Rabbeinu Gershom: Reading Other People's Mail

Someone said that a rabbi banned reading other people's mail, please explain!

Shalom!

Thank you for your question!

A great Rabbi by the name of Rabbeinu Gershom (960-1040 CE) instituted a number of enactments. Among his enactments are the ban against marrying more than one wife, the ban on divorcing one’s wife against her will, and yes, the ban on reading other people’s mail and other personal documents (which includes emails and other electronic correspondence as well) is probably the most well-known of his enactments.

A number of explanations are offered as to why he enacted the mail-related ban. Some say that it was in order to ensure that people feel confident that their privacy is protected. Indeed, reading other people’s mail without their knowledge is also a form of theft. It is also explained that reading other people’s mail and other private affairs might lead one to sharing such information with others which is a serious transgression in its own right.

Reading other people’s mail is forbidden even if the recipient of the mail or document doesn’t mind if others read it as perhaps the sender of the item minds if other’s read what he wrote!

Some say that reading someone else’s mail is also a violation of “love your fellow as you love yourself” as just as you would not want someone to read your mail without permission you may not read other people’s mail without permission, either.

One may read documents if it is clear that the owner of the documents would not mind such as postcards and the like, but avoiding even this is praiseworthy.

Be’er Hagola , YD 334:123; Aruch Hashulchan , YD 334:21.