Mitzvah #36 – To not kidnap any Jewish person

Torah Portion: Yisro

Do not steal (Shemos 20:13).

It is forbidden by negative commandment to kidnap any Jew, as it says, Do not  steal (Shemos 20:13). [According to the Oral Tradition,] this verse refers to the theft of persons (kidnapping).

The root reason of this commandment is obvious.

The laws of the  commandment include that there is no  difference between kidnapping an adult or a child, or between a man and a woman. This prohibition applies in all places, to both men and women. One who transgresses this and steals a Jewish soul and sells him or her to others, is subject to the death penalty.