Shayla: Our Christian neighbors have disappeared. We believe they are in prison and probably dead. Because we are Christians, we are starving and cannot work. May we sell our neighbor’s things in order to continue living?

Responsa: We see in the Law that we are allowed to use our neighbor’s resources with certain limitations.

• Deuteronomy 23:24-25 "When you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you want until you are full, but you must not put [any] in your container. ²⁵ When you enter your neighbor's standing grain, you may pluck heads of grain with your hand, but you must not put a sickle to your neighbor's grain.

In this biblical example, we are allowed to eat to our fill, but not to take so much as to leave nothing for our neighbor. Putting a sickle to our neighbor’s grain would not only keep them from having the wherewithal to eat, but also keep them from having seeds for the following year.

The principle seems to be that you may use what you need in order to be able to survive, but you must not hinder your neighbor’s continued survival.

So my counsel is that you eat what you need from your neighbor’s supplies; use your neighbor’s tools or materials in order to continue. But be sure that if your neighbor survives and returns, there will be something to return to. How tragic it would be to survive his persecution only to starve because of a Christian brother.