Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch wrote a major work called Horeb, which explores how the various mitzvos of the Torah help us to serve and protect the world, including our own inner world. In the chapter on prayer, Rabbi Hirsch reminds us of how “the tumult of life” can rob us of our strength and weaken our connection to our own ideals. Today, we refer to this danger as “burnout” - a sense of exhaustion combined with a loss of interest in our work and goals. As we know, even the most dedicated and idealistic individuals can experience burnout; in fact, it is

Even the most dedicated and idealistic individuals can experience burnout.

these dedicated and idealistic people who may be the most in danger of experiencing burnout, since their constant devotion to their work and goals can cause them to neglect to renew their inner resources of strength.


Perhaps the most bitter and painful experience for some idealists suffering from burnout is the realization they have lost interest in the very noble ideals and goals that once inspired and energized them. Rabbi Hirsch discusses how an antidote to the burnout caused by the daily struggles of life is tefillah – prayer. Moreover, the classical prayers of our people are specially designed to serve as a powerful antidote, since they remind us of our spiritual goals, and they reconnect us to the Source of all life and strength.


As Rabbi Hirsch explains, the antidote tefillah is especially important to the People of Israel, who were given the assignment to become a nation of idealistic Torah activists that strive to develop an ethical and spiritual model society for all the nations of the earth. If we, however, allow the daily struggles of life to cause burnout, then our universal mission cannot be fulfilled. Rabbi Hirsch, therefore, begins his discussion with the following message to each son and daughter of Israel: “Accordingly, you should at times tear yourself loose from this existence that endangers your true life, and strive in tefillah to renew your strength for life.”
 
In addition to the loss of strength, the tumult of life, with all its temptations and distractions, can cause us to lose our connection with the spiritual and universal ideals of our people, which are rooted in the One and Only God, who is the Creator of all life. Rabbi Hirsch mentions this problem, and he writes: “You may reach the stage where you no longer see in the world around you the house of creation of the Only Father, and in every being His creature and His servant, your brother-creature and brother-servant of God.”
There is also a form of burnout related to the mission of our people. Rabbi Hirsch points out that the suffering and poor outer appearances of Israel may cause one to lose faith in the potential of Israel, and he writes: “By judging Israel only according to its poor, external appearance, you come to regard the name of Israel as a burden on account of all the trials connected to it.... and the name Israel will no longer remain the lodestar of your actions.”
To those of our people facing the danger of burnout, which can cause a loss of connection with Israel and the world, Rabbi Hirsch suggests the power of tefillah as an antidote to negative thoughts and emotions, and he writes:


“In tefillah you should remove such folly of the mind and erring of the emotions, and once again allow yourself to be infused by the thought that there is only One God to whom all belongs and through Whom all is. Israel may most suitably serve Him, the Only One, in its external poverty, yet is rich through Him. Everything around you is a house of God, a choir of Divine servants, who all together serve the One and Only God and the purpose of His wisdom, and who are all your brothers whom you should respect and love as God’s children. Above all, you must realize that that you too, belong to that body of Divine servants. You, above all, Israel’s son and Israel’s daughter, have been summoned to the highest service of God; to fulfill God’s teaching in your life. By such fulfillment, you will preserve the teaching about God and humanity for erring humankind, so that the enlightenment of all humanity will, in God’s good time, be newly kindled by your teaching and by your life.”
Rabbi Hirsch refers to tefillah as the inner Divine service, which prepares us for the outer Divine service of deeds: “The fruit of this inner Divine service should be the Divine service of the deed. In tefillah, you gather the strength of dedication for life, allowing this life to be a fulfillment of the Divine will, the furthering of Divine purpose – a contribution to the success of that purpose which God has set for humanity and Israel. Thus the flower of all tefillah is the resolution which infuses the whole human being and unites all your powers to be a servant of God in life.”
The above teachings have helped me to understand the following verse in a deeper way: “A person devoted to lovingkindness bestows good on his soul.” (Proverbs 11:17) This verse may be teaching us that people who are truly devoted to lovingkindness bestow good on their own souls, so that they will have the spiritual and emotional resources to help others. Without these resources, they can suffer from burnout. How can these loving people bestow good on their own souls?


The classical commentator, Rashi, in his commentary on the Talmud, cites this verse, and he explains that devotion to prayer is an act of lovingkindness (Shabbos 127a). According to Rashi, this verse can therefore be

Rabbi Hirsch refers to tefillah as the inner Divine service.

understood in the following manner: A person devoted to lovingkindness bestows good on his soul through prayer.
The Loving One desires that we, who are created in the Divine image, become people who are devoted to lovingkindness. Let us therefore do acts of lovingkindness to our souls through our devotion to prayer, as, in this way, we can renew the drive and the strength that enables us to do acts of lovingkindness to others.
Related Teachings and Notes
1. Through tefillah, we renew our strength, as tefillah connects us to the Source of strength. When we are feeling emotionally and spiritually parched and dry, we can pray the following words: “As a deer calls longingly for the brooks of water, so does my soul call longingly to You, O God.” (Psalms 42:2)
2. It is a topic for another discussion, but another powerful spiritual antidote to burnout is the study of Torah – the Divine Teaching. As King David wrote in the Book of Psalms, “The Torah of HaShem is whole, it restores the soul.” (Psalms 19:8) And he also wrote, “Were not your Torah my delightful occupation, I would have perished in my affliction.” (Psalms 119:92) In this spirit, Rabbi Hirsch writes in Horeb that through the study of Torah, “you find light and derive light for your spirit, warmth for your heart, strength for your work, the path of justice and love for your life. Study it, let its words be engraved on your heart, let them be the object of your thoughts night and day. With it equip yourself for life.” (Chapter 75, “The Study of Torah”)
3. In his classical work Horeb, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch discusses the ethical and spiritual lessons that can be learned by fulfilling the mitzvos of the Torah, including the mitzvos of the heart and the mind. It also discusses some of the halachos – the detailed requirements of the path of mitzvos. Through this noted work, one gets a deeper appreciation of the Torah’s universal vision, and how the mitzvos of the Torah enable us to fulfill this mission. This book can therefore be a very valuable resource and a welcome addition to your home library. Horeb is published by Judaica Press.