“He who works all day has no time to make money” goes a capitalist saying by John D. Rockefeller. I think this saying carries much truth beyond the realm of finance. Sometimes, because we are so preoccupied with what we do, we forget to live.
In this week's Torah portion, Va'era, we read: "Moses related this [news of the impending exodus] to the children of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses due to shortness of breath [i.e. stress] and hard labor". Now, for full disclosure: the Jews actually believed in Moses; they certainly also heard what he was saying - they just could not get themselves to listen to Moses. They did not have the mental capacity to appreciate and pause to envision the unbelievable opportunity the Exodus will bring them, simply because they could "barely breathe".
How many times do we hear ourselves say: I would love to invest more in my Judaism, I just don't have time to attend a class or a Service? I would love to spend more time with the family, if only I could... but I work hard and could barely breathe. How many invaluable things do we miss in life, simply because of "shortness of breath and hard labor"?
We are not exiled in Egypt or enslaved to the Pharaoh, yet we may at times feel enslaved to work, technology or social norms. It's quite possible to have "made it” and enjoy some comforts in life, yet not have time to truly live. Because "Shortness of breath and hard labor" can stop us from lifting our heads to see that there is a rich spiritual world that is literally within reach.
Invest time in living deeper, we just don't have enough of it to waste it all on work!