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‘No Man Lives By Bread Alone’ — The Pursuit of Material Success Also Needs Spirituality
The renowned investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton, who created the Templeton Growth Fund and became one of the wealthiest men in the world, was deeply conscious of the dangers of material aspirations as an end in and of themselves. He explained, “The person who depends on the richness of his faith, rather than the wealth of his possessions, is the one who will find true peace and contentment in life.”
In a fast-paced and relentlessly competitive world, where success is often measured by material possessions and social status, finding a balance between materialism and spirituality has never been more challenging — nor more relevant. We live in a time when consumerism is at an all-time high and growing exponentially. Advertisements and promotions constantly remind us of what we don’t yet have, and what we apparently need to be happy.
But a growing body of research suggests that while material wealth may bring temporary satisfaction, it never leads to long-term happiness or fulfillment. In 2017, the Harvard Gazette highlighted findings from the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the longest-running studies of its kind, which tracked the lives of more than 700 men starting in 1938. Over nearly 80 years, the study revealed insights into what truly contributes to a healthy and happy life.
Remarkably, and quite contrary to what many might expect, the study revealed that it’s not wealth, fame, or even hard work that keeps people happy. The truth is far more organic. The real engines of happiness are close relationships, a sense of purpose, and a commitment to a cause or ideal greater than oneself. While financial success and material wealth provide comfort, the true determinants of happiness and well-being are those that nourish us as human beings — things that go far beyond the physical or material.
Another compelling study has shown that religious people who actively participate in a faith-based community are significantly happier than those who don’t, regardless of their wealth or success. The 2010 study, published in the American Sociological Review, found that people who regularly attend religious services and are involved in a faith-based community almost always report higher levels of happiness than those not involved in such communities.
Believing in God and joining with others who share that belief in joint activities significantly contributes to people’s well-being. And while this might not resonate with those focused on the next best thing to buy or watching their wealth grow, it’s not the size of one’s bank account or the brand-name clothes hanging in the closet that fosters lasting happiness, but rather the depth of one’s connections and the commitment to a spiritual life.
It goes without saying that this idea is not new. Thousands of years ago, the Torah already powerfully articulated this principle. In Parshat Eikev, we encounter a verse that has echoed through the ages (Deut. 8:3): “No man lives by bread alone, but rather by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
This was Moses’ warning to the Israelites as they were about to enter the Promised Land and start becoming materially aware and independently wealthy: “Hey, guys, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that if we just had more—more money, more possessions, more success—we will be content. Don’t fall into that trap,” said Moses, “because if you do, you’ll never be happy.”
Tim Kasser, a respected psychologist at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, is best known for his research on materialism and well-being. In his book “The High Price of Materialism,” he suggests that those prioritizing materialistic goals tend to lower their overall well-being. This is because materialism is often driven by external motivations, such as seeking approval from others or conforming to societal expectations, rather than pursuing internal satisfaction.
In contrast, spiritual aspirations, which focus on inner growth, connection to a higher purpose, and the cultivation of meaningful relationships, are typically associated with greater well-being. Unlike worldly pursuits, which are often fleeting and superficial, spiritual goals provide a more profound and enduring sense of fulfillment.
Yet, despite this knowledge, the pressure to conform to a materialistic lifestyle remains strong. With its constant stream of curated images, social media can amplify feelings of inadequacy and foster a desire for more. But at what cost? As people chase after the next purchase or promotion, they may find themselves disconnected from the very things that bring true happiness: community, purpose, and spiritual connection.
Rabbinic commentators offer deep insights into the verse in Eikev. Ramban explains that “bread” represents all material needs, while the “word of God” symbolizes the spiritual sustenance necessary for a fulfilling life.
The Meshech Chochma, a later commentary, expands on this idea by pointing out that material wealth can quickly become an idol if we are not careful. When we place our trust solely in our possessions or achievements, we risk losing sight of the true source of our blessings. Materialism can cloud our judgment and lead us away from a life of meaning and purpose.
