A Soulful Journey

An old joke that was repeated in Russia: Ivan has a goat and Boris does not.  Boris is resentful. One night Boris is visited by his guardian angel.  "I see your problem," she says.  "Now I will give you what you want." Boris brightens. "You mean," he exclaims, "you're going to kill Ivan's goat?" Work and pray for what you need. Do not undermine others for what they have.  This is what is meant by, "Do not covet."

The Sadiguerer Rebbe, Reb Abraham Jacob, married off a daughter.  On the way to the wedding his hat, which had cost him three hundred rubles, was stolen.  The rabbi sent for the King of the Thieves, and asked him to guess where his hat could be. “Find my hat for me,” the rabbi pleaded, “and I will give you whatever you ask for.  I am ashamed for my in-laws to find out.” “Rabbi,” the King of the Thieves, replied, “If one of my Hasidim stole your hat, I still have hopes of finding it.  But if one of your Hasidim stole it, then the hat is lost forever.”   Honor, honesty and dignity are the hallmarks of a good person….even if their vocation is not one we would choose.   Even  religiosity does  not necessary mean integrity.  

A Midrash: Alexander of Macedon, world conqueror, comes to stand at the gate of the Garden of Eden.  He demands admission and is told that only the tzaddikim, the holy and righteous ones, may enter.  Alexander  becomes  indignant.  No one would dare treat this monarch with such indifference! Alexander becomes angry and insists that the angel guarding the gate should offer him something of great worth.  So the angel gives him a human eyeball. Puzzled, Alexander places the eyeball on a scale, to determine its worth, and then begins to load gold and silver on the other scale.  No matter how much precious metal he adds, the eyeball outweighs all.  Finally, the angel covers the eyeball with a layer of dust.  Unable to see the gold, the eyeball immediately finally resumes its normal weight. The  midrash, in its fashion  teaches that the human eye will never be satisfied with what is has, it always covets more. ...

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Holy Tablets, he told the Children of Israel, "I have good news...and bad news.  The good news is, I got Him down to ten.  The bad news is 'Thou shalt not covet is still in'..." "Covet" means working to undermine someone to get what they possess.  It does not mean wanting what someone else has.

“ A bureaucrat is a Democrat who holds some office that a Republican wants .” – Alben W. Barkley There is a reason why “covet” figures among the big “Ten.” It is because coveting is so ubiquitous. We fall into the trap every time we begin to salivate over what someone else has. But the Talmud is clear, “Thou shalt not covet” only becomes a sin when we attempt to undermine another for the sake of personal advancement.