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    Labour-saving devices – No’ach

    Noah was the son of Lemech, who chose the name “No’ach” for his child because it comes from a root that means comfort or rest. Lemech said, “He will bring us relief from our work” (Gen. 5:29, 9:20).

    According to tradition, Noah invented the plough, which made life easier for the tillers of the soil. So the idea of labour-saving devices goes back to the very earliest stages of history. Without them we would have to struggle and toil much more.

    Our grandmothers, for example, exhausted themselves in the kitchen because no-one had yet invented the gadgets that our generation takes for granted.

    But now that we have so many machines to ease our lives, what should we do with the time we have gained?

    The Jewish answer is simple: now you have leisure, bring more Torah into your time – and more time into your Torah.

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