Wisdom versus Labor
How can one become wise who handles the plow,
and who glories in the shaft of a goad,
who drives oxen and is occupied with their work,
and whose talk is about bulls?
Translation from the New Revised Standard Version.
Credits
New Revised Standard Version Bible copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.
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Translation from the New Revised Standard Version.
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Early Attitudes toward Physical Labor
2nd Century BCE–6th Century CE
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Physical Labor Is Divine
Ben Sira 7:15
Do not hate hard labor or farm work, which was created by the Most High.
Translation from the New Revised Standard Version.
Torah Study with or without Work
b. Berakhot 35b
The sages taught: What [is the meaning of that which] the verse states: And you shall gather your grain? Because it is stated: This Torah shall not depart from your mouths, [and you shall contemplate…
Labor Is Honorable
b. Nedarim 49b|b. Bava Batra 110a
When R. Judah would go to the study hall he would carry a pitcher on his shoulder [to sit on], saying, “Labor is great, as it brings honor to the laborer [who…
The State of Agriculture
Letter of Aristeas 107–108, 112–115
It was not without reason that the first settlers constructed the city with fitting proportions, and they planned wisely. For the country is broad and beautiful, and some parts are flat, such as…
The Parable of the Sower
Mark 4:1–20
Again he [Jesus] began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. He…