It's all in the head
There is an anecdote told of a prisoner in a Russian labor camp. His task, for twenty-five grueling years, involved turning a heavy wheel fixed to a wall. He assumed perhaps he was milling grain, or pumping water that irrigated many fields. In his mind's eye he saw the plentiful crops and the sacks of milled grain feeding thousands of people. However, upon his impending release, he requested to see the apparatus behind the prison wall. To his dismay, the wheel served no purpose. The man collapsed in a faint, absolutely devastated. His years of toil felt utterly futile.
It's ingrained in us to seek purpose in our life's work, both physically and spiritually. When we comprehend that each good deed connects to a larger cosmic design, our work gains profound meaning. Knowing our efforts benefit others beyond our selfish needs brings happiness and fulfillment.
Research has shown that more than 9 out of 10 employees are willing to trade a percentage of their lifetime earnings for greater meaning at work. Across age and salary groups, workers want meaningful work strongly enough that they're willing to pay for it.
Studies affirm that American workers expect something deeper than a paycheck in return for their labors. Current compensation levels show only a marginal relationship with job satisfaction. By contrast, since 2005, the importance of meaningfulness in driving job selection has grown steadily. “Meaning is the new money”, an Harvard Business Review article argued in 2011.
The industrial and technological revolutions reshaped our lives, offering countless career opportunities and remote work convenience, among many other comforts and luxuries. Yet, these blessings also pose challenges, blurring our work-family-social boundaries.
How do we ensure meaningful, productive work without letting it consume us in an endless pursuit of popularity, status, or wealth? How do we balance work and personal life amidst constant accessibility to technology?
In this week's Torah portion, Shemot, we learn about a new chapter in Jewish history: the beginning of slavery of the Jewish people in Egypt which preceded their eventual exodus.
As the verse states, “So the Egyptians enslaved the children of Israel with backbreaking labor. And they embittered their lives with hard labor, with clay and with bricks and with all kinds of labor in the fields, all their work that they worked with them with backbreaking labor (Exodus 1:13-14)”.
Maimonides, in Mishneh Torah, defines backbreaking labor: “It is work that has no definite time or limit, or needless work designed only to keep the slave working and occupied”.
The Egyptians forced Jews to build on unstable ground, ensuring constant reconstruction, denying the satisfaction of productivity—dubbed "backbreaking labor."
The word "Torah" shares roots with "Hora'ah," meaning guidance. It's not merely a historical text but a guide for meaningful living. Its lessons, given by G-d, endure across generations and remain pertinent to every individual.
What lessons can we learn from ancient Jewish slavery while living in a modern democratic society?
Slavery manifests diversely—habitual, societal, or work-related enslavement, even to our smartphone devices. To be enslaved is to lose autonomy, letting external forces dictate our lives. Endless, purposeless work mirrors this slavery.
When challenging work is clearly defined and has a specific productive goal, it still remains manageable. However, if our work consumes our lives, it becomes “backbreaking labor”.
The Tanya, a seminal mystical and practical guide for Jewish living, explains that by our in-born nature, our intellect governs our emotions. Each of us possesses two souls: the animal soul which resides in our heart, and our G-dly soul which resides in our brain.
At any given moment, we can act impulsively based on our emotions or we can choose to exercise self-control and ensure that our intellect is the driving force in our lives.
The way to remain free of modern day “slavery” is by connecting with our core values, rooted in our G-dly soul. That way we retain control, aligning our thoughts and actions with our true selves.
Spending quality time each day with our spouse and children, dedicating a few moments for Torah study and prayer, giving Tzedakah daily, or enjoying Shabbat dinner with our families without the distraction of mobile devices, are just a few examples of how to ensure we remain aligned with these values. They enables us to truly appreciate the blessings we have and instill our career and family life with meaning and purpose.
The Rebbe, Rabbi M.M. Schneerson, would often share that the industrial, technological and digital revolutions that we have experienced over the last few centuries are in fact a prelude to the coming of Moshiach and redemption when the whole world will come to a better awareness, understanding and belief in G-d and an era of peace, prosperity and kindness will prevail. These revolutions, when utilized appropriately, present us with endless opportunities for economical and spiritual growth, connectivity, medical advances, education and the ability to perform unlimited acts of charity and kindness across the globe.
As Maimonides taught, “In that era, there will be neither famine or war, envy or competition for good will flow in abundance and all the delights will be freely available as dust”. Let us continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world and merit the coming of Moshiach today!
