The Flood Generation Judged for Theft Below a Penny

"And God said to Noah, the end of all flesh has come before Me" (Genesis 6:13). Their time had come to be cut down; their time had come to be made unripe [destroyed before their season]; their accusation had arrived; their time had come to be made into ruins. Why so much? "For the earth is filled with violence because of them." "Violence" means the value of a perutah [a small coin]; "robbery" means less than the value of a perutah. One of them would find his basket full of lupines, and this one would come and take less than a penny's worth, and that one would come and take less than a penny's worth, until he reached the point where no court could extract it from them by law. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: You acted improperly, so I too will act with you improperly. This is what is written, "Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? They die, and that without wisdom" (Job 4:21) - without the wisdom of Torah. "From morning to evening they are shattered; without anyone regarding it, they perish forever" (Job 4:20). And "regarding" means only justice, as it is said, "And these are the ordinances which you shall set before them" (Exodus 21:1).