I’m not usually the type to obsess about my financial situation, or to think too much about the things I don’t have. Israelis seem a little less materialistic than people in other Western countries and I am blessed to have a full-time job in high-tech, an apartment in Modi’in, a car, etc.

But I must admit that my recent trip to visit my family and friends in Boston (near Boston, technically) shook me up a little bit.

I first noticed the little green monster (and I’m not talking about Fenway Park) rearing its ugly head when I visited one of my best friends from high school, Paul. We spent an amazing day on his yacht (seriously, he has a yacht) and then returned to his nice house for a swim in his large pool.

At one point my son turned to Paul’s son and said, “You should feel very lucky that you have a pool…not everyone has one.”

I LOVE living in the Holy Land and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But I would be lying if I said my son’s comment didn’t get me thinking about some of the material comforts I may have given up when I made Aliyah more than 14 years ago.

Later in the trip we went to visit another friend of mine, who is a dentist. Wow. I’m not joking when I report that the basement of his house may be bigger than my entire  apartment (the basement had a large bedroom, a bathroom with a shower and an enormous play area for the kids).

I wallowed in self-pity/jealousy longer than I’d like to admit, but the perfect antidote arrived shortly after I visited the dentist. I was walking through a mall in Salem, New Hampshire (no sales tax! Live Free or Die!) when a young guy walked up to me and said something to the effect of, “Ehhh…are you sateesfied wid your vacuum cleeener?”

Immediately recognizing the accent, I  answered, “כן, תודה” (“Yes, thank you”).

!”אחי” (“Brother!”) he yelled, giving me a warm pat on the back.

We started chatting in Hebrew. He told me that he was working in the mall to make money post-army and he was hoping to save up enough money to travel a little bit.

He asked what I did, so I told him I am a marketing writer in the high-tech sector.

“Really???” he asked, as if I had just told him I was an astronaut with NASA. “How did you manage to get that job?”

Seeing his reaction, I suddenly remembered again that my life is pretty good. I’m fortunate.

But actually, that was probably the right emotion, but wrong thought. I shouldn’t be thankful because I may be in a better financial situation than my new Israeli friend in the mall, any more than I should be jealous of friends who have more than me.

I should be thankful because I’m alive. Because I’m healthy. Because I have a great wife and children. Because I can pray, learn Torah and do mitzvot. Because I have everything I need.

In the Ethics of the Fathers we learn:

Who is rich? One who is happy with his lot/portion. (Pirkei Avot 4:1). 

This is a key to obtaining simcha (Jewish joy). Do you want to be happier? Make a greater effort to appreciate all the good in your life. Be grateful. Make lists of things you are grateful for. Tell others that you are grateful they are in your lives.

In the thrice daily “Ashrei” prayer we say, “He opens up his hand and satisfies the ‘desire’ of every living thing.”

Does that mean we all have everything we want? No. Commentators (according to the Orthodox Union) resolve the difficulty of the words “desire” and “satisfies” by saying that instead of “satisfying” our desires, “Hashem provides us with the desire and proper attitude to accept what He gives us, with simcha, subjugating our will to His.”

Achieving this level (which I have obviously not done) is difficult and requires much spiritual practice. But one who gets there is indeed very rich, even without a yacht.