By The Sweat Of Your Brow

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By the Sweat of Your Brow: Reflections on Work and the Workplace in Classsic Jewish Thought By David J. Schnall A Written Review Dovid Kupchik Azrieli Graduate School Fall Semester 2011 As a teenager I learned from one of my rabbis that G-D can be found truly everywhere. At that time in my life the challenge was to find spirituality and religion not only in my religious studies but in such meaningful activities such as eating and sports. At my current stage in life I find it relatively easy to find religion and meaning in my family life yet for the other component of my life as a worker/employee I did not have a clear vision of exactly what Judaism has to say about it. Reading the book By the Sweat of Your Brow by Dr David J Schnall has opened my eyes wide open to the depth and detail to what Judaism has to say. While it should really not come as a great surprise as the Torah has more commandments concerning the kashrut of one’s money than the kashrut of food, often those topics do not get emphasized. Additionally perhaps it is no accident that the Hebrew word for work, avodah, is the same as the word for divine service/worship. Both employers and employees have to treat honesty in the workplace as seriously as divine service in the Holy Temple. In this essay I will review some of the themes found in the book and explore how they can provide guidance for me both as an employee, an employer and as an educator. In contemporary society, marriage and family are often balanced against the values of work. Judaism emphasizes work: “Six days shall you labor and do all your work “, and yet equally emphasizes the seventh day as a day of rest. Jewish sources make it clear that work is important for the welfare of society as a whole, for its contribution
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