Chasidut · Breslov
Likutei Moharan 69:6/ליקוטי מוהר"ן ס״ט:ו׳
אוְדַע, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה שֶׁגּוֹזֵל אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ, הוּא בָּא לְהִרְהוּרִים. כִּי בְּוַדַּאי הוּא מִתְדַּבֵּק וְנִכְסָף לְאֵשֶׁת חֲבֵרוֹ שֶׁגְּזָלוֹ, עַל־יְדֵי הַמָּמוֹן שֶׁנָּטַל מִמֶּנּוּ, שֶׁהוּא אוֹר נַפְשָׁהּ כַּנַּ"ל. וְכֵן הִיא מְהַרְהֶרֶת אַחֲרָיו, עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמָּשַׁךְ אוֹתָהּ אֵלָיו, עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמָּשַׁךְ לְעַצְמוֹ אוֹר נַפְשָׁהּ. וְעַל־כֵּן אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סנהדרין פא): הַיּוֹרֵד לְאֻמָּנוּת חֲבֵרוֹ, כְּאִלּוּ בָּא עַל אֵשֶׁת־אִישׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְאֶת אֵשֶׁת רֵעֵהוּ לֹא טִמֵּא וְכוּ'. כִּי הוּא בָּא וּמְטַמֵּא מַמָּשׁ אֵשֶׁת רֵעֵהוּ, עַל־יְדֵי הַגְּזֵלָה כַּנַּ"ל.
16. Know, too, that robbing another person brings one to immoral thoughts. On account of the money that he takes from him, which is the light of her soul, he will certainly feel an attraction and a desire for his victim’s wife. Likewise, she will have thoughts for him as a result of his drawing her to himself; as a result of his drawing to himself the light of her soul. This is the reason our Sages, of blessed memory, taught (cf. Sanhedrin 81a): Whoever [competitively] enters his neighbor’s occupation, it is as if he had relations with a married woman, as it is written (Ezekiel 18:6), “He has not defiled his neighbor’s wife.” By robbing, he comes and literally defiles his neighbor’s wife.
בוְלִפְעָמִים, יְאַבֵּד הַגַּזְלָן בַּת זוּג שֶׁלּוֹ עַל יְדֵי הַגְּזֵלָה, כִּי מֵאַחַר שֶׁנָּתַן עֵינוֹ בְּמָמוֹן חֲבֵרוֹ, הַיְנוּ בְּאוֹר בַּת זוּגוֹ, אִם כֵּן הוּא מְמָאֵס בְּשֶׁלּוֹ, וּפוֹנֶה אֶת עַצְמוֹ מִשֶּׁלּוֹ, וְאֵינוֹ רוֹצֶה בְּחֶלְקוֹ, בַּמָּמוֹן שֶׁלּוֹ, בְּאוֹר בַּת זוּג שֶׁלּוֹ, עַל־כֵּן הִיא גַּם הִיא פּוֹנָה אֶת עַצְמָהּ מִמֶּנּוּ, וּמִתְרַחֶקֶת מִמֶּנּוּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהוּא הִתְרַחֵק אֶת עַצְמוֹ, וּפָנָה מִמֶּנָּה. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (ירושלמי ברכות פ"ט): מָשָׁל לְאִשָּׁה שֶׁהִיא מַמְתֶּנֶת לְאִישׁ, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהָיָה בְּדַעְתּוֹ לְהִנָּשֵׂא לָהּ, הָיְתָה יוֹשֶׁבֶת וּמַמְתֶּנֶת לוֹ, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִפְלִיג אֶת דַּעְתּוֹ מִמֶּנָּה, אַף הִיא הָלְכָה וְנִשֵּׂאת לְאַחֵר. עַל־כֵּן אִם אֵין לְהַגַּזְלָן אִשָּׁה, יוּכַל לְאַבֵּד בַּת זוּג שֶׁלּוֹ:
2Sometimes, by robbing, the robber loses his own spouse. By setting his sights on his neighbor’s money—i.e., on the light of his [neighbor’s] wife—he shows disgust for his own. He turns away from what is his and spurns his lot: his money, the light of his spouse. Therefore she likewise turns away from him and distances herself from him, just as he distanced himself and turned away from her. And as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: It is comparable to a woman who waits for a man. As long as his intention is to marry her, she continues to wait for him. Once he drops her from his mind, she goes and marries someone else (Yerushalmi, Berakhot 9:5). Thus, [even] if the robber is unmarried, he can lose his [future] spouse.
