Q&A: Poisoning My Sandwich Knowing Someone Else Will Steal and Eat It
Poisoning My Sandwich Knowing Someone Else Will Steal and Eat It
Question
It is brought in the responsa literature that there was a story about a chemistry student whose sandwich was being stolen regularly, so he decided to poison the sandwich in order to take revenge on the thief. What does the Rabbi think about this act? Did he act according to Jewish law? Is it moral?
Answer
I’ve heard this urban legend. As emerges from my article in Techumin about killing a thief, in my opinion there is no problem with this from the standpoint of Jewish law, and as for a moral problem, I’m undecided.
Discussion on Answer
At most this is indirect revenge. The one who stole the sandwich brought it upon himself.
Beyond that, when someone harms me against Jewish law, that is a different matter from someone who simply doesn’t want to lend me a tool or something like that. See Maharshal? no, Maharshag responsa, sec. 53, and also Nachmanides on 19:18. However, Nachmanides still qualifies this and says that it is permitted only in order to recover his loss, and not just generally. By reasoning, it seems to me that a thief is not included in this issue, as Maharshag writes.
And putting ink in my shampoo in the yeshiva, knowing that someone regularly uses my shampoo, is that moral?
If you made it clear that it must not be used without permission, there is no problem at all.
But if he did it in order to take revenge, then halakhically it is forbidden because of “do not take revenge” and “do not bear a grudge,” no?