Stealing

A statement of Chazal suddenly flashed before me. In reference to the Flood, the Rabbis said that לא נחתמה גזר דינם אלא על הגזל, that the fate of the generation of the flood was sealed because of theft.

During my present stay in the United States, my children witnessed outright theft. They watched an individual walk into a store with a bag. He filled the bag with various items and walked out of the store without paying. Many watched, but nobody said a word.

In another incident, my daughter forgot her sunglasses in a cart for a very short time. When she came back, the glasses were stolen.

It is very frightening in view of the above mentioned Chazal, what the future brings to a society that condones stealing.

We say that the law of one פרוטה, a penny, is the same as a hundred. They say that it’s not a punishable offense unless the theft exceeds a certain amount.

Rabbi Twerski pointed out that the concept of “the pursuit of happiness,” is really misinterpreted to mean “the pursuit of pleasure.” There is a huge difference between happiness that comes from self indulgence, and happiness that comes from giving to others as we perform Mitzvot.

It is very upsetting to see the state of America today. So much of the reason for its decay is the lack of G-d and belief in Him, that is substituted for doing whatever feels good.

The real tip-off of the seriousness of the situation is גזל. If people paid attention to the words of our Sages, they would realize that tolerance of theft leads to disasters as great as the Flood!