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You shall not covet: It is a widely known problem: How is it possible to caution someone to refrain from something that is not in his power? Even if he didn't want to covet, would not coveting come into his heart anyway? [The answer] "You shall not covet is not only a commandment but also a promise; as a person who is careful to observe the [preceding] nine holy utterances, it is certain that we will not covet.
Rebbe Yehiel Michael of Zloczow (Zolochev) quoted in Sparks Beneath the Surface (ed. Lawrence Kushner & Kerry Olitsky)
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We have reached Sinai, and the central crowning moment of the Torah. While the exodus from Egypt may have marked the birth of the Israelites as a physical nation, God's revelation, the experience at Sinai, provides the spiritual foundation for God's covenant with the Jewish people. This public manifestation of the Divine, or 'theophany' - witnessed by the entire Jewish nation is unique. This week's parashah describes the giving of the Ten Commandments (Aseret HaDibrot), literally, the Ten Utterances. It is fair to say that the Ten Commandments are among the most famous texts in the Bible, and yet, not always well understood. (I remember teaching at a Jewish day school and giving a 'pop quiz' before teaching the Ten Commandments. None of the students could name them all, and many gave wild guesses: keeping kosher, being nice to animals).
The text of the Ten Commandments presents many difficulties, as Ibn Ezra himself has pointed out. The text switches from the first person ("I am Adonai your God") to third person ("who swears falsely by His name"). There are ancient versions that list the commandments in different orders. One would think, considering how carefully the Torah text has been transmitted, that the 'Ten Utterances' at least would be preserved precisely. The division into verses and commandments is different in Jewish and Christian versions: so verse 13 in the Masoretic text is divided into four separate verses in Christian Scripture. Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches combine the first and second commandments: "I am Adonai your God" and "You shall have no other gods before me" into one, and divide the last commandment: "You shall not covet" into two parts. So we don't even agree on the Ten Commandments!
Many readers may know that the Ten Commandments actually appear twice in the Torah. The first time is here in Parashat Yitro (Ex. 20), and the second time is in Deuteronomy (chap. 5); Deuteronomy literally means 'second [telling] of the law'. One of the problems with this 'repetition' is that while the two texts are fairly similar they are not absolutely exact and there are slight, but not inconsequential differences. The most famous example is found in the fourth commandment: Remember (zachor) the Sabbath day (in Exodus) versus Keep (shamor) the Sabbath day (in Deuteronomy. There are other differences there as well: the reason for Shabbat in Exodus is that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh; in Deuteronomy, the Israelites are reminded that they were slaves in Egypt. These discrepancies are problematic: how can there be two versions? One solution lies in the fact that the Ten Commandments were both spoken and written. So maybe one version was spoken and the other written. Another possibility is that the Deuteronomy version represents the second set that Moses wrote (after breaking the first set). Ignoring these solutions, the Rabbis harmonize the two texts by imagining that both sets were miraculously communicated simultaneously. The first stanza of the Shabbat hymn: Lecha Dodi: Shamor v'Zachor b'dibbur echad "Keep and Remember were said in one word" captures Rashi's language expressing this idea that 'Remember' and 'Keep' were uttered at the same time.
Other minor textual differences exist between the two versions. In the last commandment, the Deuteronomy text replaces 'tahmod' with 'titaveh'. What exactly is meant by these terms? Some commentators understood saw no difference between 'desire' and 'covet' They saw these two words as synonyms, simply different words expressing exactly the same idea. Others, however, saw an important distinction. The root of 'tahmod' is associated with the eye: mahmad ha'ayin. Covet refers to desire with visual contact: ie. I see it, I want it. What our soul longs for, on the other hand, is called ta'avat hanefesh, human desire for something not visual, or not even present. The Rambam argues that they mean two different things and that there are two prohibitions involved here:
"Once you let yourself covet in your mind a desirable object that you have seen in your friend's house you have violated the precept of 'lo titaveh.' If your passion for the object becomes so intense that you take steps to acquire possession of it, pressing him to sell it or [if he refuses to sell it and] you take it by force you violate the precept "you shall not rob."
What does 'covet' refer to? In Exodus 34:24 this verb (hamad) appears where the context suggests the meaning 'to confiscate your home' and not 'to covet'. Rashi, following a strong Rabbinic tradition, interprets the eighth commandment that we typically render as 'You shall not steal' to refer to stealing people (ie. kidnapping), and then understands 'covet' in the Ten Commandments to mean stealing objects. Does 'covet' then mean 'to steal' (or planning to steal)? Is only the behaviour acted upon the desire prohibited, or is the desire itself forbidden? I assume the latter would be the most widely violated commandment. (I mean, come on, don't tell me you don't covet your neighbour's iPod?) This was also an issue for the Christian church. Must I confess for inward desire or only outward acts? In a rare act of biblical interpretation, Pope Pious V in 1567 ruled that mere desire was not to be considered sinful; notwithstanding, President Jimmy Carter famously once admitted to 'sinning' in his heart.
There are many ways of grouping the Ten Commandments. The most common is between God and humanity (on the first tablet) and between people (on the second), with the fifth (Honour your parents) serving as a bridge. Ibn Ezra divides the Ten Commandments into three categories: commandments of action, speech, and thought. A symmetry can be seen beginning with the first 'abstract' commandment: to believe in one God, followed by commandments of speech (taking God's name in vain), then action, (murder, adultery, stealing) and then returning to speech (bearing false witness) and finally commandments of thoughts and feelings (not coveting). But here we see the problem asked by the Chassidic preacher Yehiel Michael of Zolochev. Can beliefs and thoughts be really commanded? Rabbis have struggled with this last category: after all, how can you 'command' feelings. Even if I want to have the right feeling, can I control it?
Lessons for Today
Rabbi Mecklenberg (HaKetav vehaKabbalah) similarly wonders: "Many are surprised by this commandment. How is it possible for a person not to covet a beautiful thing in his heart? Doesn't the heart covet by itself contrary to a person's wishes?" It is natural to see what others have and desire it. And most Rabbis are practical enough to suggest that as long as you don't start scheming on how to steal your neighbour's belongings, you haven't sinned. But there is another strategy found in one of the most familiar mitzvot, that also 'commands' a feeling. In the Shma recited daily, we say: "You shall love Adonai your God, with all your heart..." Can you command love? The Sfat Emet teaches that we instinctively desire to love God, but distractions intervene. By performing the mitzvot, we remove those obstacles. We can serve God out of fear, but the one who serves out of love demonstrates true commitment to the other; their obedience is a source of joy. Why does it say 'all' your heart? Wouldn't it have been good enough to say: 'love Adonai with your heart'? Isaiah Horowitz, the author of Shnei Luchot Habrit provides this answer:
The intention of the text is that your heart be filled with the love of God. In other words, that there be in your heart nothing other than the exclusive love of God, for there cannot be both the love of God and the love of anything else. And if your heart be filled to overflowing with the love of God, it is impossible that it would covet anything from among all the beautiful things of this world, for then there is no place in the heart that would desire or covet anything at all. It is like a full cup, unable to receive any more.
This answer provides a deeper insight and an effective antidote to coveting. Instead of worrying to 'not covet,' fill your heart with love for God, and there will be no room for hate, no room for jealousy, no room for pettiness. Love Adonai your God, with all your heart, and your heart will have no room for anything but love.
Shabbat Shalom
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