So, how do we strike the right balance between our material needs and spiritual well-being? It starts with awareness. We must recognize that while material possessions can bring comfort, they are not the ultimate source of happiness. Spiritual practices — whether through prayer, acts of kindness, or connecting with a community — truly nourish our souls. History offers us numerous examples of individuals who, despite their immense wealth, only found their true fulfillment in their faith.
One such example is American oil magnate John D. Rockefeller, who faced severe health problems due to the stress of maintaining his vast business empire. It wasn’t until he turned to his Christian faith, dedicating his wealth and life to philanthropic causes by viewing his money as a tool to serve God, that he found peace and fulfillment.
Similarly, the founder of Chick-fil-A, Samuel Truett Cathy, attributed his business success to his strong faith in God. His decision to close all Chick-fil-A stores on Sundays, even at the cost of potential profits, reflected his commitment to his Christian beliefs. As he famously said, “My decision to close on Sunday was my way of honoring God and directing our attention to things that matter more than our business.” For Cathy, his true purpose was not to profit but to honor God’s will.
The most famous recent example in the Jewish world is Paul Reichmann, the Canadian real-estate tycoon. The Reichmann family was devoutly Orthodox and deeply committed to full Torah observance, even as they built one of the largest real estate empires in the world. But Paul Reichmann saw his wealth as a divine trust, using his vast resources to support Jewish education and social causes worldwide. He also insisted that no one who worked for his business – neither Jew nor gentile – ever did any work on Shabbat.
Pursuing material wealth is not inherently wrong, but it must always be tempered with a commitment to spiritual values. It’s perfectly fine to pursue material success, but one must recognize that achieving this goal is not the endgame; without an equally strong aspiration for spiritual fulfillment, material success will ultimately feel hollow and unrewarding.
“No man lives by bread alone,” because true fulfillment comes from feeding both body and soul, always balancing our physical needs with our spiritual aspirations.
The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills, California.
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Germany’s Chancellor: ‘Anyone Who Incites Antisemitism Must Expect to Be Prosecuted’
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in a government statement about current security issues in Berlin, Germany, June 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday condemned the ongoing discrimination faced by the Jewish community, calling it “outrageous and shameful.”
Scholz emphasized that combating antisemitism is a task for all citizens, highlighting its growing importance amid “increasingly shameless attempts to normalize far-right positions.”
The German leader was speaking at an event organized by the International Auschwitz Committee, which was formed by survivors of the infamous Nazi death camp to promote Holocaust education and fight discrimination, during a ceremony in Berlin ahead of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Monday.
The Holocaust is “a responsibility that each and every one of us bears in our country,” regardless of religion or family history, Scholz said.
Approximately 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, with about 1 million of them murdered at Auschwitz before its liberation by Soviet troops on Jan. 27, 1945.
“They were gassed, shot, they died of hunger, forced labor, and medical experiments,” Scholz said. These were “more than a million unique people, individuals, wives and husbands, boys and girls, grandmothers and grandfathers.”
He also honored other Holocaust victims, including Sinti and Roma, political opponents of the Nazi regime, homosexuals, the sick, and people with disabilities.
“Anyone who supports terrorism, anyone who incites antisemitism must expect to be prosecuted,” Scholz said at the event.
Germany has experienced a sharp spike in antisemitism since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, amid the ensuing war in Gaza. In just the first six months of 2024 alone, the number of antisemitic incidents in Berlin surpassed the total for all of the prior year and reached the highest annual count on record, according to Germany’s Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS).
The figures compiled by RIAS were the highest count for a single year since the federally-funded body began monitoring antisemitic incidents in 2015, showing the German capital averaged nearly eight anti-Jewish outrages a day from January to June last year.
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), police registered 5,154 antisemitic incidents in Germany in 2023, a 95 percent increase compared to the previous year.
