"It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you free to neglect it." (Judaism, Pirkei Avot 2:21)
True, false, good, bad, useful, not so useful, etc.? Discuss.
My thoughts:
I had to do a little reading up on this, not being familiar with the Mishna -- I didn't know whether "the work" referred to something specific, or whether it was a general admonition.
The basic interpretation I came up with, keeping in mind that the Pirkei Avot is a tractate that focuses on general ethics, not on some obscure specific "work" required as part of specific religious obligation, is this:
If something is right or important such that ethics bind you to attend to it, your duty is to work on it diligently rather than let it slide, even if it's something you doubt you can finish or fully accomplish.
So, for example, if I see a child drowning and if I have an obligation to try to rescue the kid (whether I do is a different question), I should actually try to do that rather than knock off and have a cold one while watching sportsball. Maybe I can't swim, maybe I won't be able to reach the kid, but I should make the effort instead of not making it. It's the difference between actingly blamelessly on one hand, or being part of the problem on the other.
Which seems fair.
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