Coveting Basic Need
Question
According to the 10th commandment, you are forbidden to covet the property of another. Does that mean that if you are monetarily struggling, you are forbidden to want to have the most basic necessities of life that all your acquaintances have, such as the ability to pay your rent and bills on time, to be debt free, to have a reliable car that doesn’t leave you stranded, or to have a sufficient amount of food to eat? Is that considered coveting what your neighbors have?
Answers
The Biblical prohibition against coveting is actually referring to wanting to take what the neighbor has. It is not referring to wanting the same kind of thing that the neighbor has. So, for example, wanting a car like one’s neighbor’s is absolutely fine. What is not acceptable, however, is for someone to want to take the neighbor’s car because they desire it so much.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team