However, experts believe that the true number of incidents is much higher but not recorded because of reluctance on the part of the victims.
“Only 20 percent of the antisemitic crimes are reported, so the real number should be five times what we have,” Felix Klein, the German federal government’s chief official dealing with antisemitism, told The Algemeiner in an interview in 2023.
On Thursday, Scholz denounced recent attacks on individuals due to their beliefs, gender, or skin color.
“This fight for the inviolability of the dignity of each and every individual continues,” he said. “Our responsibility, 80 years on, is to resist this hatred.”
On Monday, a service will be held at Auschwitz to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which Germany has observed since 1996.
The event will be attended by Britain’s King Charles, French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Scholz, and German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck.
At the 75th anniversary of the Nazi death camp’s liberation, more than 100 Auschwitz survivors participated in the celebrations in person. Steinmeier has now invited several survivors to travel to the camp for the upcoming event, with fewer than 50 expected to attend.
“There are fewer and fewer,” Steinmeier’s office said. “It is a special feature of the meeting that it will be one of the last with survivors.”
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Virginia Democrats Block Jewish Civil Rights Attorney’s Appointment to University Board
George Mason University students walking across campus on December 12, 2024. Photo: Dion J. Pierre/The Algemeiner
Democrats in Virginia have launched an effort to block several appointees of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, including a Jewish civil rights attorney who was picked for an important post at George Mason University (GMU) that would see him continue reforming the school’s handling of antisemitism.
In the summer of 2024, Youngkin selected Kenneth Marcus — chairman of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, former assistant US secretary of education for civil rights, and one the most consequential litigants in the fight to eradicate campus antisemitism — to serve on GMU’s Board of Visitors, a role in which he has addressed longstanding issues affecting Jewish GMU students, including recent threats to their safety that were widely reported in the media.
However, Marcus’ appointment came while Virginia’s General Assembly, a bicameral legislature which has the final say on gubernatorial appointees, was in recess. While he served in the unpaid role, it was never confirmed by lawmakers. That left the door open for his appointment to be rejected, the first steps towards which took place earlier this week when Senate Democratic members of the privileges and elections committee, a body which oversees appointments and submits them to the General Assembly for a final vote, removed his name from a joint resolution containing the names of appointees whose confirmation is pending.
Their reasons for opposing the decorated attorney’s appointment to Virginia’s largest public university remain unknown, as no arguments enumerating concerns about Marcus’ beliefs, conduct, or political affiliations have been put forth.
The Democrats’ opposition to his appointment came as a surprise, Marcus, a native of northern Virginia, told The Algemeiner on Thursday during an interview.
“No one in the Virginia Senate reached out to me to express any concerns, so I don’t know what the issue is. There is nothing that I have done during my tenure at George Mason that has been particularly controversial other than that I have been both active and outspoken in addressing antisemitism,” Marcus explained. “It would be disturbing if my work on antisemitism has been controversial with the General Assembly because the actions that we’ve been taking have been both legally required and necessary.”
He continued, “What’s happening at George Mason is deeply concerning, and there has absolutely been a need to take serious action. That work has been important, but it is also ongoing and is by no means done. Much, much more needs to be done.”
As previously reported by The Algemeiner, George Mason University has been the center of two investigations involving the potential for mass casualty events motivated by antisemitism.
In December, a GMU student was permanently trespassed and arrested in Falls Church, Virginia for allegedly planning to manufacture a weapon of mass destruction for use in a jihadist attack on Israel’s General Consulate in New York City. FBI agents apprehended the student, GMU freshman and Egyptian expatriate Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, after he had allegedly discussed his plot, in which he considered a variety of options for creating as many Jewish casualties as possible, with an undercover informant.
Hassan’s case was the second time in less than a month that GMU students were arrested due to suspicion that they were preparing to commit a mass casualty event.
