lost belongings. But if an object has no recognizable signs or symbols, and the owner will have no way of verifying it is theirs, the finder can technically keep it.

With regards to the money in the envelope, there were enough identifiable signs to work with, and I knew what I had to do. 

I took that envelope right up to the manager and asked her to do her utmost to return the money to its owner. I suggested she could use the security cameras as a starting point. I had a feeling she was not going to do much about it. She looked at me like I was crazy.

But I knew I wasn’t.

In this week’s Torah portion, G-d commands, “Do not steal,” referring specifically to monetary theft. The Talmud likens theft to idolatry. Idolatry is one of the three cardinal sins, but stealing is not. So what is so terrible about theft that it’s likened to one of the “evil three”? How is it different to any other “regular” sin?

If a person eats something not kosher, it is a sin, but once he’s done, the sin is over and he can repent. If one insults his friend, it is a terrible sin but only a one time crime. If one desecrates the Shabbat it is also only one sin. Likewise with most sins – the sin lasts as long as the actual act. Once the act is over, the sin is over.

Theft is different. When a person steals money, every moment that passes - even if it is years later and the thief himself has completely forgotten - is considered an additional sin. And that is why  the sin of stealing makes G-d angry. The only other sin with similar properties is idolatry. We are told that G-d is angry as long idols can be found in the world. With both idolatry and theft, the sin accumulates until it is completely eradicated – either by destroying the idols, or returning the money (according to the conditions cited in Jewish law).

I meet many people in Manhattan and I find that this is a sin that is extremely difficult to resist. And truthfully, theft comes in many shapes and forms. Just the other day I met with three different people and all complained they were being stolen from! One suspected an employee of stealing from the company, another was dealing with a tenant refusing to pay his rent, and the third was an owner refusing to pay his employee. All are considered theft. An employee who takes his full salary while slacking off is also considered a thief. White collar crime is, unfortunately, also rampant, and it makes G-d angry.

After a person passes away the very first question he is asked by the Heavenly court is “Were you honest in business?”  

Let’s make sure we are ready to answer that question - honestly.