Chizuk - Inspiration

A certain fellow who had entered the business world came to speak to Rav Henoch Leibowitz ZT’L, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim. He confided in Rav Henoch that he felt little satisfaction with his life and what he felt was an unproductive career. Rav Henoch said, "Why don't you go into a form of Kiruv (bringing secularized Jews closer to Judaism)?" The man responded, ‘I can’t. It just won’t work for me.’ Rav Henoch countered, ‘That is not what I mean. When you go to work, view it as Kiruv. You are going to work for the express purpose of ‘being a Mensch’ and acting with Emes - honesty and integrity. You perform Kiruv when you serve as a shining example of integrity and stand up for what is right. You do Kiruv when you do not cut corners even when your manager is not around. You do Kiruv through these acts of Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of Hashem’s name) and make Yidden want to come closer to Yiddishkeit and follow your example. Realizing that through your honesty and integrity in the workplace that you have an opportunity to create large, frequent Kiddush Hashems will give you great satisfaction and will definitely lift your spirits.’