Yesterday,
by chance I came across an old, undated blogpost by Rabbi Berel Wein on this very
topic. In it he wrote:
Judaism places great emphasis on the seemingly small and mundane
activities of life. Everything in life is included in the category called “the
work of Heaven.” As a consequence of this, it is obvious that everything and
everyone has importance and requires attention and diligence…
Rabbi Yisrael Salanter explained that the great righteousness and
holiness of Chanoch lay in the fact that the Talmud records for us that he was
a shoemaker and that with every stitch that he made while creating shoes “he
sang God’s praises”. [He] explained that the Talmud does not mean that he
recited psalms or hymns of praise to God while he made shoes. It means that he
made good shoes, that every stitch was perfect, that he gave his customers
excellent quality for their money. He said someone who does that sings God’s
praises for, by so doing, he advances the work of Heaven on this earth.
What people think as being their business or profession or work and not
more than that is really the work of Heaven, if they so will it to be.
Therefore care and quality must be exercised in all areas of our life—in our
personal behavior and psychological outlook, in our homes and families and in
our dealings with the outside world. Only this attitude of care and concern,
quality and wise considerations, can help us truly advance the work of Heaven.
The message,
in summary, is that one’s action is “for the sake of Heaven” if they are done
to the best of one’s abilities, in a conscientious way, and if those actions
reflect well on the person who does them. By giving others good value for their
money, we too can be acting “for the sake of Heaven”.
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You can
access “For Heaven’s Sake! We’re just having fun” on the Avot Today blog here
and on Facebook here
Rabbi Wein’s blogpost, “The work of Heaven” can be accessed here.
