In the third chapter of Pirkeh Avot (Mishnah 10), we read: שינה של שחרית, ויין של צהריים ושיחת הילדים, וישיבת כנסיות של עמי הארץ, מוציאין את האדם מן העולם . Sleep in the morning, wine in the afternoon, childish chatter, and the ignoramus’ sitting in the synagogues – bring a person out of the world. The Mishnah here is describing a lazy mindset. Sleeping in the morning, parting in the afternoon, and wasting one’s time in idle, meaningless chatter – the modern equivalent of which would be spending hours on social media… This kind of lifestyle “brings a person out of the world” – it prevents someone from bringing a productive member of society, and from living a meaningful life. We are meant to work hard. אדם לעמל יולד – “A person was born for hard work” (Iyov 5:7). This does not mean that we’re supposed to suffer. It means that we are so supposed to accomplish meaningful goals – and no meaningful goal can be accomplished without working hard. There is not a single successful person in any field who succeeded without hard work. Nobody achieved greatness by sleeping in the morning, or by spending their time partying and chatting on social media. There is a popular saying today, “Follow your passion, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” This is completely false. There is no successful professional who loves every part of his job. I love teaching, but I strongly dislike grading papers. A doctor might love treating patients, but he does not love filling out his charts and doing paperwork. An athlete might love the sport he plays, but he does not love all the exercises and drills he is forced to do. The Gemara in Masechet Pesahim (113a) makes a powerful statement: פשוט נבילתא בשוקא ושקיל אגרא, ולא תימא כהנא אנא וגברא רבא אנא וסניא בי מלתא. Skin an animal carcass in the marketplace and receive wages, and so not say, “I am a kohen, I am a distinguished person, and it is beneath me.” The Rabbis here are teaching us that nobody is beneath hard work, that we all have to do work that is not necessarily dignifying. A person should be prepared to work even if this means “skinning a carcass in the marketplace.” No matter what profession one pursues, he is going to have to do unpleasant work. We have to be prepared to work hard and to perform chores which we do not enjoy. This is the mindset that the Mishnah is teaching us to have – that we are here to achieve, to accomplish, to build, and this cannot be done without hard work. When we live with this attitude, our entire day is different. We wake up in the morning invigorated. We confront challenges head on, with confidence. We are not discouraged when things go the wrong way. No matter what happens, we understand that אדם לעמל יולד , that we are here to achieve, and this means we are going to work hard – and we are prepared to work hard. As difficult as it is, we need to train our children to live with this mindset. And the way we do this is through action, by having them help out at home, by assigning them responsibilities, by giving them firsthand experience of how things require hard work to get done. If we live with this mindset, then we will be the productive, accomplished people that we are supposed to be, and we will raise our children to become the productive and accomplished people that they are supposed to be.