The 10th Commandment tells us not to covet what our neighbor has. Not to be jealous of them for their success. Rather that we should learn how to be successful from them.
Now for a quick D’var Torah.
As you know, we’ve been going through the Aseret HaDibrot, the Ten Commandments. The last one—the Tenth Commandment—is especially interesting. Most of the commandments deal with action: things you do or don’t do. The tenth is different. It deals with feeling.
“Do not covet.”
You’re not allowed to covet someone else’s house, property, wealth, or even their spouse.
Why is this so important? Because coveting is where many sins begin. You start by wanting what someone else has, then you move to resentment: Why do they have it? Why don’t I? And from there, people justify all kinds of bad behavior.
But what we forget is that most success doesn’t just happen. It’s earned.
Someone once complained that professional athletes work a few hours a week and make millions. What you don’t see are the years of training, practice, discipline, and sacrifice. A player like Derek Jeter didn’t just walk onto the field as a great ballplayer—he practiced constantly, with the team and on his own.
The same is true in business. If someone is successful, it didn’t fall out of the sky. They worked at it.
There’s an economic mindset that says everything is a zero-sum game: if someone has more, someone else must have less—so we need to redistribute it. That is not the Torah’s view. The Torah’s view is the opposite. If someone is successful, don’t be jealous—study them. How did they get there? What did they do right? What can you learn and apply yourself?
It’s the same with Torah learning. If someone knows more Torah than I do, I don’t resent them. I ask: How did they learn? What habits did they develop? How can I grow?
That’s the message of the Tenth Commandment. Coveting leads to corruption. Learning leads to growth.
There’s a common phrase: “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” In reality, when wealth is created properly, everyone benefits. When businesses grow, they create jobs. Opportunity expands.
As John F. Kennedy famously said, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”
That idea captures the Torah’s approach perfectly. Don’t envy. Don’t covet. Learn, grow, work—and elevate yourself without tearing others down.
Something to think about.
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