גנבה וגזלה

One whose heart is tempted to steal (openly), since he has permitted himself to steal from his fellow, he is poised to commit any sin, and there is no remedy to turn him away from his evil way.

Through the sin of stealing, the locusts arise, and there is famine, and people eat the flesh of their children. Someone who does not benefit others with his money, through this robbers come upon him.

One who steals the worth of a penny from his fellow, it is as if he takes away his soul, and the soul of his sons and daughters, and even (if he stole) indirectly.

Someone who does not have regard for his friend's money, it is certain that he is a thief. Overpricing is permissible to charge non-Jews.

Someone who clenches his hand shut from (giving) charity, robbers come upon him. One who puts his trust in gentiles, in the end they take from him by force. Through judges and teachers (of children) that aren't good, also butchers, through this the enemies consume the livelihood of the Jewish people.

One who dilutes his beverage with water, thieves come upon him. (t.n. This refers to a shopkeeper who has the beverage for sale). Someone who takes a portion from a robbery, in the end the matter will be exposed.

A city in which there are thieves, it is certain that the Rabbi likes bribery. Through empty words (conversation), thieves come.

Through falsehood, thieves come. Through deception, comes – G-d forbid - sickness of the lungs and chest.

Through deception, come thoughts of promiscuity with a gentile woman. Through theft, one loses cognizance.

Theft harms the eyes. Through saying Tikkun Chatzot (midnight rectification) one is saved from thieves.

Someone who has pain raising children should read the (passage in the Torah describing the) Story of Creation (Bereshit, Chapter 1) every day.

It is permissible to deceive others in order to save a Jewish soul. Concerning one who humiliates his friend, in the end he will give false testimony, in order to steal money. 231. RAK: See above 96.

Faith is in the aspect of light, as it is written (Psalms 89:3): "And Your faithfulness in the nights." And faith that is based upon wisdom — through the wisdoms of Torah, when one attains Hashem and through this one has faith — even though this is good, even so the primary faith is that one believe in Hashem Yisburach without sign and wonder and wisdom. And this is the primary complete faith — the aspect of light, as is written there: "And Your faithfulness in the nights" as mentioned above.

And there is a sage who is wise even in the wisdoms of Torah and yet has no faith in Hashem. And these sages who have no faith are called ba'alei ra'asan [those afflicted with a repellent skin disease]. For true wisdom — that is, with faith — is called "seeing" [reiyah], as it is written (Koheles 1:16): "And my heart saw wisdom" etc. And opposite to this — the sages who have no faith are called ba'alei ra'asan (232) — as Rashi explained: they have a creeping thing [sheretz] in their brain (233) — meaning they have impurity and heresy in their brain. And one must distance oneself from these people who are in the aspect of ba'alei ra'asan even from living near them — for even the breath of their mouth harms an upright person, causing him to fall into the desire of licentiousness. For the union of holiness is through the aspect of knowledge [daas] as it is written (Bereishis 4:1): "And the man knew." And these ba'alei ra'asan whose daas is corrupted and blemished and who have a creeping thing in their brain — therefore their union is seized by the kelipah, and therefore they are adulterous [noa'fim] — for licentiousness is connected to the eyes. For true wisdom which is the aspect of seeing as mentioned — the aspect of eyes — regarding these wise men it is said (Job 31:1): "I made a covenant with my eyes" etc. But the ba'alei ra'asan are adulterous. And this is what our Sages o.b.m. expounded (on Bamidbar 15:39): "That you not explore after your hearts" — this is heresy; "and after your eyes" — this is licentiousness (Berachos 12b) — for this depends on this as mentioned. And through wisdom with faith one is saved as mentioned above.

232. RAK: One of the twenty-four types of skin eruptions described in tractate Kesuvos 77b. It is possible that the reference is to syphilis.

233. RAK: See Kesuvos 77a.

"Esther was of middle height — neither tall nor short" (Megillah 13a). The matter is what our Sages o.b.m. said there: "Because of the modesty that was in Rachel she merited that Shaul came forth from her, and because of the modesty that was in Shaul he merited that Esther the Queen came forth from him." And about Rachel it is written: "Rachel your daughter, the younger one." And about Shaul it says: "From his shoulder and above." For Shaul was very tall — yet on account of his modesty, in his own eyes he was short and of middle height. And therefore the verse says about him: "From his shoulder and above" — that only from his shoulder and above was he taller than the people, for in his own eyes his head was not above them. And because of this modesty, Esther came forth from him — who was of middle height, for modesty causes one to be of middle height in one's own eyes. It is known that the study of the Zohar is an immense segulah — very, very great. And know that through the study of the Zohar one develops a longing for all types of Torah study of the Holy Torah.

One who has trust (in G-d) from his early years is saved from robbers. Through hearing foolish words, thieves come. And the holy language of the Zohar greatly arouses one to the service of Hashem Yisburach — namely the praise that it praises and glorifies the servant of Hashem, that is, the language habitually used in the Zohar to say "Zakaa" [praiseworthy] etc., regarding every mitzvah and service. And to the opposite — the cry it cries out: "Vai" etc. and "Vai for him, vai for his soul" (234) — over one who departs from the service of Hashem. These languages greatly arouse a person to His service blessed He. 234. RAK: Part III, 175b. Also through this reading he is saved from being accused of stealing.