"And no man shall covet your land" (Exodus 34:24). It happened once that a man left a house full of chickens, and he came back and found martens torn open. Another man left his house standing open, and he came back and found a snake coiled upon his door-bolts. Rabbi Pinchas would tell this incident: two brothers in Ashkelon had gentile neighbors. The neighbors said: when these Jews go up to Jerusalem, we will take everything they have. When the brothers went up, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent angels who went in and out of the house in their likeness. When the brothers came back down, the neighbors asked them: whom did you leave inside your house? They said: not a single person. The neighbors said: blessed is the holy God of the Jews, who does not abandon them and does not forsake them. Navot the Jezreelite had a beautiful voice, and he would go up to Jerusalem, and all Israel would gather to hear his voice. One time he did not go up, and worthless men were set against him, and he was lost from the world. What caused this for him? Because he did not go up to Jerusalem to appear and to honor the Holy One, blessed be He, with that which He had graciously given him. Why? Because the Torah already said, "And no man shall covet your land" — when? "When you go up."
Empty Houses Kept Safe While Their Owners Go Up to Jerusalem
Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 404:1
וְלֹא יַחְמֹד אִישׁ אֶת אַרְצְךָ. מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאֶחָד שֶׁהִנִּיחַ בַּיִת שֶׁל תַּרְנְגוֹלִין, וּבָא וּמָצָא חֲתוּלוֹת מְקֹרָעִין. חַד בַּר נַשׁ שְׁבִיק בֵּיתוֹ פָּתוּחַ, וּבָא וּמָצָא חַכְנָא כְּרִיכָא עַל קוּרְקוּסוֹי. רַבִּי פִּנְחָס מִשְׁתָּעֵי הֲדֵין עֻבְדָּא. תְּרֵין אָחִין בְּאַשְׁקְלוֹן הֲוָה לוֹן מְגוּרִין נוּכְרָאִין. אָמְרִין. כַּדּוּ אִלֵין יְהוּדָאִין סָלְקִין לִירוּשְׁלֵם, אֲנָן נָסְבִין כֹל מָה דְּאִית לְהוֹן. מִן דְּסָלְקִין, זִמֵּן לְהוֹן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַלְאָכִין נִכְנָסִין וְיוֹצְאִין בִּדְמוּתָן. מִן דְּנָחְתִין שְׁאָלוּן לְהוֹן. מָאן שְׁבַקְתּוּן לְגוֹ בֵּיתָא אָמְרִין. וְלָא (חָד) בַּר נָשׁ. אָמְרִין. בְּרִיךְ אֱלָהָא קֻדְשָּׁא דִּיהוּדָאֵי, דְּלָא שְׁבִיקָן וְלָא שְׁבִיק לְהוֹן. נָבוֹת הַיִּזְרְעֵלִי הָיָה קוֹלוֹ נָאֶה, וְהָיָה עוֹלֶה לִירוּשָׁלַיִם, וְהָיוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל מִתְכַּנְּסִין לִשְׁמֹעַ קוֹלוֹ. פַּעַם אַחַת לֹא עָלָה, וְהֶעֱמִידוּ עָלָיו בְּנֵי בְלִיַּעַל, וְאָבַד מִן הָעוֹלָם. מִי גָּרַם לוֹ. עַל יְדֵי שֶׁלֹּא עָלָה לִירוּשָׁלַיִם בִּרְאִיָּה, לְכַבֵּד אֶת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִמַּה שֶּׁחֲנָנוֹ. לָמָּה. שֶׁכְּבָר אָמְרָה תוֹרָה וְלֹא יַחְמֹד אִישׁ אֶת אַרְצְךָ, אֵימָתַי, בַּעֲלֹתְךָ.