Blessings of Torah - Talmud, Shabbos 127a
These are the precepts whose fruits a person enjoys in This World but whose principal remains intact for him in the World to Come. They are: the honor due to father and mother, acts of kindness, early attendance at the house of study morning and evening, hospitality to guests, visiting the sick, providing for a bride, escorting the dead, absorption in prayer, bringing peace between man and his fellow, and between a man and his wife - and the study of Torah is equivalent to them all.
These are the precepts whose fruits a person enjoys in This World but whose principal remains intact for him in the World to Come. They are: the honor due to father and mother, acts of kindness, early attendance at the house of study morning and evening, hospitality to guests, visiting the sick, providing for a bride, escorting the dead, absorption in prayer, bringing peace between man and his fellow, and between a man and his wife - and the study of Torah is equivalent to them all.
Judaism values both study and action. The Talmud teaches that the study of Torah is greater than all other commandments (Shabbat 127a), and yet the rabbinic tradition is obsessed with the minute details of ritual and ethical behavior. As a passage in Pirke Avot teaches, “It is not the study that is essential, but rather the action (1:17).” This latter source suggests that the rabbis understood that while study and action are both fundamental components of the religious life, they are also in tension with one another. So which is more important, study or action? How do we balance these two priorities?
In a frequently cited passage from the Babylonian Talmud (Kiddushin 40b), Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon debate this very question:
“Rabbi Tarfon and the Elders were once reclining in the upper story of Nithza’s house, in Lod, when this question was posed to them: Which is greater, study or action? Rabbi Tarfon answered, saying: Action is greater. Rabbi Akiva answered, saying: Study is greater. All the rest agreed with Akiva that study is greater than action because it leads to action.”
Rabbi Akiva’s opinion is sensible. Both study and action are essential, and thus we should prioritize the one that facilitates the other. Action may occur in the absence of study, but, according to Akiva, study itself will prompt and inspire action. Yet this solution is curious, as well. If action is the ultimate goal, why not bypass study altogether?
The answer is that study not only leads us to action, it leads us through action. Study offers us guidelines for what kind of action to take. In the realm of social justice, our learning outlines the nature of our obligations. For example, the Torah defines our duty to pay workers fairly and promptly. The principle of pikuah nefesh–the prioritization of saving human life–is articulated in the Talmud. And Maimonides codifies for us how much charity we should give and to whom we should give it.
Indeed, though Rabbi Akiva’s principle seems to imply that study could lead to action, there are many rabbinic sources that seem to accept Akiva’s principle yet suggest that study must lead to action. According to the rabbinic sage Rava, “The purpose of learning is repentance and good deeds (Berakhot 17a).” In another source, another sage, Rav Huna, articulates this sentiment even stronger: “He who occupies himself only with studying Torah acts as if he has no God (Avoda Zarah 17b).”
Excerpt from https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/learning-amp-doing/
In a frequently cited passage from the Babylonian Talmud (Kiddushin 40b), Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon debate this very question:
“Rabbi Tarfon and the Elders were once reclining in the upper story of Nithza’s house, in Lod, when this question was posed to them: Which is greater, study or action? Rabbi Tarfon answered, saying: Action is greater. Rabbi Akiva answered, saying: Study is greater. All the rest agreed with Akiva that study is greater than action because it leads to action.”
Rabbi Akiva’s opinion is sensible. Both study and action are essential, and thus we should prioritize the one that facilitates the other. Action may occur in the absence of study, but, according to Akiva, study itself will prompt and inspire action. Yet this solution is curious, as well. If action is the ultimate goal, why not bypass study altogether?
The answer is that study not only leads us to action, it leads us through action. Study offers us guidelines for what kind of action to take. In the realm of social justice, our learning outlines the nature of our obligations. For example, the Torah defines our duty to pay workers fairly and promptly. The principle of pikuah nefesh–the prioritization of saving human life–is articulated in the Talmud. And Maimonides codifies for us how much charity we should give and to whom we should give it.
Indeed, though Rabbi Akiva’s principle seems to imply that study could lead to action, there are many rabbinic sources that seem to accept Akiva’s principle yet suggest that study must lead to action. According to the rabbinic sage Rava, “The purpose of learning is repentance and good deeds (Berakhot 17a).” In another source, another sage, Rav Huna, articulates this sentiment even stronger: “He who occupies himself only with studying Torah acts as if he has no God (Avoda Zarah 17b).”
