Rabban Gamaliel the son of Rabbi Judah the Patriarch said: Beautiful is Torah study when combined with a worldly occupation, for the engagement in both of them makes one forget to do what is wrong.

And Torah where there is no worldly occupation, in the end comes to naught and drags people to wrongdoing.

And all who work serving the community, let their work be for the sake of heaven, for it is the merit of their fathers that sustains them, and their righteousness endures forever; and as for you, [God in such case says] "I find you worthy of much reward, as if you [yourselves] had [actually] accomplished [it all]."

Your Pirkei Avot Navigator

1. How does a worldly occupation complement Torah study?
2. Why, according to Rabban Gamliel, is Torah study worthless if not accompanied by a worldly occupation?
3. If your work is for the sake of heaven, who will help give you strength? By inference, where will you not get strength?
4. When Rabban Gamliel points out that community work is greatly rewarded in heaven, what is he inferring about the rewards in this world?

A Word

Rabban Gamliel teaches that Torah untested in the workplace will inevitably be corrupted. Your strength will never be sustained by your constituents, but it is the merits of our ancestors which will sustain us. The belief that we are transmitting something noble, essential and critical for our people and for the world at large. We are told to take strength from the richness of our past and to believe in the ultimate vindication of our future. It is our duty to remember that we not be governed by the thankless moments of this work, for the work is not about the moment, it's about our contribution to eternity.