At Work

Do you experience the sacred potential inherent in your work life? Here you'll find Jewish rituals, reflections, and insights that can help you to realize this potential while enhancing the meaning and spiritual significance of your work.

To access the CLAL At Work Archive, click here.

Going to Work

We pray that the work we do will be a source of blessing and success, so that we may support ourselves, our families and communities with the means necessary for shalom—peace—and chaim—life. May our work be more than just an end to a means: may we discover how to make our work and our workplace more soulful.

Meditation:

May I and my work be valued. May others treat me respectfully, celebrating my successes and sustaining me when I need to try again. May my goals be high enough, my expectations be reasonable, and my work be in harmony the rest of my life. May I treat the people I work with in compassionate ways and value their contributions. May our patience always grow stronger.

Yehi ratzon: shetishreh shekhina bema’asei yedai.

May it be your will that the Divine presence reside in all my work.

Ritual:

Select a special object to bring to work that will remind you of the principles you hold and aspire to. Place it somewhere so you can see it easily upon entering your office each morning. It will be like a mezuzah, a sign of who you are, what you believe, and the principles and values that guide you.

Blessing:

Hashem elohim emet tein brachah v’hatzlachah b’chol ma’asei yadi l’chaim u’l’shalom.

God of truth, give me blessing and success in all of my work, and let my work increase life and peace.

Teaching:

Just as the Torah was given to us as a covenant, so was work.

(Avot d’Rabbi Natan 11:1)


"It is beautiful when the study of Torah is combined with worldly work…"

(Pirkei Avot ii:2)


Al shlosha d’varim ha’olam omed: al ha-Torah, v’al ha-avodah, v’al g’milut chassadim.

"The world is poised on three things: Torah, work, and the ways of kindness."

(Pirkei Avot 3:21)


"When you consider people, give them the benefit of the doubt."

(Pirkei Avot 1:6)


"And the holy one filled him (Bezalel, the architect of the sanctuary in the desert) with divine spirit."

(Exodus 35:31)


"These are the 39 malakhot – forms of work: sowing, ploughing, reaping, binding sheaves, threshing, winnowing, selecting, grinding, sifting, kneading, baking, shearing wool, bleaching…”

(Mishna Shabbat 7:2)

Ivdu et Hashem b’simcha.

May your work be God’s work.

(CLAL Faculty)

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