He will earn his bread with great effort / He works very hard to make a living
Figuratively: Exerts great effort in order to maintain basic existence; works very hard to earn a living.
("Man’s origin is from dust and his end to dust / He will earn his bread with all his soul / Like fragile pottery / Like dry grass and like a blooming flower" – Piyut 'Unetanneh Tokef' recited on the High Holy Days)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
בְּנַפְשׁוֹ יָבִיא לָחֲמוּ
Definition (Hebrew)
בִּמְלִיצָה: עוֹשֶׂה מַאֲמַצִּים רַבִּים כְּדֵי לְהִתְקַיֵּם קִיּוּם בְּסִיסִי. עוֹבֵד קָשֶׁה מְאוֹד כְּדֵי לְהִתְפַּרְנֵס.
("אָדָם יְסוֹדוֹ מֵעָפָר וְסוֹפוֹ לֶעָפָר/בְּנַפְשׁוֹ יָבִיא לָחֲמוּ/מָשׁוּל כְּחֶרֶס הַנִּשְׁבָּר/כְּחָצִיר יָבֵשׁ וּכְצִיץ פּוֹרֵחַ"-פִּיּוּט 'וּנְתַנֶּה תֹּקֶף' הַנֶּאֱמָר בַּיָּמִים הַנּוֹרָאִים)