Julian Ungar-Sargon

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Daf Ditty

A wide-ranging commentary on the daily page of Talmud.

The School of Athens by Raffaello Sanzio, 1509, showing Plato (left) and Aristotle (right)

Bava Kamma 109: גֶּזֶל הַגִּיּוֹרֶת

jyungar February 19, 2024

For the source text click/tap here: Bava Kamma 109

To download, click/tap here: PDF

Someone stole from a convert, swore falsely that he did not steal from him, and he then heard that the convert had died. While bringing up his money to Yerushalayim (to give to the Kohanim in lieu of the dead convert who had no relatives), he meets the convert (who is actually alive as well).

The convert tells him that he can owe the money to him as a loan. If the convert then dies, the thief can acquire the loan. These are the words of Rabbi Yosi ha’Glili. Rabbi Akiva says: He has not repented until he has the stolen money leave his hands.

We explore the exceptional case of stealing from a Ger with no relatives and compare our system with that of Aristotle’s utilitarian ethics.

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Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​