The Eighth Commandment: God's Sanction of Property and Labor

Exodus 20:15 enshrines a Divine truth: "Thou shalt not steal." This Commandment recognizes the institution of property as sanctioned by Elohim's own authority. Property exists for four essential purposes: to increase the earth's produce; to preserve that produce to maturity; to cultivate and develop human nature; and to advance intellectual development. The Eighth Commandment thus imposes upon all persons the duty of industry in their callings, the maintenance of independence, scrupulous avoidance of encroaching upon others' rights, self-restraint in expenditure, and honesty in acquisition.

Theft springs from multiple corruptions of the human heart. Necessity—as Victor Hugo portrayed in Les Misérables through Jean Valjean's theft of bread—moves some to steal. Indolence leads others to prefer dishonest advantage over honest labor. Dissolute living and the passion for display generate embezzlement and defalcation. Yet chiefly, the love of money—that root of all kinds of evil—drives the haste to become rich through unlawful means. Private stealings manifest in taking advantage of the ignorant in bargains, exploiting the necessitous through extortionate interest, exorbitant rent, or extravagant charges. When property is recognized as a Divine institution founded upon Divine idea and protected by Divine sanction, the user must remember Adonai and those entrusted to their care and pity.