Coveting the possessions of another person is a very great evil. This is well-known. The commentators write that the prohibition against coveting is the tenth of Ten Utterances, and it is the most serious of them all because it can lead a person to transgress the entire Torah. Anyone who attempts to take an object that belongs to his fellow, whether for payment or not, transgresses You shall not covet. Even if the person did not take any concrete steps to acquire the object but only thought to himself that he would like for that item to somehow become his, he transgresses the negative commandment of, You shall not desire etc. (Devarim 5:18). One must strengthen and remind himself that everything is but vanity and nothingness. He will then not covet, desire nor ask his fellow for a gift of anything, for otherwise he will immediately transgress Do not covet. Worse, if he does ask his fellow for the gift and the fellow does not give it willingly, there is an additional possibility that it is considered “stealing.” Nor should one press his fellow to sell him the object, unless one knows that the item is for sale. If one does have a desire to have some item, let him think to himself, “If only the Holy One will provide me with a similar item as this one!” Still, from the perspective of the nobility of the soul, this thought as well, is but an empty and vexing thought. The only thing a man should desire is to grasp wisdom, insight, positive and upright traits — and to become more akin to those most holy individuals.