Tips from the Talmud: How do you turn making a living into making a life?

Photo taken at Yeshivat Chachmei Lublin, Poland - Rav Meir Shapira

The following will never see blessing from their work: merchants in the market, small animal farmers, fellers of good trees, and those who seek the best portion for themselves.

What is the reason? People pay attention to them, so the evil eye has an influence over them.

There are four salaries that will never be blessed - earnings of writers and translators (those who translate the Torah reading on Shabbat), earnings via orphans and overseas business.

We understand three of these:
- earnings of translators looks like payment for work on Shabbat
- orphans cannot give forgiveness (if their guardian loses their money) 
- overseas business is dangerous and one cannot expect miracles all the time

But what is the reason that writers do not receive blessing from their earnings? 
Rabi Yehoshua ben Levi said: the Men of the Great Assembly fasted and prayed 24 times that writers of sefarim, tefilin and mezuzot should not get rich, because if they did, they would stop writing.

The following will never receive blessing from their earnings - people who write sefarim, tefilin and mezuzot, and their sellers, and their sellers’ sellers, and all whose work is related to mitzvot - including people who sell techeilet; If they do so for the sake of heaven they will receive blessing. (Pesachim 50a)

When I was in the Lower Sixth at school (what some of the world might wrongly call 11th grade), we were sent for careers advice. We were sat in front of “cutting edge” computers and answered various questions. This was supposed to provide us with our ideal meaningful career!! I got prison guard or farmer – really! I think I wrote I would like to work with people and I would like to work outside. Shows how much I knew about myself then – people?! Outside?!

On the other hand, the gemara here does not provide suggestions based on a person’s individual preferences or abilities which seems to be the mode now – that super advice of “just follow your heart”! Rather the gemara advises that certain careers may suffer lack of blessing for various reasons. This seems to mean the salary itself will be affected negatively. Reasons for this include the evil eye, not relying on miracles, and because “holy” careers are needed so much that Hashem will prevent them from retiring early on their salaries.

But let’s say a person succeeds in a career not listed here. Couldn’t that cause the evil eye’s influence when people see they are getting rich? Maybe. And couldn’t various other careers be defined as risky? And NOT working considered “relying on miracles”? Well we’re not going there today.

Seems that the bottom line for all types of career might be the bottom line of this gemara – the correct attitude to any work a person chooses to do. An attitude to make money for the sake of making money is not correct. Like all parts of our lives, work for the sake of heaven is recommended to ultimately provide the greatest blessing.

With this approach, our attitude to work might be different – we are working for a purpose even if the work seems purposeless. It could provide a better understanding of the purpose of the rest of our day when we are not working. This sounds like it could be considered a blessing – maybe not in terms of salary but in terms of giving meaning to a day's work. Funnily enough, I heard this phrase today - the difference between making a living and making a life!

Does this sound obvious or too simplistic? Is it something we inherently “know” but don’t really work at internalizing? How about trying this? Before starting your day, sit down, close your eyes, turn off your phone and clear your mind of distractions. Take 3 deep breaths and say to yourself – “I am living this day leshem shemayim (for the sake of heaven)”. Repeat this statement slowly 10 times and consider what it might mean for you. Try this for 1 week. I’m going to try it too. Let me know in the comments if you managed it and if it made any difference.

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