Earlier that month, the university criminally trespassed and suspended two siblings — the current co-president and former president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) — after a law enforcement search of their off-campus home uncovered “four weapons unsecured, along with more than 20 magazines with 30 bullets each,” Hamas paraphernalia, and “arm patches” which said “kill them where they stand” — a phrase others have translated as “kill Jews where they stand.”
Additionally, George Mason University is currently under investigation for a series of antisemitic incidents which took place on campus after Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel. In one widely reported outrage, a pro-Hamas student stormed through the campus tearing down posters of missing Israeli hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas. That student was filmed, and when an attempt was made to expose their identity, the university accused the student who captured the hateful behavior of doxxing and suggested that he could be punished. At the time, many Jewish students said that the idea that the university would discipline anyone for unmasking antisemites is startling and disreputable.
Given the immensity of the issues that remain to be addressed, Marcus hopes that “cooler heads will prevail” in the General Assembly. He recognizes, however, that they may not.
“I have to think that cooler heads will prevail and that the General Assembly assembly will change course, but I don’t know that,” he said. “There’s still time and I know that many people are having conversations and that’s a healthy part of the process. I am a volunteer part-time public servant asking questions and trying to make sure that George Mason students are well educated and kept safe. If my name is not restored presumably that means that my tenure would end and I would not receive answers to the questions I’ve been asking and would no longer have an opportunity to work to protect George Mason University and its students.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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‘Punishment of Bullets’: Hamas Executes 11 Palestinians Accused of ‘Collaborating’ With Israel
Hamas terrorists appear to shoot civilians who are lying on the ground in a video posted by Gaza Now, a Hamas-aligned news outlet based in Gaza. Photo: Screenshot
Hamas murdered 11 Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday who the terrorist organization accused of “collaborating” with Israel, according to Hamas-aligned media sources.
Gaza Now, a Hamas-aligned news outlet based in Gaza, reported on Thursday that “six collaborators of the Zionist occupation were executed in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, a short while ago.”
“And punishing 17 others by shooting them in the feet as a result of exploiting the suffering of the people of Gaza and cooperating with the occupation in suffocating the people, raising prices, and stealing humanitarian aid, including merchants,” Gaza Now added.
Then, the news outlet reported that “five collaborators of the Zionist occupation were executed in the southern Gaza Strip a short while ago, bringing the number of collaborators executed today to 11.”
Video posted by Gaza Now shows what appear to be Hamas terrorists shooting civilians who are lying on the ground.
According to the outlet, these executions are likely only the start of a widespread crackdown on those in Gaza who are suspected of “collaborating with Israel.”
Adding that executions will begin to take place across the Gaza Strip, not just in Rafah, the outlet said that “a special unit of the security services in Gaza will strike with an iron fist, and there will be no repentance for anyone except the punishment of bullets.”
In response to the news, Hamza Hawidy, a Palestinian originally from Gaza City who is a peace activist, explained that this was to be “expected” from Hamas, which has ruled Gaza with brutal force since it first took over the coastal enclave in the mid-2000s.
“This isn’t a novel tactic,” Hawidy argued. “It’s an age-old strategy employed by Hamas to silence critics and instill fear among citizens who oppose their rule. I would greatly welcome a position from the pro-Palestinian movement advocating for pressure on Hamas to end its ongoing oppression of the people in Gaza.”
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, who is a resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank and a Palestinian peace activist originally from Gaza, argued that “many ‘human rights’ organizations around the world have long seen the videos of Hamas’s terrorist thugs brutalizing the civilian population in Gaza, never saying a word of acknowledgment or condemnation because, apparently, Palestinian lives are only worthwhile when Israeli military attacks kill them.”
He added that “anyone who is still remaining silent about Hamas’s brutal anti-Palestinian terrorism in Gaza after the ceasefire, when there is conclusive, visual, and overwhelming evidence of the group’s criminality, deserves to be ridiculed and forever shunned by the human rights activism and advocacy communities.”
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