In this week’s parsha we have one of the most difficult of mitzvot- lo tachmod- not to be covetous. When the Ten Commandments are repeated in parshat Va’etchanan this mitzva is expressed as lo titaveh. Whether there is a substantial difference between the two words “tachmod” and “titaveh” is the subject of a disagreement between the Rishonim.

The Rambam says lo tachmod and lo titaveh are two separate prohibitions. This is his view in Sefer Hamitzvot, where lo tachmod is listed as prohibition number 265 and lo titaveh is listed as prohibition number 266. How do these two prohibitions differ? The Rambam explains this in Hilchot Gezeilah, chap. 1: 9-12. Ta’avah the Rambam explains exists in a person’s heart. When a person allows himself to be seduced into wanting what his neighbor possesses (note the Rambam’s use of the phrase v’nifta b’libo) and makes plans to acquire this item he has violated the prohibition of lo titaveh. Lo tachmod according to the Rambam prohibits taking by force an item against the will of its owner even when you pay for it. Even if you pay more than the object’s worth it is forbidden to take something against the owner’s will.

The Rambam concludes his discussion with some observations. A person who simply covets an object has violated one prohibition. When he grabs an object and leaves some money behind he has violated a second prohibition. And once a person has given into his desires to such an extent, the Rambam says it is only a matter of time until he commits outright acts of theft and eventually murder.

The Ramban (to Dvarim 5:16) writes that lo titaveh is part of the prohibition lo tachmod. I don’t know if the Ramban in any of his commentaries defines lo tachmod. It may be that he agrees with the Rambam’s definition, which is based on the Gemara in Baba Metzia 5a. But it seems to me that the Ramban disagrees with the Rambam in defining the prohibition of lo titaveh. Whereas the Rambam says that lo titaveh prohibits planning to purchase the object of one’s desire, the Ramban in Dvarim writes that lo titaveh prohibits thoughts of stealing the object.

The Smag (a Halachic work by one of the Ba’alei Tosafot) agrees with the Ramban that lo tachmod and lo titaveh are a single prohibition (see the Hagahot Maimoniot to Hilchot gezeilah chap. 1 note 6). The Smag bases his opinion on Rashi’s comments to Dvarim 5:18.

The Ibn Ezra says that many people are incapable of accepting the idea that they must stop being covetous. These people say that being attracted to beautiful things is part of human nature and this cannot be legislated out of existence.

The Ibn Ezra answers these people with an example. He says that should an emotionally stable farmhand meet a princess he will not desire the princess as a wife. The farmhand knows that such an arrangement will never come to pass and the princess will pass from his mind. Only an unstable individual desires things that are not meant for him, in the fashion that unstable people imagine that will grow wings and fly.

G-d fearing people must learn from the farmhand. The G-d fearing person must realize that Hashem gives every person what’s right for him or her. If you see that your neighbor has a nicer house or more money than you, you must understand that those things are just not meant for you. Accepting this fact will enable a person to be free of envy and allow him to be at peace with his lot in life.