עברית
Halachot and Customs
What is the difference between "Do not commit adultery" and "Do not covet your neighbor's wife"?
Question
Hello, I would like to know the difference between "Do not commit adultery" and "Do not covet your neighbor's wife" and what the punishment is for anyone who transgresses any commandment. Is one commandment more important than the other?
Thank you very much
Answer
Hello,
1. The commandment stated in the Torah (Exodus 20:13) "Do not commit adultery" refers to the prohibition against engaging in sexual relations with a married woman (see Rashi there).
However, the commandment stated in the Torah (there, verse 14) "Do not covet your neighbor's wife" refers to the prohibition against desiring another man's wife and urging him to divorce her so that he can marry her (see Rambam, Laws of Theft and Lost Items, Chapter 1, Halacha 9, and Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat, Siman 369, Section 10).
2. For the prohibition of "Do not commit adultery," the punishment is death. In contrast, for the prohibition of "Do not covet your neighbor's wife," there is no death penalty (and not even lashes for this prohibition, as noted by the Rambam there. See also Menchat Chinuch, Mitzvah 538, Note 7).
Best regards,
Hillel Meirs
