ANALYSING WORK

Dear Family,

I hope everyone is well.

Mazal Tov to Shmuly on his birthday next week. Wishing you much success and happiness Shmuly. This week's Dvar Torah certainly reflects your hard work! Hatzlachah rabbah!

Following up from what Aaron (Glick) mentioned in his Dvar Torah last week, that Hashem usually does not give clear instructions to key figures in Tanach, we see this with Avraham in this week's Sedra Lech Lecha.

Hashem just instructs Avraham to leave his home, his country etc and travel to the land which I will show you! And Avraham went!

I learnt an interesting Sicha of the Rebbe this week (from Sicha 4 in Vol 16 of Likutei Sichos) which discusses this journey, and makes an ANALYSIS OF WORK, which I will try and summarise. (apologies for length)

The Midrash relates (Bereishis Rabbah 39:8) that when Avraham was travelling through Aram Naharaim (on his way to EY) he saw people eating, drinking and acting foolishly, and he said 'I hope my portion will not be in this land.'

When he reached the high ground of Tzur (in Canaan - future Israel) and saw people busy weeding and hoeing etc, he said 'If only my portion were to be in this land.' Ie He saw that the people were WORKING HARD ON THE LAND.

Hashem said to him, 'To your descendants I will give this land.'

Regarding the IMPORTANCE AND VALUE OF WORK, our Sages say (Sanhedrin 99b):

Rabbi Elazar said, "Every person is created to toil, as it says, 'Man is born to toil.' I do not know whether he was created for verbal toil - or whether he was created for physical toil. ... you must say that he was created for verbal (conversational) toil. And still I do not know whether it is for the toil of Torah or for conversational toil. ... you must say that he was created for the toil of Torah."

Ie The Gemorra is listing THREE TYPES OF WORK

But this is unclear:

Is man's sole purpose for creation really just for physical toil? Avraham saw the physical toil.

And as far as 'for conversation' does not Rambam state that most of man's conversation is extremely undesirable?

And why work at all?

Our Sages have said (Bava Metzia) that 'A man prefers one measure of his own (which he has toiled for), than 9 measures of his fellow's (which he gets as a gift).'

A person derives no pleasure from things he receives gratuitously. On the contrary, such gifts shame him, being referred to as "the bread of shame." This is because a person is ingrained with the imperative to reach his ultimate purpose in life in not only being a "recipient," but by also being a "giver," similar to his Creator.

Summarising how the questions are resolved:

Physical toil - This is performing our mundane work within the world, and with faith. This takes us part of the way, but is still limited

Conversational toil - This is achieved with prayer, whereby man can reach higher than the world ('a ladder standing on earth, with its top reaching heavenward'). But this is still due to our own effort.

Toil of Torah - It is the Torah of Hashem, and is therefore totally unlimited and beyond our own abilities. We can therefore link to this unlimited nature, which can therefore create a new reality on earth.

It is therefore understood that we need all three types of "toil," and in this order - "physical toil," "conversational toil," and "the toil of Torah". Through this toil, a person can effect something new in the process of Creation. He thus becomes Hashem's partner, and similar to his Creator. And this is the purpose of Creation.

Coming back to Avraham, because the people in the land were "engaged in weeding. and hoeing.," physical toil, a preparation was made. So, after Avraham first pleaded and prayed ["conversation"], "If only my portion would be in this land", could the "land" be given to Avraham "and to his descendants after him." They then transformed the land to one which was illuminated with the light of the Torah that transcends Creation.

Gut Shabbos to all