Questions tagged [gezel-stealing]

stealing, theft, robbery, you name it

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How can Chachamim put price tags on mitzvot?

The Gemera in Chullin 87a (and see Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 382:1) that one who steals another persons mitzvah must give the person from who he stole 10 zehuvim. My question is, how can Chachmim ...
1 vote
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53 views

Using a shtender without permission?

In many shuls people bring their private shtenders to use during davening or learning. Is it permissible to use someone's shtender in their absence without asking permission first?
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3 votes
1 answer
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What can a husband do halachically if his wife steals money from him?

Suppose a wife takes a significant amount of money from her husband without his knowledge. Or perhaps, she transfers an asset into her name, without him knowing. Or in another case, she misleads him ...
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HALACHICALY Is it ok to download YouTube videos? [duplicate]

This question has confounded me for some time. On the one hand, from the research I've done, it's definitely against the terms of service which you agree to. On the other, everything I've read on the ...
5 votes
2 answers
255 views

Questions on a story about Hillel

It is always possible to pick on even the most inspirational stories, but hopefully in doing so we end up learning something. The Talmud relates this story: Hillel the Elder worked every day to earn ...
3 votes
1 answer
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What halachic issues are involved in using a recruiter to poach a currently employed employee?

What halachic issues are involved in permitting or forbidding the use of a recruiter that will approach currently employed employees to attempt to poach them for a rival business?
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2 votes
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Downloading a Currently Public Resource

Is it permissible to download a resource that is currently available publicly and freely from the internet without permission from the one who posted it and/or the one who hosts the website? For ...
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69 views

Am I allowed to print individual sheets or full Seforim from copyright Seforim found online?

"if someone posted a copyrighted book accessible online, what does halacha say about printing it? I'm worried about Gezeilah on the one hand, but perhaps since there is no loss to the owner it ...
3 votes
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107 views

Digital piracy of difficult to acquire products

The following discusses copying an item that is being sold by its creator (https://torah.org/learning/honesty-class64/) Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ztl said that it’s not permitted to copy any item that is ...
5 votes
1 answer
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Is cheating on High School tests גניבת ממון?

It's very well known today, especially from R' Moshe's ruling, that cheating on college tests is גניבת ממון. However he says High School cheating, although forbidden, is not גניבת ממון. How does this ...
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4 votes
1 answer
106 views

Tevila in Keilim Mikva without permission

Recently was at a Keilim Mikva which had a sign "No Tevila allowed for outside utensils. Only utensils purchased at this store may be Toiveled here". I was wondering if one goes ahead and ...
1 vote
2 answers
270 views

Should we accept donations of tainted money?

A lot has been written on whether donations of tainted money should be accepted. The money is tainted either because it is ill-gotten or because the donor is ethically challenged (e.g., sexual ...
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1 answer
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How to understand "If a thief steals from a friend and modifies the object..."

In an episode of "Shtisel" there is a scene where a Rabbi quizzes a Yeshiva applicant about the halacha (I think he says it is in Eruvin) "If a thief steals from a friend and modifies (...
3 votes
1 answer
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Taking advantage of cultural customs: Stealing or not?

In Persian culture, there is a principle named taarof in which if something is being offered to you, you must decline it, even if you want it. The giver will ask again if you would like the object but ...
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Does everybody steal?

I remember reading a quote, attributed to the Talmud, that essentially says "everybody steals". I doubt it's genuine, and if it is, it's probably heavily qualified, but I thought I'd ask: ...
-2 votes
1 answer
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Which Rav was this?

I heard a rabbi tell a famous true story of a certain other rabbi. A black man broke into his house in the middle of the night and demanded at gunpoint all of the rabbi’s money/valuables. The rabbi ...
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4 votes
1 answer
323 views

Is viewing pirated media permitted?

