How the Rabbis Thought About Work

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How the Rabbis Thought About Work

How did the rabbis understand the ideal role of work in our lives, the kinds of work that are best, and the relationship between work, rest, and play?

David Zvi Kalman

August 1, 2022

August 1, 2022

David Zvi Kalman

Dr. David Zvi Kalman is a research fellow in the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Kogod Research Center. David Zvi works on issues of technology, religion, and art. He holds a position as Senior Advisor for Sinai and Synapses and is the host of the Belief in the Future podcast. He is the owner of Print-O-Craft Press, an independent publishing house that has released books including Jessica Deutsch’s The Illustrated Pirkei Avot and Noam Sienna’s A Rainbow Thread:

Judaism and Modernity, Video, Torah, Ideas for Today

Work shapes our lives, our relationships, and—for better or worse—our status in the world. The nature of work is also rapidly changing. Over two sessions, David Zvi Kalman looks at how the rabbis understood the ideal role of work in our lives, the kinds of work that were best, and their understanding of the relationship between work, rest, and play.

Session 1

This session aired on July 19, 2022.

Session 2

This session aired on July 26, 2022.

This series is part of Ideas for Today, our offering of curated courses led by leading scholars addressing the compelling contemporary Jewish issues of the day.