About this episode
One who passes on information about other people's property to non-Jews who are looking to seize/steal it - is this considered theft? Is the informant liable to return the value of the item? On what does it depend? The Gemara brings a series of cases where Jews informed Gentiles about the whereabouts of others' possessions and the rulings of the rabbis are brought. In the context of a story about a Jew who wanted to inform about another, we are told of a famous story of the showdown between Rav Kahana and Rabbi Yochanan when Rav Kahana ran away to Israel from Babylonia. This story highlights the dangers of misjudging others, and holding oneself in high regard, and also highlights the power struggle between Babylonia and Israel, particularly in the second generation of amoraim, in terms of determining where the real center of authority is. Rabbi Eliezer and the rabbis disagree about whether land is "acquired" by a thief or not.