Partially inspired by this question, though substantively different (I hope). There are many sites on the internet which contain pirated media (eg tv shows, movies) those sites allow anyone to view ...
1 vote
0 answers
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Is using a Youtube adblocker allowed? [duplicate]

I always avoid looking at ads on youtube, so when I see a countdown for an ad, I mute the video and scroll away so I avoid looking at or listening to something forbidden. So I learned that one can ...
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1 vote
1 answer
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On making restitution for stolen objects

A person steals a beam to build a house. The Torah says: Dismantle the house and give the beam back to its owner: When one has sinned, he realizes his guilt and restores what he got through robbery ...
2 votes
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According to Ramban, why is גזל part of the ז מצות בני נח?

One of the ז מצות בני נח is דינים. According to the Ramban on parshat vayishlach (34:13) the laws that were counted [as one] of the seven commandments that the Children of Noach were commanded is ...
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1 vote
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The Heinz Dilemma in Halacha [duplicate]

A famous Kohlberg dilemma goes something like this: Heinz’s wife is dying and there’s a drug that may be able to save her. Jack cannot afford the drug. Can Heinz steal the drug to treat his wife? ...
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3 votes
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Is it forbidden to buy bad merchandise in order to get a refund?

The background: I bought neodymium magnets from China off of ebay. The magnets were NOT neodymium and the item was not as good as I expected. This is a common Chinese practice on ebay. The Chinese ...
1 vote
0 answers
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is it theft to enter shul with contraband?

In this answer, the image below appears. Ignoring the issue of the propriety of "non-kosher" phones, is the sign correct that it can ban entry with something not used in the shul, and that entry with ...
6 votes
1 answer
142 views

Secular law vs. Halacha: is this theft?

In a case where secular law is at odds with Halacha, and one goes to a secular court to claim that which he is entitled to in secular law but not by Halacha, I know that he is transgressing chilul ...
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3 votes
0 answers
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Confusing Gzeilah and Gneivah in the Gemara (Bava Qama 96b)

I wonder if someone can help me with a gemara question? I’m revising the ninth perek of Bava Qama and on 96b the gemara explains a passage in the mishna in a way that strikes me as totally incongruous....
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2 votes
1 answer
581 views

Does 'thou shalt not steal' refer to general theft or specifically to kidnapping?

I admit that I sometimes just can't keep my fingers to myself. I felt thirsty so I took a refreshing ginger ale from my neighbour's freezer. I typed into Google 'thou shall not steal' after realizing ...
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4 votes
1 answer
79 views

According to the opinions that playing cards is not stealing, would cheating in the game be considered stealing?

While most halachic authorities consider gambling and card games to be stealing, according to the opinion(s) that permit it, would cheating in the game qualify as stealing? Since cheating is a ...
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-2 votes
1 answer
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Is not returning equipment to non-Jews considered theft?

If a non-Jew gave you equipment to use for a job, after the job is complete, is not returning the equipment considered theft or simply not returning a lost item? After the fact, is returning it ...
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4 votes
1 answer
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Stealing an idol-worshipper's only food to save yourself

In a desert where there is no water, can one take (steal) water from an idol worshipper causing him to very likely die, to be able to stay alive? I know the answer when one has no personal use for ...
3 votes
1 answer
109 views

Is taking public property or abandoned belongings considered stealing?

Let's say a person moves out and leaves some belongings (for instance food, books, other personal items) for public consumption - be it with or without a note that it is for free (why would anyone put ...
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0 votes
1 answer
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Is armed bank robbery considered Gezel or Gnevah?

Halachicly, Is armed bank robbery, in working hours, where the robbers wear masks and are unidentified, considered Gezel or Gnevah? I'm confused with Rambam's definitions in Hilchos Gnevah 1.
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1 vote
1 answer
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Why would one who redeems someone else's firstborn donkey be able to keep it, if he's effectively forcing the owner into a sale?

Bechoros 11a rules that one may redeem someone else's firstborn donkey on their behalf. The Gemara asks: If someone were to do this, who gets to keep the donkey? Now, there's a dispute between R' ...
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0 votes
1 answer
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Is murder allowed for someone who is stealing?

Under how I have interpreted United States laws I believe murder is allowed if someone is stealing in certain circumstances. It is used as an act of protection and self-defense. Is this allowed ...
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10 votes
1 answer
1k views

A female thief is not sold to make restitution -- so what happens instead?

