Torah Down Under

The Medrash Rabbah says (Bereishis 96:6) אמר רבי סימון בנימוסות שלנו כתיב (שמות כ"ב) ואם אין לו ונמכר בגניבתו וזה יש לו לשלם Rabbi Simon says, “[Yehudah said to Yosef,] in our law it is written, ‘If he does not have the money needed to pay back that which he stole, then he will be sold as a slave (and the money from the sale will be used to pay back the person from whom he stole). However, Binyamin does have money to pay [so he does not need to be sold as a slave.]’” The gemara says in Kiddushin (18a) והתניא (שמות כ"ב, ב') בגניבתו בולא בכפילו “A ganav may only be sold to pay back the principal amount which he stole, but not to pay back the double payment which he must pay as a fine.” Since Yosef had already retrieved the chalice which Binyamin had supposedly stolen from him, the only sum which Binyamin could have been left indebted to Yosef for would have been the double payment which he had to pay as a fine for stealing the chalice. Why then did...

The Sheiltos in this week’s sedrah talks about the issur of profiteering from food. There are two halachos that relate to not making excessive profit from food: You cannot make more than 1/6th profit on food. You cannot hoard food in Eretz Yisroel in order to sell it later at a higher price. Excessive Profit Regarding excessive profit the gemara says in בבא מציעא דף מ': והאמר שמואל 'המשתכר אל ישתכר יותר על שתות' Shmuel said – a merchant should not make a profit more than 1/6th. Hoarding Regarding hoarding food in Eretz Yisroel, the gemara in Bava Basra (90b) says: תנו רבנן אוצרי פירות ומלוי ברבית ומקטיני איפה ומפקיעי שערים עליהן הכתוב אומר (עמוס ח) "לֵאמֹר מָתַי יַעֲבֹר הַחֹדֶשׁ וְנַשְׁבִּירָה שֶּׁבֶר וְהַשַּׁבָּת וְנִפְתְּחָה-בָּר לְהַקְטִין אֵיפָה וּלְהַגְדִּיל שֶׁקֶל וּלְעַוֵּת מֹאזְנֵי מִרְמָה" וכתיב (עמוס ח) "נִשְׁבַּע ה' בִּגְאוֹן יַעֲקֹב אִם-אֶשְׁכַּח לָנֶצַח כָּל-מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם" “The Beraisoh has taught; People who hoard grain...