The Mekhilta expands the concept of theft beyond physical property. They said about certain people: if they could "steal" the Higher Mind — God's mind itself — they would do so. The ultimate thief is not the one who takes objects but the one who deceives.
The paradigmatic example is Absalom, the son of King David. Absalom committed three thefts simultaneously, none of which involved physical property. He stole the heart of his father David — manipulating the king's trust and affection. He stole the heart of the beth din — the supreme court, undermining their authority. And he stole the heart of the entire house of Israel — winning the people's loyalty through calculated deception.
The proof text is devastating: (2 Samuel 15:6): "And Absalom stole the heart of the men of Israel." Scripture itself uses the word "stole" to describe what Absalom did. He was a thief of minds, a burglar of loyalties.
This teaching extends the Torah's prohibition against stealing into the realm of deception and manipulation. You can steal more than objects. You can steal trust, allegiance, and judgment. Absalom never picked a pocket, but the Mekhilta treats his manipulation as the most dangerous form of theft — the kind that topples kingdoms. Stealing a person's mind is worse than stealing their money, because the victim does not even know they have been robbed.