Theft Sealing the Verdict

לא נחתם גז"ד אלא על הגזל.

The decree of destruction was sealed only because of robbery.

The Sefat Emet teaches that although the generation of the Flood sinned in many ways, the final sealing of judgment came specifically due to theft, which corrupted society at its root.

ובפסוק נראה כי עיקר החטא הי' גילוי עריות ונראה כי ודאי כן הוא.

Yet in the verse it appears that the primary sin was sexual immorality, and indeed this is certainly so.

The Torah emphasizes moral corruption, suggesting that sexual sin was the central failing of the generation.

רק כי לא הי' עולה קטרוג החטא כ"כ לולי חטא הגזל.

Only that the accusation of the sin would not have risen so strongly were it not for the sin of robbery.

The Sefat Emet explains that theft intensified the severity of all other sins by creating an atmosphere of societal breakdown.

דכ' ותמלא הא' חמס וירא אלהים א"ה והנה נשחתה.

As it is written: “And the earth was filled with violence, and God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupted.”

The verse directly associates the world's corruption with the spread of violent theft, linking it to divine judgment.

ואף כי הכל גלוי וידוע לפניו ב"ה מ"מ אם אין כל בעלי המשפט מסכימים אין השחתה כמאמר אם יש מלאך מליץ א' מני אלף כו'.

And although everything is revealed before Him, blessed be He, nevertheless unless all agents of judgment agree, destruction does not occur, as in the saying: “If there is an angel interceding, one among a thousand…”

He notes a heavenly legal principle: divine punishment requires consensus among the spiritual forces, and even a single advocate can delay harsh judgment.

וע"י שהיו רעים לבריות בגזל עי"ז הסכימו הכל לכף חוב ועי"ז נחתם גז"ד שעלה כל החטא לפני אלהים כנ"ל.

And because they wronged others through theft, all forces agreed to place them on the side of guilt, and thus the decree was sealed, and all the sin rose before God.

Their cruelty toward one another removed all remaining advocacy, causing full heavenly agreement on their guilt and triggering the final decree.

Summary: The generation of the Flood sinned in many ways, especially in immorality, but theft—harm inflicted directly on others—pushed all heavenly judgment to consensus, sealing their fate.