Beraishis 6J Moral corruption destroys the conscience

וַתִּשָּׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹקים וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ חָמָס
And the earth was morally corrupt before God’s countenance, and so the earth was filled with corruption (petty theft).

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שחת means an interruption in the path of life, even in the area of one’s sensual drive. (Sexuality, instead of being a healthy and holy part of life became perverse. GS)

חמס means petty theft. It is not the sort of theft that can be prosecuted in court (כדאיתא במ”ר ל”א, ה).

First came moral corruption. That led to society’s ruin.

When the older generation sees the young generation’s morals decline they aren’t concerned that this will undo the economy. But they are mistaken. While outright robbery will never fill the world, that’s because there are laws in place to protect everyone from those crimes. But there is no protection from petty theft. That requires society to have a conscience. To not steal when one is confident one won’t get caught or prosecuted, requires a conscience. Moral corruption destroys the conscience.

Beraishis 6:11
pages 178-180