In order to build a society founded on connection and love, we must aspire to connect with the desires of others and fulfill what they lack. We should place ourselves in the service of others, seeking to feel what is missing for them and to satisfy their needs.
This process of developing an attitude of bestowal and love toward others unfolds gradually. Every person has several desires, and we are neither required nor able to fulfill all of them at once. At each new stage of our development, we need to distinguish between the desires of others that we are capable of fulfilling and those that we cannot yet address.
What, then, is the connection to “You shall not commit adultery”?
In the language of the Bible, the desires in another person that I am able to fulfill at my current level are regarded as my “wife.” These are the desires I am meant to work with and fulfill. The other desires of that person, which I am not yet capable of fulfilling, are considered the “wife of another.” In other words, those desires are not presently assigned to me; they have not been given to me as part of my work or responsibility.
Since I am not yet capable of bestowing to them properly, I refrain from interfering with them. This is how I avoid causing harm or distortion. The commandment “You shall not commit adultery” therefore teaches a person to recognize the limits of their current capacity for giving and to work only with those desires they are truly able to fulfill for the benefit of others.
Based on “New Life 159 – The Ten Commandments, Part 2” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.