02 May EMOR: WORK HARD!

In the third chapter
of Pirkeh Avot
(Mishnah 10), we
read:

Sleep in the morning, wine in the
afternoon, childish chatter, and the
ignoramus’ sitting in the synagogues –
bring a person out of the world.

The Mishnah here is describing a lazy
mindset. Sleeping in the morning,
parting in the afternoon, and wasting
one’s time in idle, meaningless chatter –
the modern equivalent of which would
be spending hours on social media…
This kind of lifestyle “brings a person
out of the world” – it prevents someone
from bringing a productive member of
society, and from living a meaningful
life.
We are meant to work hard. “A person was born for hard work”
(Iyov 5:7). This does not mean that

we’re supposed to suffer. It means that
we are so supposed to accomplish
meaningful goals – and no meaningful
goal can be accomplished without
working hard. There is not a single
successful person in any field who
succeeded without hard work. Nobody
achieved greatness by sleeping in the
morning, or by spending their time
partying and chatting on social media.
There is a popular saying today,
“Follow your passion, and you’ll never
work a day in your life.” This is
completely false. There is no successful
professional who loves every part of his
job. I love teaching, but I strongly
dislike grading papers. A doctor might
love treating patients, but he does not
love filling out his charts and doing
paperwork. An athlete might love the
sport he plays, but he does not love all
the exercises and drills he is forced to
do.
The Gemara in Masechet Pesahim
(113a) makes a powerful statement: 

Skin an animal carcass in the
marketplace and receive wages, and
so not say, “I am a kohen, I am a
distinguished person, and it is beneath
me.”
The Rabbis here are teaching us
that nobody is beneath hard work, that
we all have to do work that is not
necessarily dignifying. A person
should be prepared to work even if
this means “skinning a carcass in the
marketplace.” No matter what
profession one pursues, he is going to
have to do unpleasant work. We have to
be prepared to work hard and to perform
chores which we do not enjoy.
This is the mindset that the Mishnah is
teaching us to have – that we are here to
achieve, to accomplish, to build, and this
cannot be done without hard work.
When we live with this attitude, our
entire day is different. We wake up in
the morning invigorated. We confront
challenges head on, with confidence.
We are not discouraged when things go
the wrong way. No matter what happens,
we understand that we

are here to achieve, and this means we
are going to work hard – and we are
prepared to work hard.
As difficult as it is, we need to train
our children to live with this mindset.
And the way we do this is through
action, by having them help out at home,
by assigning them responsibilities, by
giving them firsthand experience of how
things require hard work to get done.
If we live with this mindset, then we
will be the productive, accomplished
people that we are supposed to be, and
we will raise our children to become the
productive and accomplished people
that they are supposed to be.