When the Rebbe came to America, he found a handful of his followers sitting in a beis medrash all day, davening and learning. He summoned them and insisted that they find jobs to support their families. “If I had the strength, I’d also go to work,” he said. He could not ignore the American emphasis on material well-being. In America especially, one had to be mindful of the dictum that poverty can sway a man from loyalty to his Creator (Mishlei 30:9). Moreover, a viable community could only take shape if it is self-supporting on a level comparable to that of the surrounding society.
Y. Cohen
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