“I shall not want.” (23:1)

The mantra of North America is “I want.” We eat too much, spend too much, acquire too much, and are never satisfied. The next time you are tempted to take seconds of dessert or buy a shiny new toy, adopt the mantra “I shall not want.” Try quieting the insistent voice of the yetzer hara inside you rather than feeding it. Focus on what you need, rather than what you want. You’ll discover that your true needs are much more modest than your desires, and your level of satisfaction will rise.