Desire

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You shall not covet your neighbor’s house: you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox or ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

The word chamad (coveted) has two meanings in Hebrew. One is to rob, to extort, to take someone’s property by force and compulsion. This is the meaning of the word in neither shall any man covet (yachmod) thy land (Ex. 34:24). For if this is not its meaning, then the land is bad. But Scripture only comes to praise the land. The second meeting is to desire in the heart without acting. Now, Neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor’s house (Ex. 20:14) is the ninth statement, and thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife (Ibid.) is the tenth statement…

Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 5:18:1

Concerning this the Talmud Sotah 9 comments that “if someone covets something that is not appropriate for him to have, he will wind up losing even what was appropriate for him to own.” He becomes cursed. This is what happened to the serpent who seduced Chavah. It wanted to replace Adam as Chavah’s husband and instead it wound up having to crawl on its belly and to eat dust. Thus far the Midrash.
Had it not been for the fact that robbery is an integral aspect of coveting and on account of this it deserved to be included in the Ten Commandments…

Rabbeinu Bahya, Shemot 20:14:2

Rav Aḥa of Difti said to Ravina: But by paying for the deposit instead of returning it, doesn’t the bailee violate the prohibition of: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his slave, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:14)? One transgresses this prohibition by taking an item from another by force or deceit, even if one pays for it. The Gemara answers: The prohibition “You shall not covet” is understood by most people as referring to taking an item without paying money…

Bava Metzia 5b:19-20

Thus, we see that a person who desires another person's property violates one negative commandment. One who purchases an object he desires after pressuring the owners and repeatedly asking them, violates two negative commandments. For that reason, the Torah prohibits both desiring and coveting. If he takes the article by robbery, he violates three negative commandments.

Mishneh Torah, Robbery and Lost Property 1:12

Thus know, it is also possible for a person to rob by coveting, desiring and craving his neighbor’s money. This is because thought has great power, as explained elsewhere. A person can therefore possess ill-gotten money without even physically robbing anything. This is the grievous prohibition included in the Ten Commandments: “Do not covet” (Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18). Coveting itself is strictly forbidden, may the Compassionate One spare us. This is because by coveting one can rob another’s money, as well as the souls of his sons and daughters…

Likutei Moharan 69:6:4-5

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house” (Exodus 20:17); “and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house” (Deuteronomy 5:18). We were warned with this not to make evil plots to take the field or vineyard or anything of (your) [our] fellow, even if one gives their price. And we were warned about the thought of this evil thing, that we should not resolve in our thoughts to do it, as it is stated, “You shall not covet.” And if a person longs for his fellow to sell him a field or a vineyard or [any] of his possessions and [the owner] does not want to sell it - but if he pleads with him with…

Sha'arei Teshuvah 3:43

Not to desire the money of your friend: That we were prevented from fixing in our thoughts to desire what is in the hand of one of our brothers, the Children of Israel; since the fixing of the desire for that thing in our heart will become a cause to create machinations to get it from him — even though it is not his will to sell them — by purchase or exchange or, if we cannot [acquire it] in any other way, by force. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 5:18), “you shall not desire the house of your neighbor, etc…

Sefer HaChinukh 416:1-2

THOU SHALT NOT COVET. Many people are amazed at this commandment. They ask, how is it possible for a person not to covet in his heart all beautiful things that appear desirable to him? I will now give you a parable. Note, a peasant of sound mind who sees a beautiful princess will not entertain any covetous thoughts about sleeping with her, for he knows that this is an impossibility. This peasant will not think like the insane who desire to sprout wings and fly to the sky, for it is impossible to do so…

Ibn Ezra on Exodus 20:14:1

He used to say: Beloved is man for he was created in the image [of God]. Especially beloved is he for it was made known to him that he had been created in the image [of God], as it is said: “for in the image of God He made man” (Genesis 9:6). Beloved are Israel in that they were called children to the All-Present. Especially beloved are they for it was made known to them that they are called children of the All-Present, as it is said: “you are children to the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 14:1). Beloved are Israel in that a precious vessel was given to them…

