Q:
What should a man do when he loses his job?
A:
The very first thing to do is to look for another job. That’s number one because nobody should be idle. Idleness is only a form of self-affliction because it causes illness.
And therefore even if you haven’t found a new job yet, you must find something to do. If somebody is capable of utilizing his time properly then idleness is a very great blessing – he’s being given a sabbatical by Hashem and so he can retire for a little while and learn a mesichta or learn sefarim until he regains his job. But most people are not capable of utilizing idleness and as a result they contract illnesses. הבטלה מביאה לידי שיעמום –Idleness brings to depression (Kesuvos 59b). It’s very important to be busy. In case you don’t know what to do, then do mitzvos. There are plenty of good things to do in this world, plenty of mitzvos to do to keep you busy. But the main idea to keep in mind is that a person should not be idle! He should always have something to do just for the sake of his own health.
TAPE # 890