Excerpt from https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/learning-amp-doing/
Battling Burnout with Purpose and Meaning
What burnout is
Researchers usually talk about burnout in terms of work, and it’s described in slightly different ways depending on the type of work causing it. It is generally a combination of emotional exhaustion, feelings of ineffectiveness, and a sense of disconnection or profound negativity. In other words, it’s feeling so overwhelmed and detached, things that used to matter don’t anymore.
What burnout isn’t
We often think that being busy or working too much is the same as being burned out, but they’re actually different in important ways. Work overload, or the perception that work demands exceed our capacity to get them done, is a pretty common experience in many professions and is a part of burnout, but not the whole thing.
Beyond being overloaded, situations that cause burnout also include a lack of autonomy, a lack of fairness, or some ambiguity about what we’re supposed to be doing — which takes us away from what’s meaningful about our work.
How to prevent burnout (or pivot if you’re experiencing it)
First, let me say that there are many things that seem like they would help alleviate burnout that don’t. Most of the things we do to relieve short-term feelings of mental and emotional exhaustion – zoning out in front of a screen, unhealthy food and alcohol consumption, combing through social media feeds – don’t actually improve our overall energy or solve any of the issues that are contributing to burnout, and tend to make us feel more exhausted or disconnected in the long run.
The way out of burnout for many people is to bring back the meaning that’s been lost in the overload. Think about the things that are the most important to you in terms of your life. How do you aspire to be at your job? What are the most meaningful elements of your relationships with your coworkers, friends, partner, and family? What are the adjectives you would most want to describe you in these different roles?
Multiple studies show that connecting to what’s meaningful matters when we’re stressed and overloaded. One study found that people who spent time thinking and writing about something that was meaningful to them had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in a stressful situation.
Another study showed that while being overloaded at work clearly contributes to the emotional exhaustion, disconnection, and negativity of burnout, that’s not the whole story. “Values congruence,” or the degree to which work is connected to personal values, was also related to these aspects of burnout, as well as the feeling of being generally ineffective. So while overload matters, being connected to your values may matter even more.
Values Are Your Superpower
If you want to reduce or prevent burnout, managing your workload is important, but probably not as important as connecting what you’re doing to your highest intentions and values.
Excerpt from https://www.lyrahealth.com/blog/battling-burnout-with-purpose-and-meaning/
What burnout is
Researchers usually talk about burnout in terms of work, and it’s described in slightly different ways depending on the type of work causing it. It is generally a combination of emotional exhaustion, feelings of ineffectiveness, and a sense of disconnection or profound negativity. In other words, it’s feeling so overwhelmed and detached, things that used to matter don’t anymore.
What burnout isn’t
We often think that being busy or working too much is the same as being burned out, but they’re actually different in important ways. Work overload, or the perception that work demands exceed our capacity to get them done, is a pretty common experience in many professions and is a part of burnout, but not the whole thing.
Beyond being overloaded, situations that cause burnout also include a lack of autonomy, a lack of fairness, or some ambiguity about what we’re supposed to be doing — which takes us away from what’s meaningful about our work.
How to prevent burnout (or pivot if you’re experiencing it)
First, let me say that there are many things that seem like they would help alleviate burnout that don’t. Most of the things we do to relieve short-term feelings of mental and emotional exhaustion – zoning out in front of a screen, unhealthy food and alcohol consumption, combing through social media feeds – don’t actually improve our overall energy or solve any of the issues that are contributing to burnout, and tend to make us feel more exhausted or disconnected in the long run.
The way out of burnout for many people is to bring back the meaning that’s been lost in the overload. Think about the things that are the most important to you in terms of your life. How do you aspire to be at your job? What are the most meaningful elements of your relationships with your coworkers, friends, partner, and family? What are the adjectives you would most want to describe you in these different roles?
Multiple studies show that connecting to what’s meaningful matters when we’re stressed and overloaded. One study found that people who spent time thinking and writing about something that was meaningful to them had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in a stressful situation.
Another study showed that while being overloaded at work clearly contributes to the emotional exhaustion, disconnection, and negativity of burnout, that’s not the whole story. “Values congruence,” or the degree to which work is connected to personal values, was also related to these aspects of burnout, as well as the feeling of being generally ineffective. So while overload matters, being connected to your values may matter even more.
Values Are Your Superpower
If you want to reduce or prevent burnout, managing your workload is important, but probably not as important as connecting what you’re doing to your highest intentions and values.
Excerpt from https://www.lyrahealth.com/blog/battling-burnout-with-purpose-and-meaning/