Toiled in vain/ to labour in vain/ waste energy
He labored and was weary in vain. His labor did not bring any benefit (Hearing is tiring. Hearing is empty in vain).
("Blessed is our God who created us for His glory... and place in our hearts His love... we shall not labor in vain and we shall not give birth to terror" - Shacharit prayer; and also: "An incident involving Rabbi Yeshabbav, who examined and found two known and one first-mentioned, and sought to make them a burial enclosure. Rabbi Akiva said to him: All your labor was in vain; you labored in vain. They spoke of a burial enclosure only for three known, or for three first-mentioned" - Nazir 65a; and also: "That sleep should not overtake them... or he is studying drowsily, neither asleep nor awake, neither dreaming nor awake, this is toiling in vain" - Pele Yoetz, letter ayin, entry).
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
יָגֵעַ לָרִיק
Definition (Hebrew)
הִתְאַמֵּץ וְהִתְעַיֵּיף לַשָּׁוְוא. עֲמָלוֹ לֹא הֵבִיא כָּל תּוֹעֶלֶת (יָגֵעַ מַשְׁמָע הִתְעַיֵּף. לָרִיק מַשְׁמָע לַשָּׁוְא).
("בָּרוּךְ אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבָּרָאנוּ לִכְבוֹדוֹ...וְיָשִׂים בְּלִבֵּנוּ אַהֲבָתוֹ...לֹא נִיגַע לָרִיק וְלֹא נֵלֵד לַבֶּהָלָה"-תְּפִלַּת שַׁחֲרִית, וְכֵן:"מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרַבִּי יְשַׁבֵּב, שֶׁבָּדַק וּמָצָא שְׁנַיִם יְדוּעִין וְאֶחָד תְּחִלָּה, וּבִקֵּשׁ לַעֲשׂוֹתָן שְׁכוּנַת קְבָרוֹת, אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא: כָּל שִׁגַּעְתָּ- לָרִיק יָגַעְתָּ, לֹא אָמְרוּ שְׁכוּנַת קְבָרוֹת- אֶלָּא לג' יְדוּעִין אוֹ לִשְׁלֹשָׁה תְּחִלָּה"-נָזִיר סה ע"א, וְכֵן:"שֶׁלֹּא תַּחְטְפֵם שֵׁנָה...אוֹ יִהְיֶה לוֹמֵד מִתְנַמְנֵם, נִים וְלֹא נִים, תִּיר וְלָא תִּיר, הֲרֵי זֶה יָגֵעַ לָרִיק"- פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ/ אוֹת ע', עֵרֶךְ).