Lil' Jewy

Dear Vudes and Tus,

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon and I was at the mall. I was looking at some sneakers in Footlocker and Lil' Yachty approached me and asked what I was wearing on my head. I explained to him that it was called a Kippah and that it was a Jewish tradition and it reminds me that God is above me. He responded and said, "I like dat, can I see it?" I handed him my Kippa and he started to try it on. He asked if he could go to the mirror to see how it looks, which seemed harmless so I allowed it. I continued to look at sneakers and all of the sudden I realized that Lil' Yachty was gone! I sprinted out of the store and tracked him down. I approached him and asked for it back, but he refused. I decided to take matters into my own hands and start punching him until he gave it back. (In retrospect this was a poor decision considering the high chances that he had a Glock on hand.) Anyways, he eventually gave it back and I wasn't shot. Was this allowed?

Sincerely,

GodIsn'tTheOnlyThingI'mCurrentlyFearing

Dear GodIsn'tTheOnlyThingI'mCurrentlyFearing,

Our sages teach us about a very similar case. According to all opinions in the Gemara, you can hit someone to get your object back as long as it is a case of loss. According to the Rash, you also need to be given no choice but to hit him and you need to be able to prove in court that the item was yours. The Shulchan Aruch agrees with the conclusion of the Rash. The only thing you need to worry about is your life, considering the high probability of a Glock being in the proximity. Other than that, you acted completely lawfully.

Happy to help and hope you live,

Vudes and Tus