In conversations with people about their work, I hear frustration from those who experience work as too heavy or too hard. The Torah is sensitive about the type of work we do. Parasha Mishpatim introduces the Eved Ivri, a Jew who became a slave because either he stole and was unable to pay a debt, or he sold himself into slavery in order to make ends meet.
There is a machlokes Rishonim whether the laws governing the type of work one is allowed to assign an Eved Ivri applies also to a free person. According to Rabbenu Yona, the prohibition of giving exceedingly hard work applies equally to the work given to every Jew. But what is considered this prohibited type of work?
Given the context of Hashem’s redeeming us from Egyptian slavery, we would expect to see back-breaking, sweat-inducing labor at the top of the list. But as Rashi points out in Parshas Behar quoting Toras Cohanim, it is forbidden to ask someone to heat up a cup of water that’s not needed or to wait around aimlessly without a purpose.
These circumstances are understandably annoying, but is this really “exceedingly hard work.” The explanation lies in the depth of the Torah’s understanding of the human experience. Carrying heavy items may be physically exhausting but when done for a purpose, it’s a reasonable expectation. In contrast, requiring someone experienced to do something simple as a pointless exercise is a form of emotional abuse.
If you were ever assigned a task you felt was pointless, you can relate to the frustration. One lesson of the Eved Ivri is that the Torah envisioned work as an experience of fulfilling a purpose. Work without a sense of purpose was what we experienced as slaves in Mitzrayim, where Pharoah intentionally orchestrated for the Jewish slaves to build cities doomed to collapse. Through pointless work, he seeked to crush us psychologically and emotionally.
What creates purpose at work? From my experience working with many professionals, the knowledge of providing for one’s family is rewarding enough for some. The actual work is thus less important. Others have a real need to connect to their work. Work that is aligned with a passion, talent, or interest is energizing even when it’s physically draining. On the flip side, work that is not aligned with something deeper in yourself will be draining even if it involves sitting in a comfy office chair in an air-conditioned office.
Does experiencing purpose at work happen automatically? We all may know individuals who work in meaningful professions yet feel empty at times. While there are many contributing factors, often this emptiness can be the result of losing sight of why they’re working. Work becomes second nature; it becomes a habit.
We can inject more purpose into our work simply by taking a minute before starting our day to ask ourselves why we’re working today. Become aware of the reasons and choose to embrace the day with a higher intention. This practice is a worthwhile investment. As we discover and inject feelings of purpose throughout our day, we may surprise ourselves how much lighter and easier our work days become.