The mishna in Sotah 3:8 says, in a list of differences in halacha between men and women: A man is sold for his theft [i.e., to repay it], a woman is not sold for her theft. (Sefaria translation) ...
2 votes
3 answers
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Who is responsible for accidental theft caused by a false claim?

There's a public pantry in one's office that has a shared refrigerator. Someone opens the fridge and sees a container of milk that is usually not there. He asks a co-worker if he can use it and he ...
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3 votes
1 answer
91 views

Is selling something at a large profit ona'ah (wronging another)?

What would sources say about the following scenario: let’s say you buy a pen for about $20 and two erasers for $5 each, equaling $30 in total. The person who bought these things sells them for $40, ...
2 votes
1 answer
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Gezel in Rabbinical regulations

In the Laws of Shabbos there are multiple layers of Rabbinical prohibitions built one on top of others to prevent possible transgression of Shabbos, for example, Muktze, or playing musical instruments,...
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1 vote
1 answer
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Who’s stealing from whom?

Reuven is head of an institution and is paid by the board for specific hours of work for the members. Reuven is late every day by 15 minutes. The members complain to the board that Reuven gives 15 ...
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1 vote
0 answers
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Is using a parent's hidden object stealing?

Let’s say a mom has food hidden in her makeup kit in her bedroom and her son finds it and eats it. I’ve heard somewhere that kids are allowed to use various things in the home of their parents. So, ...
1 vote
0 answers
49 views

Copying and Pasting

I want to make a video about how the Zohar knew the Earth was round and had many other information about the Earth they could of never known. According to sources, would copying the verses of the ...
2 votes
2 answers
130 views

Getting something that requires you to be over 18 when you’re not

Are there any sources that would constitute the following as stealing/gezel: If one buys a product that the website requires one to be 18 years or older to purchase and is underage? So let’s say you ...
1 vote
1 answer
109 views

Switching movies in a Movie Theater

Are there any sources that would constitute the following as gezel/stealing: If you purchase a movie ticket to let’s say Spider-Man and you go to watch Spongebob, and both movie tickets are the same ...
10 votes
3 answers
212 views

Pikuach nefesh vs. muktzeh on Shabbat

I am reading the memoirs of a rabbi, who spent roughly 10 years in the United states in the '50s and the '60s. He claims that after the Kennedy assassination the atmosphere was so strained that he was ...
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2 votes
0 answers
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Can anyone make their own Beis Din [duplicate]

This morning I did Hafaros Nedarim, where a panel of 3 people from my shul became 'Dayanim' and were Matir my Nedarim. Considering these were just regular people from my shul, this gave me the ...
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2 votes
2 answers
95 views

Stealing in the House of your parents?

If a child lives in his parent’s home, and uses the stuff in the house, eats the food in the house, etc, what can be used to say that he is not stealing? For example, how can a child live in his ...
2 votes
0 answers
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Is eating food before purchase in a supermarket considered stealing? [duplicate]

Would it be considered stealing by the Torah to take let’s say, chips from a grocery store, open it up and start eating it before you paid for it? I know this is a common thing that people do. Is it ...
4 votes
1 answer
248 views

Obligated to return to a non-Jew what was stolen by accident?

After renting a place from a non-Jew, I realized I left with a small object accidentally. Am I obligated to return it as a "stolen" object, or is it considered a "lost" object that I am not obligated (...
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9 votes
1 answer
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Hackintosh in Halacha

A Hackintosh is a bootlegged version of Apple's macOS loaded onto a computer that has not been manufactured by Apple and doesn't have a license to run macOS. According to Apple's macOS license, I. ...
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2 votes
1 answer
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In what case is stealing permissible in Judaism?

In what case is stealing permissible in Judaism? For example, is it a sin for a Jew to steal in case he doesn't have an income or a job? (and of course it is hard or impossible to find an alternative)...
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3 votes
1 answer
762 views

Is there a formal prohibition of stealing time from someone?

Is there a formal prohibition of stealing time from someone? For instance, making an appointment and coming late? Or telling someone to come 30 minutes before the start of an event to ensure he will ...
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