Some Jews have been included in the list of the wealthiest people on earth. These numbers have people wondering: What makes Jews special? Is it because of their upbringing or is it because of the values imbibed from Judaism?
Actually, the answer is that both Jewish upbringing and values from Judaism all contribute to the Jews’ collective success. Ultimately, it all boils down to the Jews’ impeccable work ethic. When it comes to working ethic, Jews had set the standard on how work should be done – efficiently and effectively.
“The Jewish concept of Shabbat – of ceasing from work for one day out of seven – helped develop the idea of the week, and set society on the path to delineating a specific work-week – and periodic times for leisure,” Yvette Alt Miller, Ph.D. wrote.
This should not come as a surprise to many of us. We always look back to our upbringing and discover that there are hidden gems that we must value and learn from. The Jewish work ethic is no exception. Rediscovering how the Jews formed and improved their work ethic over the years should be informative and valuable in itself.
More than their Jewish environmental ethics, community, and upbringing, it is also safe to say that Judaist belief systems have contributed much to the development of this work ethic.
If you want to know more about how Jews became successful because of their work ethic, here are some of the things you may wish to take note of. Who knows? You may be the next wealthiest man on earth!
How Do Jews View Work?
To clarify it once and for all, Jews do not view work as their master. They don’t consider work as their world either. Work is just considered as a means to an end, not to be considered an end in itself.
It is just that Jews believe in putting a premium on hard work. Jews tend to toil with a specific purpose. They believe in providing for themselves. They work hard to provide for their families. However, they do not exert themselves excessively. It is thought that working too much can lead to glorifying work instead of glorifying God.
“How do we draw the line between admirable and excessive work? According to Jewish law, this distinction is not based only on how much exertion is involved. Rather we have to be careful not to assign work that is gratuitous,” Dr. Asher Meir, PhD wrote.
What Could Be The Basis Of This Work Ethic?
Judaists tend to take life lessons from studying the Torah and other religious texts. An example of a text found in the first book of the Torah is “By the sweat of your brow shall you get bread to eat.” This was the curse given to Adam in the book of Genesis.
In following this passage, Jews view work as a worthwhile activity that will enable them to earn their keep. Moreover, they work hard because they believe that nothing worth having comes easy.
Value Of Hard Work And Work Ethics In The Modern World
In an era of social media supremacy, it is most acceptable to remain idle to read your social media feed every hour. This is not the case for most Jews. Most often, they will consider this act as cheating and short-changing their employer.
Due to this practice, people tend to look up to Jewish counterparts regarding their work ethic. People tend to take hard work for granted to go with the easier way out. However, Jewish work ethics present to us that working hard can make us better human beings. This can be attained by avoiding idleness which leads to sin. “There’s no getting around it: if you want to get better at something – anything – you need to practice,” Jesse Marczyk Ph.D. added.
In the end, Judaism’s lasting legacy is manifested in this work ethic. It could be said that this sets Jews apart from the rest. Due to the work ethic that most Jews subscribe to, their value in the workplace is cemented and considered irreplaceable.