Responsum: On the Theft of Books

This responsum addresses the theft of a Hebrew Bible, its resale to another Jewish community, and that community’s subsequent dedication of the text to its synagogue. The anonymous questioner asks whether the stolen object must be returned to the family that originally owned it. This Hebrew text reflects many of the social and cultural facets of Jewish life in the Islamic Mediterranean, especially the precarious state of families left behind when breadwinners traveled for business.