Genesis Rabbah<\/em> 16:8). The dignity of labor is thus a value woven into the very fabric of the Sinai Covenant.<\/p>\nThe Sages in the founding generations of Rabbinic Judaism plied trades in addition to their scholarly pursuits. Rabbi Yehoshua was a blacksmith. Rabbi Pappa was a brewer. Shammai was a builder. Abba Shaul was a gravedigger. They acted on the principle articulated by Rabban Gamliel: \u201cExcellent is the study of Torah combined with some worldly occupation\u2026 Torah without work is ultimately futile and leads to sin\u201d (Pirkei Avot 2:2).<\/p>\n
Honest work fulfills a divine Command, safeguards against morally corrosive idleness, and fosters economic security, independence, and a sense of self-worth. Through labor, we shape our own future. President Teddy Roosevelt wrote: \u201cIt is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rabbis went further. They esteemed hard work as a holy act. \u201cOne who enjoys the fruit of his own manual labor is greater than one who fears Heaven\u201d (Berachot 9A).<\/p>\n
(Rabbi Joseph H. Prouser is the rabbi of Temple Emanuel of North Jersey and the National Chaplain of the National Jewish Committee on Scouting.)<\/em><\/p>\n
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