GEN1461 Rabban Gamaliel, the son of Rabbi Judah haNasik said; It is seemly to combine the study of Torah with an occupation, for the wearying labor of both keeps sin forgotten. All Torah study that does not have work accompanying it must in the end come to nothing and bring sin in its wake. Let all who work for the community, the people, work with them for the sake of Heaven, for the merit of their fathers sustains them, and their righteousness will endure forever. And as for your, I [the Almighty] will account you worthy of great reward, as if you had done [everything]. Pirkei Avot II:2   Why are there people who sin? Why do so man others have recourse to psychiatrists? In far too many instances, it is simply because their minds are empty of any sense of purpose and responsibility. Without any stabilizing center of purpose, duty, obligation around which to organize their lives, these unfortunates become distraught. But if you immerse yourself in this two-fold program of Torah and derech eretz, Torah study and productive achievement in the secular realm, you will find so much of a meaningful nature to do, that there will be no time to even think of sin. On the other hand, a human spirit that finds no outlets for its energies in Torah, in religious study and observance, is like a “body of water that is blocked: it turns back upon itself, collecting scum, refuse and silt.” As the Sages say, “He who abandons the words of Torah will have no strength to withstand a day of tribulation.” Talmud Berakoth 63a. When his brothers threw Joseph into the pit, the Torah tells us, “The pit was empty; there was no water in it.” [this verse] If it was empty, obviously there was no water in it! Surely the second part is superfluous? The Talmud therefore interprets it to denote that “water there was not in it, but there were snakes and scorpions.” Shabbat 22a, Hagigah 3a.   A profound thought is suggested to us here. When a pit is empty, it fills up with serpents. When a mind is empty, it becomes a snakepit. Nature abhors a vacuum. If there is one, the least desirable of nature’s creatures rush to occupy it. The stomach cannot feed on its own gastric juices, nor can the mind function on its own psychic phantoms. The human entity must be given a sense of purpose and values from without. The prisoner cannot liberate himself from his dungeon. Talmud Berakoth 5b.   When sound, Heaven-blessed values are dethroned, a petty passion climbs to power. SINAI1 133-4