Elul 12 Robbing/Stealing/Thieving
To me this commandment has been covered. No idols means not stealing from God’s rightful place as God. Not using His name in vain means to not rob His reputation. You are to respect your parents and not rob the honor due them for the sacrifices they made to raise you. Do not murder is to not steal the life that rightly belongs to someone else. So it seems to me that this is a reiteration of what has already been said...now it is stated in the broadest sense. Do not take anything that belongs to another person.
My thoughts turn to child trafficking and how children are being stolen/kidnapped and used in the sex trade industry. Devastating… I think of property disputes and land issues...I think of people taking things from work for personal use and thus robbing their employers. As a budding writer, I think of plagiarism as stealing. What about loading up on condiments from fast food restaurants or not returning the things you borrow?
On a more personal level, I think of gossip and accusations (speculations) as robbing someone of their reputation. What about angry outbursts at your spouse being humiliating and robbing them of their dignity? One of the greatest things I saw in counseling was not living up to your word and robbing others of trust. Relationships disintegrate rapidly when you cannot rely on someone’s word. Bullies rob people of security. Controllers try to rob people of their free choice.
What causes us to steal? Want. We want what someone else has because we are dissatisfied with what we have. We may feel entitled. We may think they don’t need as much as they have.
We are trying to keep up with the Joneses. So many reasons…what underlies your thoughts/actions?
As you examine your life….how does this commandment subtly creep in? How is your integrity being compromised when you justify talking even the smallest things from people?
Follow the season of Teshuvah during this Month of Elul with Guest blogger Denise Dee Lytle Gibbs who originally posted these blogs on her Facebook page Fall Feast Prayer Initiative.