God@Work

Question

Dear Rabbi, when I sit down at my desk (nowadays, with COVID-19, it’s in my home office) and start the workday, is there a prayer I should be saying right then? What I’m trying to ask is: How does a person bring God into one’s personal workplace?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    What an interesting question, and one that everyone should really ask himself!

    Working gives you a chance to do countless mitzvahs and good deeds: Keeping your word to employers, employees and clients, paying workers on time, treating fellow workers with respect, fulfilling obligations to support your family, contributing to the good of society. These are all important parts of Jewish law which you can fulfill at work!

    And simply supporting oneself is a mitzvah because it helps eliminate temptation to steal.

    In the words of the Sages, it is possible for a shoe-maker to “stitch every stitch in the Name of God.” And the Talmud says, “Work is great because it brings honor to the one who does it.”

    So, approach your work as an opportunity to serve God by doing all that is required according to Jewish Law, and pray for success in this. In essence, this is the prayer — in your own words — that is appropriate for work-related success in every sense.

    And, above all, if you set aside time to study Torah in the course of your busy schedule (not at your employers’ expense) it is possible to elevate the mundane workday to a spiritual plane.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team