Exod 20:15

“וכל העם ראים AND ALL THE PEOPLE SAW — This statement teaches us that there was not a blind person amongst them. And whence may we learn that there was not a dumb person amongst them? Because it states (Exodus 19:8) “And all the people answered”. And whence may we learn that there was not a deaf person amongst them? Because it states (Exodus 24:7) “We will do and we will hear” (Mekhilta). ראים את הקולת [THEY] SAW THE SOUNDS — they saw that which should be heard (Mekhilta) — something which is impossible to see on any other occasion. את הקולת THE SOUNDS which issued from the mouth of the Almighty. וינעו THEY MOVED — The root נוע denotes trembling (Mekhilta). ויעמדו מרחק AND THEY STOOD AFAR OFF — they moved back startled twelve miles, a distance equal to the length of their camp, and ministering angels came and assisted them — to bring them back, as it is said, (Psalms 68:13) “The angels of the God of Hosts made them move on, move on” (Shabbat 88b).”

“AND ALL THE PEOPLE PERCEIVED THE THUNDERINGS… 16. AND THEY SAID UNTO MOSES. In the opinion of the commentators, this happened after the Giving of the Torah. It is with reference to this that Scripture says, And ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders, and ye said: Behold, the Eternal our G-d hath shown us His Glory, etc. If we hear the Voice of the Eternal our G-d any more, then we shall die. But such is not my opinion, for it says here, but let not G-d speak with us, and it does not say “any more.” Besides, Moses said here to the people, Fear not, and there it is said, They have well said all that they have spoken. Moreover, here it is told that they feared only the thunderings, the lightnings, and the smoking mountain, and there it is said that they feared the speaking of the Divine Presence, for they said, For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the Voice of the living G-d, speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?, Verse 23. Again, here it is said, And Moses drew near unto the thick darkness, but it does not say that “he entered into it.” [If the events narrated in this section of the Torah happened after the Revelation, it should have said that he came “into the midst of the cloud,” as it says further on in 24:18.] The correct interpretation regarding this section of the Torah and the [entire] order of events pertaining to the Revelation appears to me to be as follows: And all the people perceived… And they said unto Moses — all this happened before the Revelation. Now at first, [in Chapter 19], Scripture mentioned in sequence all the words of G-d that were commanded to Moses regarding the setting of a boundary to Mount Sinai and the admonition given to the people. This is followed [at the beginning of Chapter 20] by the Ten Commandments, and now Scripture refers back and mentions the words of the people to Moses, relating that from the moment they had perceived the thunderings and the lightnings, they moved backwards and stood afar off, further away from the boundary of the mountain that Moses had set for them. The order of events [on the day of the Revelation] was thus as follows: In the morning, there were thunderings and lightnings and the loud voice of the horn,, Verse 16. but the Divine Presence had not yet come down on the mountain, something like it is written, And a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Eternal; but the Eternal was not in the wind. And the people that were in the camp — i.e., in their place of encampment — trembled., Verse 16. But Moses encouraged them and brought them forth towards G-d… and they stood at the nether part of the mount. While they were standing there at the nether part of the mount in anticipation, the Eternal descended upon the mount in fire and the smoke thereof ascended, Verse 18. unto the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. The mountain itself trembled, Verse 18. and quivered as mountains do in an earthquake called zalzalah,. or even more than that. And so it is written, What aileth thee… ye mountains, that ye skip like rams; ye hills, like young sheep? This is not a figure of speech, just as the preceding verse — The sea saw it, and fled; the Jordan turned backwards, Verse 3. — is not a mere figure of speech. Meanwhile, the voice of the horn waxed louder and louder. Then the people saw what was happening, and they moved backwards and stood further away from the boundary [that Moses had set for them]. They all said to Moses that G-d should not speak with them at all lest they die, for by reason of the vision, their pains came upon them and they retained no strength, and if they would hear the Divine utterance, they would die. Moses, however, encouraged them, and he said to them, Fear not. And they heard him, and the people stood from afar off at their positions, for in spite of all his words, they did not want to come near the boundary [he had set for them]. And Moses drew near unto the thick darkness but did not come into it, and then G-d uttered the Ten Commandments. Now following the Ten Commandments, Scripture did not mention here what the elders said to Moses, for it wanted to explain the commandments and the ordinances in succession. But in the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses mentioned that after the Ten Commandments [were given], all the heads of the tribes and their elders approached him and said to him, “If we hear the Voice of the Eternal our G-d any more, then we shall die, for we have estimated our powers [and found] that we could not stand any more the burden of the word of the Eternal G-d.” They had thought that G-d wanted to relate to them all the commandments [of the Torah], and therefore they said, Go thou near, and hear all that the Eternal our G-d may say; and thou shalt speak unto us all that the Eternal our G-d may speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it., Verse 24. And the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed to their words, and He said, They have well said all that they have spoken,, Verse 25. for such was His desire to proclaim to them only the Ten Commandments, and their fear appeared correct to Him. VAYANU’U.’ In the opinion of our Rabbis, the term nu’a here can only denote reeling to and fro, and so it says, The earth ‘no’a tanu’a’ (reeleth to and fro) like a drunken man. If so, the verse is stating [two things]: that the people were shaken up, and that out of their fear, they retreated farther backwards and stood afar off. But in the opinion of “the masters of the plain meaning of Scripture,” vayanu’u means that “‘they moved’ backwards from their place and stood from afar,” the usage of the word being similar to: ‘na’ (a fugitive) and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth, and so also: ‘vay’ni’eim’ (and He made them wander) in the wilderness.”