גוְגַם יוּכַל הַגַּזְלָן לִפְעָמִים לִגְזֹל מֵחֲבֵרוֹ, אֲפִלּוּ הַבַּת זוּג שֶׁל הַנִּגְזָל. וְהַכֹּל לְפִי תֹּקֶף וְחֹזֶק תַּאֲוָתוֹ וְחִשְׁקוֹ וְהִתְגַּבְּרוּתוֹ עַל מָמוֹן חֲבֵרוֹ בְּהִרְהוּר וּבְמַעֲשֶׂה, עַד שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיִּתְגַּבֵּר וְיִקַּח גַּם בַּת זוּג שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ הַנִּגְזָל. כִּי מֵאַחַר שֶׁהִתְגַּבֵּר וְגָזַל מָמוֹן חֲבֵרוֹ, שֶׁהוּא אוֹר נֶפֶשׁ בַּת זוּגוֹ כַּנַּ"ל, עַל־כֵּן לִפְעָמִים נִמְשֶׁכֶת הִיא בְּעַצְמָהּ גַּם כֵּן אַחַר הַמָּמוֹן שֶׁגָּזַל זֶה הַגַּזְלָן מִבַּעְלָהּ. וְעַל־כֵּן לִפְעָמִים הַגַּזְלָן גּוֹזֵל גַּם אֵשֶׁת חֲבֵרוֹ, עַל־יְדֵי הַמָּמוֹן שֶׁגָּזַל מִמֶּנּוּ בְּיָדַיִם, אוֹ עַל־יְדֵי חֶמְדָּה.
3Other times, the robber can even rob the victim of his wife. It all depends on the strength and intensity of his hunger and desire for, and control over, his neighbor’s money—in thought and in deed. These can become so strong that he also takes his neighbor’s wife. Now that he has the power to rob his neighbor’s money, which is the light of his wife’s soul, it occasionally happens that she herself is drawn after the money that this robber robbed from her husband. Thus, sometimes, by robbing his money—taking it, or coveting it—the robber also robs his neighbor’s wife.
דכִּי דַּע, כִּי גַּם עַל־יְדֵי חֶמְדָּה וְתַאֲוָה וְהִשְׁתּוֹקְקוּת שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ לְמָמוֹן חֲבֵרוֹ, גַּם עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה יוּכַל לְגָזְלוֹ, כִּי הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה יֵשׁ לָהּ תֹּקֶף גָּדוֹל, כַּמְבֹאָר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר (לקמן בסי' קצג). וְעַל־כֵּן יוּכַל לִהְיוֹת שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לְהָאָדָם מָמוֹן גְּזֵלָה, אַף שֶׁלֹּא גָּזַל כְּלוּם בְּיָדַיִם.
4Thus 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.
הוְזֶהוּ הָאִסּוּר הַלָּאו הֶחָמוּר שֶׁבַּעֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת: לֹא תַחְמֹד, כִּי הַחֶמְדָּה בְּעַצְמָהּ הוּא אִסּוּר חָמוּר מְאֹד רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן, כִּי יֵשׁ כֹּחַ בְּהַחֶמְדָּה לִגְזֹל מִמֶּנּוּ מָמוֹנוֹ, וְנֶפֶשׁ בָּנָיו וּבְנוֹתָיו כַּנַּ"ל. וְעַל כֵּן יֵשׁ אִסּוּר אֲפִלּוּ בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה לִשְׁלֹחַ יָד בְּפִקָּדוֹן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁשָּׁנִינוּ בְּבָבָא מְצִיעָא (דף מג:): הַחוֹשֵׁב לִשְׁלֹחַ יָד בְּפִקָּדוֹן. כִּי הַפְּלֻגְתָּא הִיא רַק אִם חַיָּב עַל־זֶה כְּמוֹ הַשּׁוֹלֵחַ יָד מַמָּשׁ, אֲבָל אִסּוּר יֵשׁ בְּוַדַּאי לְכֻלֵּי עָלְמָא, כַּנַּ"ל.
5This 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. It is therefore forbidden to misappropriate a deposited item even in thought, as we learned in Bava Metzia (43b): “A person who intends to misappropriate a deposited item.” The dispute there is only whether he is liable for this, as one who actually misappropriates [the item]. However, there is unanimous agreement that it is certainly prohibited.