Article in The Times of Israel by Andy Blumenthal: Whether it’s stocks, mansions, lottery tickets, bitcoins, or other worldly objects that we put our hopes and dreams into, at the end of the day, the reality is that they are all nothing compared to what is really important and meaningful: The precious time we have with our loved ones Selflessly caring for and giving to others Living faithful, holy lives in the eyes of the Almighty These are the things that money can never buy, and they give true inner happiness that outer material trappings can never even aspire to.

1. 4/23/23, 6:37 AM Jealous Over Nothing | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/jealous-over-nothing/ 1/7
THE BLOGS
Andy Blumenthal
Leadership With Heart
Jealous Over Nothing
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2. 4/23/23, 6:37 AM Jealous Over Nothing | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/jealous-over-nothing/ 2/7
Source Photo: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/room-money-dollar-wealth-success-1288438/
In materialistic cultures around the world, it is all too easy to get greedy and
caught up in the drive for big, fancy things: houses, cars, jewelry, clothing, and
even yachts and planes for the mega-wealthy.
Our eyes see, and our hearts want.
And hence, we read in the Shema Yisrael multiple times a day:
Maybe that is why we are commanded to put on tefillin precisely on our
foreheads, right above our eyes, and on our left arm, next to and facing our
heart, as a reminder not to be led astray by the lure of what we see and the
emptiness of what we desire.
Take care lest your heart be lured away and you turn astray and worship alien
gods and bow down to them. ”
“

3. 4/23/23, 6:37 AM Jealous Over Nothing | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/jealous-over-nothing/ 3/7
As experts typically advise about achieving happiness in life, it’s never about
how much money and things you have amassed; it’s always about the loving,
caring relationships you develop and the meaningful good you do in the world.
Yes, a foundational amount of money is important for caring for ourselves and
our families, and whether that is $75,000, $200,000, or more a year, beyond a
core amount for our basic physiological needs, the satisfaction gained then
quickly levels off.
Yet, how many of us look at our neighbors, colleagues, and friends and compare
ourselves in terms of who has the bigger, nicer house, the fancier car, the more
extravagant vacations, etc., and then feel bad that the other guy somehow has
more or has it better than us?
Yet, as my dad used to tell me:
Yes, gold shines, and pretty things can make us salivate, but the truth is that
there are plenty of people with a lot of money and possessions who are very
unhappy and unsatisfied with their lives. Who knows, but I would venture to
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If you knew what their problems were and what went on inside their homes
behind closed doors, you wouldn’t want to change places with them for even
an instant! ”
“

4. 4/23/23, 6:37 AM Jealous Over Nothing | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/jealous-over-nothing/ 4/7
guess that many wealthy people are, in a sense, even more unhappy than others
because they see the frivolousness and meaninglessness of all the materialism.
In other words, they achieved their goals for success and “made it,” but they find
no real meaning or happiness in it.
Recently, I had the chance to visit someone’s big, fancy mansion in a really nice
neighborhood, and going there, I wondered to myself whether I would feel
angry, resentful, or jealous. Why do they have all that and I don’t?
But the funny thing was that after I saw it, and it was really nice, and I was truly
happy for them, I didn’t feel jealous.
I thought to myself. It’s a house. What can you do in it except live there? And
what could they do in their house that, frankly, I couldn’t do in my own humbler
abode?
I remembered the Jewish saying:
And I thought, You know, there is a lot of truth to that. Everything in that
mansion needs to be immaculately maintained and cared for. There is time,
effort, and money involved in all of it. I wondered, “Is it even worth it?”
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Many possessions, many worries ”
“

5. 4/23/23, 6:37 AM Jealous Over Nothing | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/jealous-over-nothing/ 5/7
The other thing that happened around the exact same time as seeing this
mansion was that I had an accident, fell, and got hurt. I needed to go to urgent
care and the hospital’s emergency room. I was in pain and also nervous about
what damage I might have and what would happen. In those moments, I
thought to myself:
Sure, money is nice to live it up a little once in a while, but you and your loved
ones’ long-term health and spiritual wellbeing are forever invaluable, while
“good looks fade” and “you can’t take the money with you when you die.”
Again, around the same time, I heard from another couple in synagogue how
their son in his early 20s told them recently that he bought a Powerball lottery
ticket. And guess what? He had five of the numbers, all of them except the
Powerball number, so he threw the ticket away! The parents, realizing that it
was a million-dollar winning ticket, were frantic and dove into the garbage to
try to find it, but alas, it was already too late; the ticket was gone, and with it, a
million-dollar win!
This is a true story, and it reminded me of the Bitcoin multi-millionaires who
somehow manage to lose their password to their crypto vault and can’t retrieve
their vaunted cryptocurrency. Can you imagine how crazy they must go and to
what ends of the earth they would travel and endeavor to try to recover the key
to their beloved money?
Surely, I think we all know of people who, to achieve their earthly notions of
success and materialistic goals, may “sell their souls to the devil” for the wealth,
power, and fame they so crave. And in a sense, no vault in the world is safe
enough to protect their precious riches.
What difference does it make how much money a person has? If you don’t
have your health and your loved ones, you don’t have anything! ”
“

6. 4/23/23, 6:37 AM Jealous Over Nothing | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/jealous-over-nothing/ 6/7
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Blumenthal is a dynamic, award-winning leader who writes frequently about Jewish life,
culture, and security. All opinions are his own.
However, whether it’s stocks, mansions, lottery tickets, bitcoins, or other worldly
objects that we put our hopes and dreams into, at the end of the day, the reality
is that they are all nothing compared to what is really important and
meaningful:
The precious time we have with our loved ones
Selflessly caring for and giving to others
Living faithful, holy lives in the eyes of the Almighty
These are the things that money can never buy, and they give true inner
happiness that outer material trappings can never even aspire to.
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7. 4/23/23, 6:37 AM Jealous Over Nothing | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/jealous-over-nothing/ 7/7
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