“But because the neighbor is an image of the Trinity, and to him, insofar as he bears the image of the Holy Spirit, benignity is owed: with respect to benignity, to which cupidity and concupiscence are opposed, each of which can be in deed or in heart, four are taken, namely thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, thou shalt not steal, and thou shalt not covet another's goods. And these are to be ordered according to greater or lesser injuries by which justice can be violated.”

“The commandment which pertains to innocence must necessarily be multiplied, because it consists in this: that a man guard against giving offense to his neighbor. Now it happens that one offends his neighbor in three ways, namely in mind, word, and deed. Offense in deed occurs in three ways, because a man can offend his neighbor through an act either against his own person, or against a person joined to him, or against his earthly possessions. And accordingly there are three commandments: "Thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal."”

“Theft is the handling of another's property, against the owner's will, out of greed. If it is done not out of greed, as the children of Israel by the Lord's command carried with them from Egypt vessels of silver and gold, or when someone takes a sword from another lest he do harm, then he is not said to commit theft. Theft, moreover, is divided into parts, because theft is the handling of another's property, against the owner's will: and this is done either through mere fraud, or through violence, or through circumvention. If it is done through mere fraud and furtively, then it is called theft. If it is done through violence, either that violence is open, and thus it is called robbery: or it is hidden, and thus it is called brigandage. If indeed the handling of another's property occurs through circumvention, this can happen with an attached agreement, and this in three ways: either with a fraudulent agreement, or an unjust one, or a profane one. The first way occurs in business transactions, and this happens in three ways, namely either in weight, or in number, or in measure: and from this merchants very rarely escape. If however it is done with an unjust agreement, thus it is usury, in which that which is sold is common, namely time. If however it is done with a profane agreement, in which what is proper to God is sold, thus it is simony. But it is asked: why, if I lend you a garment or a horse or a house for money, is it not usury, as it is with money? I say that in a garment or a horse or a house, the use is drawn from the thing, not from money: and therefore it is not called usury. Some believe that usury is evil because it is prohibited: but certainly it is prohibited because it is evil. In a loan, what is mine becomes yours; and if you acquire something through your own industry from that loan, and I demand something back from it, I sell time, which is common, and which it is not lawful to sell. But in a loan for use, my property does not pass into yours, as in a loan my money becomes yours; and the money is not diminished nor deteriorated, as happens with a house or a garment or a horse, because one must return the money whole and entire. And therefore, when through usury a man seeks something, there is a perversion of order and an appropriation of what is common: and everyone ought to guard himself against this. If however circumvention occurs with a profane agreement, it is called simony, in which he who buys acquires nothing, nor does he who sells possess anything, but they only handle another's property: and this happens when a spiritual thing is sold as though it were a cheap thing. Against whom the Lord says: "Do not make my Father's house a house of trade." But some make it a den of thieves; whence: "Her princes judged for bribes, and her priests taught for hire, and her prophets divined for money."”

“The seventh plague was the destruction of temporal goods, by which thieves are struck, because he who takes what belongs to others deserves to lose what is his own. This was the plague of hail, which destroyed everything. It is remarkable that he who commits fornication, if he repents, can be reconciled to God; but he who seizes what belongs to others cannot be reconciled to God unless he restores what belongs to others.”

“But we cannot possess these three in relation to others unless we have them first in relation to ourselves. Wherefore there are three more commandments: one that straightens all deeds, another that straightens all speech, and yet another that straightens all affective dispositions. That which straightens deeds is as follows: You shall not steal, which not only prohibits stealing from others, but commands to give from one's own goods. And this is how the Apostle understands it: He who was wont to steal, let him steal no longer; but rather let him labor, working with his hands, that he may have something to share with him who suffers need.”

