Working For A Purpose

Moshe was initially instructed to tell Pharoah that the Jews wanted to leave Egypt for 3 days of celebration and sacrifice in the desert. Pharoah was not told the real intent of their departure so that he could exercise his free will. Had he been told that the Jews wished to leave forever, he could not possibly have granted their request. The Jewish people, on the other hand, had to be told the truth about their departure even though the prospect of having to conquer the Land might fill them with dread, for the ultimate goal of the Land of Israel gave meaning to the entire Exodus.

Work can be exhilarating, fulfilling and ennobling, but only when it is purposeful work, work with a goal. Purposeless work only serves to break a person’s spirit.

Women many times feel that their work is meaningless with no lasting results. The clean clothes are soon soiled again, the house messed up as soon as it is straightened. The result of hours of toil in the kitchen are not framed and saved for perpetuity, but quickly devoured. The key to making these chores ennobling and exhilirating is constantly remembering their ultimate goal: the creation of an atmosphere enabling each member of the family to fucntion properly and develop his or her ultimate potential. (Rabbi Zev Leff)