QUESTION:
Before a person is about to choose a job, what are the questions he should ask himself, to see if the job will be fine halachically and also to know if the job is suitable to one’s personality? How can one know if a job won’t cause him to waste time and lost out time from his learning, after he’s finished working for the day?
ANSWER:
These are the halachic issues to address: Find out if the job involves anything forbidden by the Torah. Does it entail ribbis (charging interest)? Are there issues of yichud? Is there immodesty there? Are there any issues there of causing others to sin or helping others sin? Is it a job that will entail stealing, lying, flattering? Does the job involve partnering with people who don’t keep Shabbos or those who are bad company, which will lead to lashon hora or rechilus, breaches in tzniyus, wasting time from Torah learning (according to one’s level), being unable to daven properly, working on Chol HaMoed? Does the job require being on the Internet, and is this a kind of job that causes many people to sin? Also, which middos will be awakened when working at this kind of job?
In order to know if a job is tailored to one’s nature, he needs to know his strong points and his weaknesses, and he needs to know which particular abilities are required for the job. Then he can know if the job is compatible with him, and then he can see which kind of job he should choose.
In order to know if a job is tailored to one’s nature, he needs to know his strong points and his weaknesses, and he needs to know which particular abilities are required for the job. Then he can know if the job is compatible with him, and then he can see which kind of job he should choose.
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