Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 5:18/אבן עזרא על דברים ה׳:י״ח
אומלת חמד בלשון הקדש מתפרשת לשני טעמים האחד גזל ועושק וקחת של אחרים בחזקה ובאונס וכך ולא יחמוד איש את ארצך כי אם אין פירושו כן הנה תהיה הארץ רעה ולא בא הכתוב אלא לשבח והטעם השני לשון תאוה בלב ולא תצא לפועל. והנה לא תחמוד בית רעך. הדבור התשיעי. ולא תחמוד אשת רעך הדבור העשירי. ויהיה בית רעך ואשת רעך נדבקים זה עם זה או בית רעך כלל והעד שאמר משה בספר הזה שבאר את התורה תחת לא תחמוד אמר לא תתאוה. ורבים אמרו כי אין עון במחשבת הלב ואין עליהם שכר ועונש ויש ראיות רבות להשיב עליהן ולא אאריך רק אראה להם לב חורש מחשבות און הטיבות כי היה עם לבבך ולישרים בלבותם ומשה אמר בסוף בפיך ובלבבך לעשותו. ועיקר כל המצות ליישר הלב, ורובם זכר והמזיד והשוגג יוכיחו:
1The word chamad (coveted) has two meanings in Hebrew.44 (neither shalt thou covet). 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 land45 (yachmod) thy land means no one shall desire your land, then the Land of Israel would be an undesirable land. Hence the meaning of neither shall any man covet (yachmod) thy land must be no one will take your 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.46 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.47 as the first statement of the Decalogue. Therefore, it counts Neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor’s house and thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife as two separate statements. According to this interpretation, thy neighbor’s house and thy neighbor’s wife are connected to each other.48 precedes thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, while the reverse is true in Deuteronomy (Weiser). On the other hand, thy neighbor’s house might be a general rule.49 is the tenth statement. Scripture first states the general rule and then goes into detail; that is, Neither…thy neighbor’s house includes your neighbor’s wife, servant, ox, ass, and all that he owns. According to this interpretation, I am is the first statement and Neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor’s house is the tenth. The fact that Moses in this book [Deuteronomy] in which he explains the Torah, employs ve-lo50. titavveh (neither shalt thou covet) (v. 18) in place of lo tachmod (thou shalt not covet) (Ex. 20:14) is proof of this.51 is a general statement, for Moses explains it by using a different term in Deuteronomy. Many say that one cannot sin with one’s thoughts and there is no reward and punishment for what one thinks. However, one can refute them by quoting many verses. I will not prolong my argument. I will merely point to the following: A heart that deviseth wicked thoughts (Prov. 6:18); thou didst well that it was in thy heart (II Chron. 6:8); And to them that are upright in their hearts (Ps. 125:4). Moses at the end52 said, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it (Deut. 30:14). The main purpose of the mitzvot is to perfect the heart. Most of them serve as a memorial.53, translated by H. Norman Strickman, Jason Aaronson, 1995, p. 78: “Some commandments serve as reminders of the fundamental precepts. For example, the Sabbath commemorates creation. Likewise, not permitting one’s slave to work on the Sabbath recalls the Exodus from Egypt. Similarly, the Pascal lamb, the matzot, the bitter herbs, the sukkah, the mezuzah, and the tefillin worn on the hand and head. Likewise, the tzitzit.” The distinction made between a sin committed deliberately and one committed inadvertently should convince them.54