Why does Rabbinic law give the robbery victim — rather than the robber — the right to take an oath?
Halacha 1: Our Sages penalized robbers by giving the victim the prerogative of taking an oath to support his claim regarding the value of what was taken.
Question 2
For what types of items may a homeowner swear and collect from a robber who was seen leaving with hidden articles?
Halacha 2: The owner's oath is accepted only for articles one might assume the owner owned or that it was possible such goods were in his home.
Question 3
May a worker or harvester take an oath to collect from a robber who entered their employer's home?
Halacha 6: Ordinary workers or harvesters of the homeowner are not given the right to take an oath in this situation.
Question 4
A robber knows he robbed one of five people but cannot identify which one. What must he do?
Halacha 8: When a robber cannot identify which of several people he robbed, he must pay each of them to discharge his obligation.
Question 5
One witness testifies a person seized gold coins. The defendant says 'I seized my own coins.' What happens?
Halacha 14: When one witness testifies and the defendant disputes ownership, an oath becomes the mechanism to resolve the contested claim.