Having our dear friends here for part of the weekend was wonderful. It provided a Sabbath of the soul which was all too needed. We laughed, played, had deep conversations late into the night.

One of those deep conversations was about work. What is it about work that we like? That is fun? That brings us joy?

Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin wrote a book, Being G-d’s Partner, How to Find the Hidden Link between Spirituality and Your Work. I always keep an extra copy in my office. It is that good. I love the story in his introduction about the moving men who packed his house with such care, with such joy. They had found the spirituality in their work. The book is like a What Color is Your Parachute for Jews, for anyone really.

He addresses finding a career that is right for you. He addresses how to be spiritual at work. Balancing the work-life in this modern world. He addresses Leviticus 19 as the ultimate business ethics exam.

I am fortunate. I have found a job and a career that brings me joy. Yet I struggled to express it in that conversation. So here is my answer.

• It brings me joy when the house is full for dinner on Shabbat, when there is good food, good conversation and singing. When people can experience the joy of Shabbat.
• It brings me joy when I can help a family celebrate a life cycle event, meeting them where they are, whether it is welcoming a new baby, studying with a Bar/Bat Mitzvah student, planning a wedding, or visiting someone in the hospital.
• It brings me joy when I teach our young students and their eyes light up and they put the pieces together.
• It brings me joy when I teach on Shabbat morning or at adult study, when people see the connections between our ancient tradition and our modern world.
• It brings me joy when I reach out to one of our “senior-seniors” and listen to what they are reading and make them a little less lonely.
• It brings me joy when I am able to reach out beyond the synagogue and work on the issues illustrated in that business ethics exam. When I welcome the widow, the orphan, the stranger. When I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless.
• It brings me joy to hang out at a local coffee shop and have more of those deep conversations, with congregants or those interested in learning more about Judaism.

I am not sure that it is a full list. And it is a complex job that it is fair to say is not always fun. However, I am, indeed, very very fortunate. How does work bring you joy?