"Be prepared to deal with a carcass in the street and dont say it is below your dignity."

This was the advice one of our great Talmudic Sages gave to a disciple.

Not only is there nothing undignified about any work done to earn a livelihood and avoid becoming a public charge, but every occupation offers opportunities to do some very dignified things.

Take the case of the driver of a garbage truck in Brooklyn. A beautiful story was told about him in an eulogy for a special Jew who never missed going to his shul for the shacharit services. The non-Jewish garbage man saw him one wintry morning desperately trying to hail a cab. Upon learning that he was late for the synagogue, the driver invited the elderly gentleman into his truck and brought him to the shul on time.