EXOD487 Envy is a branch of anger, and no one escapes it. For we all see all men being pulled one after the other. When one man sees his neighbor acquiring one of the worldly acquisitions, whether it be a type of food or clothing, or building a house, or accumulating money, he exerts himself to do likewise, thinking: My friend has this; I will have it, too. This was intimated by King Shelomo (Koheles 4:4): "And I saw that all labor and all excellent workmanship was one man's envy of another." One who is overpowered by this trait is extremely despicable. For envy brings one to lust, for when a man does not take to heart what others have, he does not lust; but when his heart is drawn on and he envies what others have, he covets and desires, and the Torah has said [this verse]: "Do not covet your neighbor's wife... and all that belongs to your neighbor." And when he covets, he steals, as it is written (Michah 2:2): "And they coveted fields and they stole them." And one in whom lust mounts is close to transgressing the Ten Commandments. By way of illustration: there was once a man who had a wicked neighbor whose property was separated from his own by a wall. This wicked man lusted after his neighbor's wife and some of his possessions. One Friday, he heard his neighbor telling his wife: "I want to go away for the day on business," and he did so. What did this wicked man do? On Sabbath eve, he went and broke down the wall between them, thus transgressing "Remember and observe" [the Shabbos]. He then forced the woman whom he lusted to possess, transgressing "Do not covet," and lay with her, transgressing "Do not commit adultery." Afterwards, when he began to steal the money, the woman cried out and he rose up against her and killed her, thus transgressing "Do not kill," and when he robbed and stole what he lusted after, he transgressed "Do not steal" and "Do not covet." The next day his father and mother rose up and reproved him, and he rose up against them and struck them, thus transgressing "Honor your father and your mother." Afterwards he was brought before the court and testified falsely with his friends that these things that he took were pledges which had been given him by his neighbor and which he had, in turn, entrusted to him and had not been able to reclaim until now that the robbers had broken the wall and killed his wife, hearing of which, he, too, had gone in and taken his pledge--thus transgressing "Do not testify falsely." And wherever he came he swore that he had committed no offense, thus transgressing "Do not swear falsely." In the end, his evil was revealed and his offense publicized. His shame was so great that he gave himself up to corruption and denied the Living God, thus transgressing "I am Hashem your God." Finally, he became addicted to idol worship and bowed down to and served idols, thus transgressing "Do not have any other gods besides me" and "Do not bow down to them and do not serve them." And all this was caused by lust. We see, then, that he who is lustful is close to transgressing the entire Torah.