1.
(15) The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to work and to guard it.
2.
(17) To Adam He said, “Because you did as your wife said and ate of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ Cursed be the ground because of you; By toil shall you eat of it All the days of your life: (18) Thorns and thistles shall it sprout for you. But your food shall be the grasses of the field; (19) By the sweat of your brow Shall you get bread to eat, Until you return to the ground— For from it you were taken. For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
(י) שְׁמַעְיָה וְאַבְטַלְיוֹן קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם. שְׁמַעְיָה אוֹמֵר, אֱהֹב אֶת הַמְּלָאכָה, וּשְׂנָא אֶת הָרַבָּנוּת, וְאַל תִּתְוַדַּע לָרָשׁוּת:
3.
(10) Shmay'yah used to say: love work, hate acting the superior, and do not attempt to draw near to the government.
Forbes Magazine, Why Retirement Is Bad For You, By Dr Steven Berglas - Oct 27 2009
4.
Lying fallow erodes psychological health.
...Studies show that men who retired from corporate jobs, donned their gold watches and lazed about at a resort lived measurably shorter lives than those who sought productive work (e.g., volunteering for organizations like SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives). In fact, plenty of retirees who traded productive work for sunshine and early-bird dinners dropped dead surprisingly soon after making the transition...
...I call this idleness-borne syndrome Supernova Burnout. Unlike other forms of fatigue, this brand of burnout is very private and self-condemnatory. Those who suffer from it experience chronic trepidation, despondency or depression. In some cases they turn to alcohol, abandon their loved ones or fall prey to some other form of self destruction.
The prescription for Supernova Burnout is pretty simple: action.
(ב) אֱהֹב אֶת הַמְּלָאכָה. אֲפִלּוּ יֵשׁ לוֹ בְּמַה לְּהִתְפַּרְנֵס, חַיָּב לַעֲסֹק בִּמְלָאכָה. שֶׁהַבַּטָּלָה מְבִיאָה לִידֵי שִׁעֲמוּם (כתובות נט:):
5.
(2) "Love work": Even if he has from what to sustain himself, he is obligated to work, as idleness leads to distraction (Ketuvot 59b)
5a.
(30) The donkey said to Bilaam, “Look, I am the donkey that you have been riding all along until this day! Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” And he answered, “No.”
5b.
Have I been in the habit:
Our Rabbis, however, explained this verse in the Talmud: They [the Moabite dignitaries] said to him, “Why aren’t you riding on a horse?” He [Balaam] said to them, “I sent it out to pasture.” [Immediately, the she-donkey retorted, “Am I not your she-donkey?” He said to her, “Just for bearing burdens.” She retorted, “on which you have ridden.” He said to her, “Only on occasion.” She retorted,“since you first started until now, and not only that but I provide you with riding by day, and with intimacy at night, as is stated in Tractate Avodah Zarah [4b].
, אִי אֶפְשָׁר לוֹמַר: וּבְבֹא משֶׁה, שֶׁהֲרֵי כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר: וְלֹא יָכֹל משֶׁה. אִי אֶפְשָׁר לוֹמַר: וְלֹא יָכֹל משֶׁה, שֶׁכְּבָר נֶאֱמַר: וּבְבֹא משֶׁה וגו'
6.
And there arose in Israel no other prophet like Moshe: Meaning among Israel there arose no such prophet; but amongst the nations there did arise a comparable prophet - Bilaam.
7.
(4) באו חשבון “COME TO HESHBON”, — For Sichon had been unable to capture it, and he went and hired Bilaam to curse it, and this is the meaning of what Balak said, “For I know by what has already happened that whomsoever you bless is blessed and whomsoever you curse is cursed”
8.
(6)So now please come and curse this people for me, since they are too powerful for me; perhaps I can then defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed and he whom you curse is cursed.”
9.
(5) Because they did not meet you with food and water on your journey after you left Egypt, and because they hired Bilaam son of Beor, to curse you.(6) But the LORD your God refused to listen to Bilaam; instead, God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because God loves you.
10.
Rabbi Yoḥanan says: From the blessing of that wicked person, Bilaam, you can ascertain what was in his heart. God transformed the curses that he planned into blessings. He sought to say that they should not have synagogues and study halls, and he said instead: “How goodly are your tents, Jacob” a blessing on their synagogues. He sought to say that the Divine Presence will not rest upon them, and he said instead: “And your dwellings Israel.” He sought to say that the kingdom of Israel would not continue, and he said instead that it would continue: “Like the winding brooks” , which flow continuously. He sought to say that they would have no olive trees and vineyards, and he said instead: “Like gardens by the river’s side”. He sought to say that their fragrance would not diffuse from their fulfillment of mitzvot, and he said instead: “Like aloes that the Lord has planted”.
