Stalking

Dear Rabbi: I have been stalked several times by people in my life. I realize that they were mentally ill, but it made me scared and paranoid because of their actions. What does the Torah say about stalking and what is the prohibition of it? Thank you.

It is very clear that one must love their neighbor as themselves, and not do onto their neighbors, that which they wouldn’t like others to do to them, which is, in the words of our rabbis, the summation of the entire Torah. In addition, “V’Lo tonu”, “you shall not hurt”, includes even through speech, or even scaring someone by saying “boo”. The prohibition is so obvious that the problem apparently is that the stalker doesn’t care about halacha, but if he does, tell him to consult with his local rabbi who will clearly set him straight. In any event, especially it they are mentally ill, I would suggest simply to call the police for that’s exactly their job. With Love of Israel, Rav Ari Shvat