Parsha Mitzvot: Yitro: Mitzvah 36 – Concept 473

“You shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:13) We are forbidden to kidnap. (Rambam, Hilchot Geneivah – The Laws of Theft) Do not even think of stealing, for a robber is not only the person who actually robs, but even the one who is prepared to rob from others. A person who even considers robbing from another is a robber who is constrained by circumstances. (Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk – Shemen Lanair)