“Do not covet the house of your neighbor. Do not covet the wife of your neighbor; his slave and maid servant, his ox, his donkey, and all that belongs to your neighbor.” – Shemos 20:14
The Even Ezra notes that people are perplexed by this mitzvah. How is it possible not to desire that which I find beautiful? The Torah can forbid action or speech because I can to control my behavior. But desires dwell deep within a person. They are a function of the inner condition. I didn’t ask for them, but they are here. How can the Torah command me not to want?
The Even Ezra answers with a mashol. Imagine that a simple villager were to see a princess passing in a procession. He may find her very beautiful, but he would never fantasize about marrying her. She is so far removed from his social status that the idea of taking her as a wife is out of the realm of the possible. If the idea would ever cross his mind, he would quickly rebuke himself, saying, “Am I insane? Do I dream about sprouting wings and flying?”
So too, the Even Ezra explains, when a person understands that Hashem runs the world and sets forth the right woman for the right man, he will never desire that which isn’t his because he knows that it is impossible for him to have it. It is so impossible that it would be akin to a sane individual dreaming about growing wings and flying.
The Even Ezra is teaching us a fundamental concept in growth: that we can shape our very reality.
Changing Standards of Beauty
As an example: there was a time in history when being overweight was considered a sign of dignity. For millennia, people barely had enough to eat. The only ones who could afford enough food to be heavy were the wealthy. As a result, if a man was corpulent, it was a sign of wealth and distinction. For that reason, in many cultures it was considered a sign of beauty for a woman to be heavy. A woman of distinction was large, and the larger she was, the more distinguished she was thought to be.
That isn’t our reality today. Rather than utter those dreaded words, “She is overweight,” a shadchan will say “She has wonderful middos, a special chen, great yichus…” Anything to avoid saying that the young woman is heavy.
Why is that we now dislike what many societies once considered desirous? The reason is that beauty is a function of perception. Young men are told, often from a very young age, that a certain standard is appealing. That is how their sisters look, that is how they mothers rate attractiveness and beauty, and their reality is shaped by what others accept as the standard.
The point is that what is considered attractive is not hard-wired at birth; it is learned and often shaped by what others consider desirable. By nature the human desires, but the object of his desire is shaped by external factors and perceptions.
This seems to be the point the Even Ezra is sharing with us: that we can shape our very reality. That which I desire will only be within a specific range of things, and it must be possible to be had. If I were to focus on the fact that Hashem truly is in charge, I would understand that it is literally impossible to for me to have the life situation my friend has. His money, his job, his house, and his wife were all set by Hashem – and there is nothing in my power to change that. Once I comprehend this, my desire for the object begins to wane. It enters into the realm of the impossible. It will just never happen. And so I no longer desire it.
When I stop desiring what others have, I also attain a state of peace, tranquility, and happiness with the lot that Hashem has chosen for me. I understand that He knows better than I do about what I need, and has chosen for me the exact life setting and circumstances that are best for me.