Pirkei Avot 3:14

With regard to the formula of Grace after Meals, the Gemara continues: It was taught in a baraita: Rabbi Eliezer says: Anyone who did not say: A desirable, good, and spacious land in the blessing of the land, and who did not mention the royal house of David in the blessing: Who builds Jerusalem, did not fulfill his obligation. Naḥum the Elder says: One must mention the covenant of circumcision in the blessing of the land. Rabbi Yosei says: One must mention the Torah in the blessing of the land…

Berakhot 48b:13

And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: When Moses ascended on High to receive the Torah, the ministering angels said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, what is one born of a woman doing here among us? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them: He came to receive the Torah. The angels said before Him: The Torah is a hidden treasure that was concealed by You 974 generations before the creation of the world, and You seek to give it to flesh and blood? As it is stated: “The word which He commanded to a thousand generations”…

It is from the roots of this commandment that since it is a bad thought, it causes a person many mishaps. As once he fixes it into his thought to take the thing that he covets from him, that bad desire will not pay attention to anything; and if his fellow will not want to sell it to him, he will take it from him by force. And if he stands up to him, it is possible that he will [even] kill him; as we found (I Kings 21) that Navot was killed for his vineyard that Ahav coveted from him. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Robbery and Lost Property 1:11.)

Sefer HaChinukh 38:2

Another matter: “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” – that is what is written: “And I said: How shall I place you [ashitekh] among the children” (Jeremiah 3:19). What is ashitekh? The Holy One blessed be He said: From the moment that you stood at Sinai and received the Torah, and I wrote that I love you, as it is stated: “But because of the Lord’s love for you” (Deuteronomy 7:8) – after I loved you, how can I hate you? “How shall I place you [ashitekh] among the children?” Ashitekh indicates nothing other than animosity…

Shemot Rabbah 32:2

“Go and gather the elders of Israel, and say to them: The Lord, the God of your fathers, God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying: I have remembered you, and what is being done to you in Egypt” (Exodus 3:16).
“Go and gather the elders of Israel.” The elders always uphold Israel, and thus it says: “And all Israel, and its elders, and its officers, and its judges, stood on this side and on that side of the ark” (Joshua 8:33). When is Israel capable of standing? It is when they have elders…

Shemot Rabbah 3:8

The Gemara continues interpreting verses from Ecclesiastes. The verse states: “Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high and terrors shall be on the road, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall drag itself along, and the caper berry shall fail, for a person goes to his eternal home, and the mourners circle the marketplace” (Ecclesiastes 12:5). The Gemara explains: “Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high”; this means that even a small knoll on the road seems to him, the elderly, like the highest of mountains…

Shabbat 152a:11

3. { “He shall drive the enemy from your countenance and proclaim, ‘Hashmeid! (Destroy!)’” (Deuteronomy 33:27). } And this is the meaning of, “He shall drive the enemy from your countenance”—“from your countenance” of holiness; “and proclaim, ‘haShMeiD! ’”—linguistically similar to ShMaD (apostasy), idolatry, namely the desire for money. For all Jews are considered tzaddikim by virtue of the Covenant. And because of this, when He drives away the enemy from their countenance of holiness…

Likutei Moharan 23:3:1-3

THAT THE TREE WAS GOOD FOR FOOD. She [Eve] had thought that the fruit of the tree was bitter and poisonous and this was why He admonished them against eating thereof, but now she saw that it was good and sweet food.

Ramban on Genesis 3:6:1

Drawing complete Divine providence is impossible, unless one first shatters the desire for money. Its shattering is achieved through charity. For it is taught in the Zohar (III, 224a): A ruach descends to allay the burning of the heart. When the ruach (wind) descends, the heart receives it with the rejoicing of the Levitical song. “Ruach” corresponds to [giving] charity, which is [indicative of] a “generous ruach (spirit).” With this [ruach], the burning desire for money is cooled…

Likutei Moharan 13:1:2-4

The Gemara answers: The halakha of forbidden sexual relations is different, for the Master said: Robbery and forbidden sexual relations are sins that one’s soul covets and lusts after. Therefore, we are concerned that one who has not properly studied these matters with his teacher will rule leniently for himself. The Gemara asks: If so, robbery should also not be taught to more than two, for this very reason. The Gemara responds: There is a difference between the lust for forbidden sexual relations and the lust for robbery…

Chagigah 11b:19-20

Relatedראו גם

Desire (אוה)

Evil Inclination

Tenth Commandment

Soul (נשמה)

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