Description: Chapter 1 - 07
Pirkei Avos
Chapter 1 – 07
Let’s review what we’ve learned until now. Antignos Ish Socho said we shouldn’t be as servants who serve their master on condition to receive ‘pras’. Rather be as servants who don’t serve their master on condition to receive pras, and have Yiras Shamayim. We asked, why does he repeat himself, what is the connection of having Yiras Shamayim, and in general what does this mean.
We explained that he is referring to the reward in this world, which the Rambam explains isn’t the true reward but rather it is like travel expenses, that we sometimes merit that Hashem makes it easier for us to learn Torah and do mitzvos. That is what Antignos was saying, don’t serve your master on condition to receive this small part of the reward, the reward in this world, which is merely a pras! Why is Antignos saying that we shouldn’t serve Hashem on condition to receive this ‘pras’? What is wrong with that?
The problem is that we don’t always merit to get the reward of this world. Hashem has multiple layers of calculations whether we should have our learning Torah and doing mitzvos made easy or not. Hashem expects us to serve Him no matter what! On the contrary, true service of Hashem is measured by how much we are ready to give up and be mosair nefesh in order to serve Hashem. If we only serve Hashem on condition that it is made easy for us – that is conditional love and service of Hashem, and it lacks Yiras Shamayim! That is what Antignos adds, ‘vihu yiras Shamayim alaichem,’ service of Hashem is done simply because Hashem commanded it – out of fear and awe of Hashem, regardless of level of difficulty.
This is what Antignos is saying: understand that the reward in this world is merely a pras, and it doesn’t actually determine whether you will be rewarded for your efforts – because you definitely will be rewarded, and receive true schar in the world-to-come, where we will become unbelievably close to Hashem, to the point where no human can even comprehend the pleasure and simchah of such closeness. That is something we should strive and aim for – the merit of being close to Hashem.
That’s why Antignos adds, that not only should we avoid serving Hashem on condition that it is made easy for us, and we get pras in this world, because that lacks in Yiras Shamayim, but on the contrary, the more we serve Hashem unconditionally, simply because we love Hashem and want to do what he commanded us, and no matter how difficult or incomprehensible it is, we serve Him nonetheless, we will get greater reward in the world-to-come – the true place of schar! We should be ‘כעבדים המשמשין את הרב שלא ע"מ לקבל פרס” and thereby we will have ‘moreh shamayim.’
Pirkei Avos
Chapter 1 – 07
Let’s review what we’ve learned until now. Antignos Ish Socho said we shouldn’t be as servants who serve their master on condition to receive ‘pras’. Rather be as servants who don’t serve their master on condition to receive pras, and have Yiras Shamayim. We asked, why does he repeat himself, what is the connection of having Yiras Shamayim, and in general what does this mean.
We explained that he is referring to the reward in this world, which the Rambam explains isn’t the true reward but rather it is like travel expenses, that we sometimes merit that Hashem makes it easier for us to learn Torah and do mitzvos. That is what Antignos was saying, don’t serve your master on condition to receive this small part of the reward, the reward in this world, which is merely a pras! Why is Antignos saying that we shouldn’t serve Hashem on condition to receive this ‘pras’? What is wrong with that?
The problem is that we don’t always merit to get the reward of this world. Hashem has multiple layers of calculations whether we should have our learning Torah and doing mitzvos made easy or not. Hashem expects us to serve Him no matter what! On the contrary, true service of Hashem is measured by how much we are ready to give up and be mosair nefesh in order to serve Hashem. If we only serve Hashem on condition that it is made easy for us – that is conditional love and service of Hashem, and it lacks Yiras Shamayim! That is what Antignos adds, ‘vihu yiras Shamayim alaichem,’ service of Hashem is done simply because Hashem commanded it – out of fear and awe of Hashem, regardless of level of difficulty.
This is what Antignos is saying: understand that the reward in this world is merely a pras, and it doesn’t actually determine whether you will be rewarded for your efforts – because you definitely will be rewarded, and receive true schar in the world-to-come, where we will become unbelievably close to Hashem, to the point where no human can even comprehend the pleasure and simchah of such closeness. That is something we should strive and aim for – the merit of being close to Hashem.
That’s why Antignos adds, that not only should we avoid serving Hashem on condition that it is made easy for us, and we get pras in this world, because that lacks in Yiras Shamayim, but on the contrary, the more we serve Hashem unconditionally, simply because we love Hashem and want to do what he commanded us, and no matter how difficult or incomprehensible it is, we serve Him nonetheless, we will get greater reward in the world-to-come – the true place of schar! We should be ‘כעבדים המשמשין את הרב שלא ע"מ לקבל פרס” and thereby we will have ‘moreh shamayim.’