Parshas Shoftim
“You shall not change the border of your friend… in the land which Hashem your G-d gives to you!” (Devarim 19:14)
It is a negative commandment that we may not change borders. The explanation of this is one may not change the borders between us and our friends to the extent that a liar would be able to claim that the land is his. It also includes a person who changes the markers of the borders and fixes them into his friend’s ground so that he can say that he has not changed anything and that all of the land up to the markers belongs to him. About all of this it says “You shall not change the border of your friend!”. Even though the Torah has already said “You may not steal!”, and one who changes the border also transgresses the prohibition of not stealing, nevertheless the Torah forbade this with an additional interdiction which applies only in Eretz Yisrael. It follows that one who changes a border outside Eretz Yisrael transgresses only the general prohibition against stealing whereas one who does this in Eretz Yisrael transgresses two prohibitions: both “You may not steal!” and “You shall not change the border of your friend”. If one changes the border of one’s friend even the width of a finger, if he did it in public by force, transgresses “You shall not rob!” and if it is in private he transgresses “You shall not steal!”. In Eretz Yisrael in both of the above cases he transgresses also “You shall not change the border of your friend!”.
The roots of all theft-related commandments is obvious as it is to the benefit of everyone.
This commandment applies only in Eretz Yisrael at all times both to men and to women.
