The Power of Ten: Creation, Redemption, and the Meaning of “You Shall Not Covet”

The number ten appears at the most critical crossroads of history: at the creation of the world — “The world was created with ten utterances” (Pirkei Avot 5:1); at the redemption from Egypt — the Ten Plagues; and at Mount Sinai — the Ten Commandments, among other instances.

On other occasions, we have expanded on the deep connection that exists between these three foundational events.

God created the world through ten utterances. In the narrative of creation, the Torah records ten Divine statements: “And God said: Let there be light,” “And God said: Let there be a firmament,” “And God said: Let us make man,” and so on — through which the world was brought into existence and continues to exist at every moment.

Because creation usually appears stable and fixed (at least as it appears to us), it can obscure the fact that God continuously sustains it. Pharaoh and the Egyptians fell into the trap of “nature,” denying the reality of the Creator. Pharaoh cried out: “Who is the Lord that I should listen to His voice? … I do not know the Lord” (Shemot 5:2).

As a result, Egypt was forced to recognize the existence of the Creator through the Ten Plagues, which demonstrated God’s absolute control over every layer of reality. By altering the natural order and its laws, it became clear that God is the One who sustains and governs existence at every moment, and nature lost much of its power to deceive.

Each plague was precisely aligned with a corresponding utterance. Every plague illustrated — through suffering, the Divine statement parallel to it.

The Children of Israel, however, received a special gift: the Ten Utterances were transformed into the Ten Commandments, of practical laws and guiding principles. The purpose of the commandments is to translate the spiritual truths revealed through the ten utterances and the ten plagues into a concrete system of lived law.

This idea is succinctly expressed by the Sfat Emet: “After the redemption from Egypt, the ten utterances became the Ten Commandments — through the Ten Plagues.”

We thus learn that there is an essential connection between these three sets of ten. When we align them in parallel, we find a relationship between the first utterance, the first plague, and the first commandment, and so on through all ten. 

Here, we will focus on the final commandment: “You shall not covet,” and attempt to connect it with the final utterance and the final plague.

The Final Plague: A Blow to the Soul

The last of the Ten Plagues, the Plague of the Firstborn, is described as the most severe and devastating. It was the plague that finally led to Israel’s release from Egyptian bondage.

Its uniqueness lies in the fact that, for the first time, God Himself directly struck the Egyptian firstborn. While all the plagues were acts of God, the Torah emphasizes that in this plague, God acted without any intermediary.

As stated in the Haggadah: “The Lord took us out of Egypt — not through an angel, not through a seraph, not through a messenger, but the Holy One, blessed be He, in His glory and by Himself… ‘I shall pass through the land of Egypt this night, and I shall strike every firstborn… I am the Lord’ — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph; I, and not a messenger.”

The key distinction between the Plague of the Firstborn and the others is that it struck the soul itself. In previous plagues, Egyptians died as a result of bodily harm. Here, God directly took the souls of the firstborn.

The message was unequivocal: your lives have lost all value. Egyptian culture had become so hollow, so devoid of meaning, that it was exposed as a civilization without life.

The firstborn were likely the leaders — the prominent, influential figures in their families and society. Striking them directly underscored the spiritual emptiness of the entire culture. If those meant to serve as role models were judged so harshly, it testified to the corruption of Egyptian society as a whole.

The damage the Egyptians inflicted upon their own souls was so profound that their continued existence could no longer be justified. Indeed, there are people who choose to make themselves unnecessary in the world.

The Final Utterance: Expanding the Soul

When a person lives as God expects, God does far more than protect him. God expects the opposite of the Plague of the Firstborn: He expects the person to expand himself, to multiply his soul.

This is the meaning of the tenth utterance: “It is not good for man to be alone.” If you wish to be complete, there is one path — do not remain alone.

When God creates man, the crown of creation, He assigns him a mission, to bring the world to completion and to reveal Godliness through it. However, man alone cannot fulfill this purpose. To realize his destiny, he must move beyond himself, connect with others, and form meaningful relationships — the pinnacle of which is “a helpmate opposite him,” the woman.

The creation of woman is not merely a solution to loneliness, but the means through which man becomes truly whole. Human connection — especially between man and woman, completes creation and transforms the human being into a being of deeper meaning.

The Torah states this explicitly: “And He blessed them and called their name Adam” (Bereishit 5:2) — only through the union of man and woman does a complete “Adam” emerge.

A person who chooses to live detached from others will always feel a lack and seek to fill it. This is why the Torah calls such a state “not good.” A person may function alone, work alone, and achieve alone, but this is not the ideal. Only through genuine connection — whether through marriage, friendship, or community, can a person fully realize himself.

The Boundary: “You Shall Not Covet”

However, expansion carries a risk. And here we arrive at the tenth commandment: “You shall not covet.”

“It is not good for man to be alone” — but even connection must have boundaries.

The prohibition against coveting warns us of a dangerous tendency, of focusing so intensely on what others possess that we lose our own identity, or merging with others to the point of self-erasure.

When a person constantly compares his life to others — their possessions, families, or achievements, he may forget his own uniqueness. Instead of uncovering and multiplying his own soul, which is “a portion of God above,” he strives to become someone else. This leads to identity erosion and the abandonment of one’s personal mission.

A person who tries to replicate another’s life will ultimately live with emptiness and frustration. The Torah warns us not to try to be someone else. Know that you have your own mission, and your own irreplaceable role in the world.

The commandment “You shall not covet” does not demand withdrawal from society. On the contrary, one should engage with others, live close to them, and appreciate their achievements, while remaining faithful to one’s unique path.

The challenge is to acknowledge the success of others without losing oneself, and to focus on fulfilling one’s own soul within the shared world.

A Unified Message

We thus learn that these three themes — the Plague of the Firstborn, “It is not good for man to be alone,” and “You shall not covet” — are deeply interconnected.

The Plague of the Firstborn demonstrates how a culture of domination, emptiness, and loss of human value leads to destruction. “It is not good for man to be alone” teaches that fulfillment and purpose emerge through genuine connection with others. “You shall not covet” reminds us that even within closeness and community, we must remain loyal to ourselves and our unique path.

Man was created to be part of society, but he must take care not to lose himself within it. He must learn from others, connect with them, and create new worlds together, while always remembering that his journey through the world is ultimately personal.