11.
(21) He does not look at evil (aven) in Yaakov and has seen no perversity (amal)in Yisroel. Hashem, his G-d, is with him; he has the Kibg's affection.
(ט) שֵׁ֤֣שֶׁת יָמִ֣ים֙ תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד֮ וְעָשִׂ֖֣יתָ כׇּֿל־מְלַאכְתֶּֽךָ֒׃ (י) וְי֨וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔֜י שַׁבָּ֖֣ת ׀ לַיהֹוָ֣ה.
12.
(9) Six days you shall labor and do all your work, (10) but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD.
Mechilta D'Rashbi Shemos 20:9
13.
Six days you shall work; Rebi says, just as Jews were commanded to rest on the Sabbath, they were commanded to work six days of the week.
14.
(7) Man was born to toil.
(ב) רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל בְּנוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הַנָּשִׂיא אוֹמֵר, יָפֶה תַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה עִם דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, שֶׁיְּגִיעַת שְׁנֵיהֶם מְשַׁכַּחַת עָוֹן. וְכָל תּוֹרָה שֶׁאֵין עִמָּהּ מְלָאכָה, סוֹפָהּ בְּטֵלָה וְגוֹרֶרֶת עָוֹן. וְכָל הָעֲמֵלִים עִם הַצִּבּוּר, יִהְיוּ עֲמֵלִים עִמָּהֶם לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, שֶׁזְּכוּת אֲבוֹתָם מְסַיַּעְתָּן וְצִדְקָתָם עוֹמֶדֶת לָעַד. וְאַתֶּם, מַעֲלֶה אֲנִי עֲלֵיכֶם שָׂכָר הַרְבֵּה כְּאִלּוּ עֲשִׂיתֶם:
15.
(2) Rabban Gamaliel the son of Rabbi Judah Hanasi said: excellent is the study of the Torah when combined with a worldly occupation, for toil in them both keeps sin out of one’s mind; But [study of the] Torah which is not combined with a worldly occupation, in the end comes to be neglected and becomes the cause of sin.
The Talmud
15a.
Hillel was a wood chopper and Shammai was a builder. Rabbi Yossi was a wood carrier, Abba Hoshia was a laundry man. Rav Chisda and Rav Papa were beer brewers. Abba Shaul was a grave digger and Rabbi Yossi ben Chalafta was a tanner.
In fact some of the sages names actually tells us their occupations; Rabbi Yitzchak Nafcha (blacksmith), Rabbi Yehuda HaNachtom (the baker), Rav Avin Nagra (the carpenter), Rabbi Yochanan HaSandler (the shoemaker) and Rabbi Yossi Tziyodna (the net maker).
16.
Rava said: After departing from this world, when a person is brought to judgment for the life he lived in this world, they say to him: Did you conduct business honestly? Did you designate times for Torah study? Did you engage in procreation? Did you await Moshiach? Did you engage in the dialectics of wisdom or understand one matter from another?
Emek Hamelech Shaar Shaashuei Hamelech 1
17.
The nature of one who is good - is to do good.
18.
(20) Adah bore Yaval; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle. (21) And the name of his brother was Yuval; he was the father of all who play the lyre and the flute.
19.
(1) The father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle — he was an innovator - the first of those who pastured cattle, and live in tents, a month here and a month there, on account of the pasture necessary for his sheep; for when the grass was finished in one place he went away and pitched his tent in another place.
20.
GEMARA: Rav Kahana says: A person prefers a kav of his own produce to nine kav of another’s produce.
Dr Steven Berglas
20a.
"Hummans need challenges to replenish their sense of self-esteem. Without it, we feel impotent, vulnerable and helpless. Lack of self esteem saps vitality, the kind that makes you feel like you can change the world - precisely the kind of energy entrepreneurs are suffused with when doing constructive things. Just as fish have to swim and birds have to fly, entrepreneurs have to build, improve and build again. Without that process, they quite literally die a little every day.
21.
Rav Hamnuna said: Anyone who prays on Shabbat evening and recites the passage of Vayechulu, the verse gives him credit as if he became a partner with the Hashem, in the act of Creation. As it is stated: “And the heavens and the earth were finished - Vayechulu.”
Do not read it as: and they were finished - Vayechulu; rather, as: and they finished - Vayechalu. It is considered as though the Holy One, Blessed be He, and the individual who says this become partners and completed the work together.
22.
The Gemara relates: When Rabbi Yehuda would go to the study hall he would carry a water pitcher on his shoulder to sit on, saying: Labor is great, as it brings honor to the laborer who performs it. Similarly, Rabbi Shimon would carry a basket on his shoulder, saying: Labor is great, as it brings honor to the laborer who performs it.