14 Aug VAESCHANAN: THE JEALOUSY ANTIDOTE

Perhaps one of
the hardest
commandments
to understand —
let alone fulfill — is
Lo Sachmod, not to

be jealous.
As Ibn Ezra asks (Shemos 20:14), how
can the Torah command us not to feel an
emotion that comes naturally when
someone has something that we would
like to have? When the neighbor redoes
his house and builds a pool, how can a
person be expected not to want to have a
pool as well?
Ibn Ezra answers this question through a
parable.
Imagine a commoner who visits the royal
palace. As he is viewing the beautiful
grounds, he sees the princess step outside
in her royal garments. Though struck by
her beauty, does he think for a moment, I

want to marry her?
Most people wouldn’t entertain that
thought for a second. They realize that the
king’s daughter is out of their league.
People desire something that they can
conceivably have, not something that is
totally out of reach.
The same should hold true for someone
else’s possessions, says Ibn Ezra. We
should train ourselves to realize that since
Hashem gave the pool to the neighbor, it
is something that He wants the neighbor
to have, not us. As such, it should not be
within the realm of our desires.
The Ibn Ezra’s approach has become the
classical answer to this question, but Rav
Simchah Zissel Brodie derives another
explanation from a Ramban.
The Ramban cites the following Midrash:
The Ten Commandments are all repeated
in Parashas Kedoshim in some form or
another. For instance, the verse, “Ani

Hashem Elokeichem” (Vayikra
19:3) corresponds to the first
commandment, and “Veilokei
maseichah lo sa’asu lachem —
and molten gods shall you not
make for yourself” (ibid. v. 4)
corresponds to the second
commandment.
The parallel to Lo Sachmod,
says Ramban cryptically, is
“Ve’ahavta lerei’acha kamocha
— Love your fellow as yourself”
(ibid. v. 18).
Rav Simchah Zissel explains the
correlation between the two.
Did you ever hear a father or mother wish
that their children would have less
material possessions just because they
had less when they were at the same stage
in life? No. Parents are thrilled when their
children have more than they did. Why?
Because they love their children as much

as they love themselves — if not more —
so they are happy when their children can
afford anything they want.
If we would truly fulfill ve’ahavta
lerei’acha kamocha and love every Jew as
we love ourselves, says Rav Simchah
Zissel, we wouldn’t feel jealous of them
for owning possessions that we cannot
afford. We would be happy for them, just
as we are happy when our own children
have more than we do.