“The Lord specifically forbids injury to our neighbor in the Commandments. Thus, "You shall not kill" forbids us to injure our neighbor in his own person; "You shall not commit adultery" forbids injury to the person to whom one is bound in marriage; and now the Commandment, "You shall not steal," forbids us to injure our neighbor in his goods. This Commandment forbids any worldly goods whatsoever to be taken away wrongfully. Theft is committed in a number of ways. First, by taking stealthily: "If the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come" [Mt 24:43]. This is an act wholly blameworthy because it is a form of treachery. "Confusion... is upon the thief" [Sir 5:17]. Secondly, by taking with violence, and this is an even greater injury: "They have violently robbed the fatherless" [Job 24:9]. Among such that do such things are wicked kings and rulers: "Her princes are in the midst of her as roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, they left nothing for the morning" [Zeph 3:3]. They act contrary to God's will who wishes a rule according to justice: "By Me kings reign and lawgivers decree just things" [Prov 8:15]. Sometimes they do such things stealthily and sometimes with violence: "Your princes are faithless companions of thieves, they all love bribes, they run after rewards" [Is 1:23]. At times they steal by enacting laws and enforcing them for profit only: "Woe to those who make wicked laws" [Is 10:1]. And St. Augustine says that every wrongful usurpation is theft when he asks: "What are thrones but forms of thievery?" [City of God IV, 4]. Thirdly, theft is committed by not paying wages that are due: "The wages of him whom you have hired shall not abide by you until the morning" [Lev 19:13]. This means that a man must pay every one his due, whether he be prince, prelate, or cleric, etc.: "Render therefore to all men their dues. Tribute, to whom tribute is due, custom, to whom custom" [Rm 13:7]. Hence, we are bound to give a return to rulers who guard our safety. The fourth kind of theft is fraud in buying and selling: "You shall not have divers weights in your bag, a greater and a less" [Deut 25:13]. And again: "Do no unjust thing in judgment, in rule, in weight, or in measure" [Lev 19:35-36]. All this is directed against the keepers of wine-shops who mix water with the wine. Usury is also forbidden: "Who shall dwell in your tabernacle, or who shall rest in your holy hill?... He who has not put his money out to usury" [Ps 14:1,5]. This is also against money-changers who commit many frauds, and against the sellers of cloth and other goods. Fifthly, theft is committed by those who buy promotions to positions of temporal or spiritual honor. "The riches which he swallowed, he shall vomit up, and God shall draw them out of his belly" [Job 20:15], has reference to temporal position. Thus, all tyrants who hold a kingdom or province or land by force are thieves, and are held to restitution. Concerning spiritual dignities: "Amen, amen, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold but climbs up another way is a thief and a robber" [Jn 10:1]. Therefore, they who commit simony are thieves. "You shall not steal." This Commandment, as has been said, forbids taking things wrongfully, and we can bring forth many reasons why it is given. The first is because of the gravity of this sin, which is likened to murder: "The bread of the needy is the life of the poor; he who defrauds them of it is a man of blood" [Sir 34:25]. And again: "He who sheds blood and he who defrauds the laborer of his hire are brothers" [Sir 34:27]. The second reason is the peculiar danger involved in theft, for no sin is so dangerous. After committing other sins a person may quickly repent, for instance, of murder when his anger cools, or of fornication when his passion subsides, and so on for others; but even if one repents of this sin, one does not easily make the necessary satisfaction for it. This is owing to the obligation of restitution and the duty to make up for what loss is incurred by the rightful owner. And all this is above and beyond the obligation to repent for the sin itself: "Woe to him who heaps together what is not his own; for how long will he load himself with thick clay?" [Hab 2:6 Vulgate]. For thick clay is that from which one cannot easily extricate himself. The third reason is the uselessness of stolen goods in that they are of no spiritual value: "Treasures of wickedness shall profit nothing" [Prov 10:2]. Wealth can indeed be useful for almsgiving and offering of sacrifices, for "the ransom of a man's life are his riches" [Prov 13:8]. But it is said of stolen goods: "I am the Lord that love judgment, and hate robbery in a holocaust" [Is 61:8]. And again: "He who offers sacrifice of the goods of the poor is as one who sacrifices the son in the presence of his father" [Sir 34:24]. The fourth reason is that the results of theft are peculiarly harmful to the thief in that they lead to his loss of other goods. It is not unlike the mixture of fire and straw: "Fire shall devour their tabernacles, who love to take bribes" [Job 15:34]. And it ought to be known that a thief may lose not only his own soul, but also the souls of his children, since they are bound to make restitution.”

“"You shall not steal:" [Exodus 20:15] for Achan, when he had stolen in Israel at Jericho, was stoned to death; [Joshua 7:1] and Gehazi, who stole, and told a lie, inherited the leprosy of Naaman; [2 Kings 5:27] and Judas, who stole the poor's money, betrayed the Lord of glory to the Jews, [John 12:6] and repented, and hanged himself, and burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out; [Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:18] and Ananias, and Sapphira his wife, who stole their own goods, and "tempted the Spirit of the Lord," were immediately, at the sentence of Peter our fellow-apostle, struck dead. [Acts 5:1-11]”