1,201. Stealing

182:1 We are not permitted to rob or steal even a minute amount, neither from a Jew or a non-Jew. Tanna d'Bei Eliyahu relates the story of a certain person who shorted a non-Jewish customer in the measure of dates that he sold him. Later, he used the money from that transaction to purchase oil. The flask broke and the oil was spilled, causing the one relating the incident to exclaim, "Blessed is G-d, Who does not let people get away with such things!" Leviticus 19:13 says, "Do not oppress your neighbor or steal from him." Stealing from a non-Jew is also stealing.

182:2 If something is so insignificant that no one would care about it, it is permitted. For example, one may take a sliver from a bundle of wood to use as a toothpick. The trait of the pious, however, is to avoid even this.