Paid Bills

Question

I recently went to the meat store and found that my bill had been paid in full. While on one hand I was happy that I no longer had to pay, at the same time I was worried that maybe a mistake had taken place and that I was violating the prohibition of stealing. What’s the din?

Thanks.

T. N.

Rav Goldberg 

This case is different than the previous question regarding the money that was deposited into the wrong account. I have no idea how you could possibly clarify if someone else deliberately paid your bill or the store made a mistake and used someone else’s payment to cover your bill. If the latter had happened, this issue would certainly have been brought to their attention quickly when the store asked for their own payment again. You might try and check if you can trace their credit card or see if the amount paid was the same amount that someone else owed. However, I do not believe that either of these efforts will work. Meanwhile, as long as the store is not billing you, you are exempt from payment and do not have to worry about stealing.