Reply To: Question for Working Men

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Jewbacca
Participant

I’ve lurked here for a long time and registered just to answer the question. “Do you feel you accomplish your life’s mission, at your job or business. What if you spent that time finishing shas?”

I received a lot of family pressure because I went to secular college and obtained degrees in botany and biology, followed by a doctorate in veterinary sciences. By trade, I am a large animal vet. I work with ranchers, dairy farmers, and even a zoo (the later largely for fun and education; it doesn’t pay the bills). I get to spend a lot of time outdoors and am responsible for making sure animals are healthy and happy — and suitable for for your table. There is a lot of joy and service to my fellow Jewish people (and really everyone) in doing this job.

I’ve also contributed a lot to hard sciences on feed for animals — resulting in a healthier milk, in particular, but also meats with far superior cholesterol and fatty acid contents. Indirectly, this saves lives.

And I still study plenty, but I know that was not the highest and best purpose for me. I am intensively passionate about G-d’s creatures, very much a science geek, and while I would have made a fine Rabbi, I would not have been a great one. I am, however, a great vet.

There is a silly child’s story I remember about various parts of a body arguing about how important they are — brain saying this, heart saying that, kidneys saying something else. Then the person stepped on a thorn that infected the little toe. The entire person became ill, and upon recovery, the fighting organs realized that they were a team and all essential in their own way.

You job is to figure out how to best contribute to the whole, and do that (while not neglecting the other parts), with all the passion that you have. You may be a little toe or a brain, it does not matter.