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Serving without expecting a reward
20 min
The text
אַנְטִיגְנוֹס אִישׁ סוֹכוֹ קִבֵּל מִשִּׁמְעוֹן הַצַּדִּיק. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אַל תִּהְיוּ כַעֲבָדִים הַמְשַׁמְּשִׁין אֶת הָרַב עַל מְנָת לְקַבֵּל פְּרָס, אֶלָּא הֱווּ כַעֲבָדִים הַמְשַׁמְּשִׁין אֶת הָרַב שֶׁלֹּא עַל מְנָת לְקַבֵּל פְּרָס, וִיהִי מוֹרָא שָׁמַיִם עֲלֵיכֶם.
Antigonus of Socho received from Shimon the Righteous. He used to say: do not be like servants who serve their master in order to receive a reward, but be like servants who serve their master without expecting a reward; and let the fear of Heaven be upon you. (Avot 1:3)
What it teaches
Antigonus does not deny that there is a reward: he teaches what our intention should be. Someone who serves only for the prize stops serving when the prize is delayed; someone who serves out of love and respect stays steady.
The last phrase balances the teaching: love goes hand in hand with fear of Heaven, the awareness that we stand before God at every moment.
Your lesson notebook
To think about
- Is there a mitzvah you keep mainly “for the reward”? How could you change your intention?
Write your answers below, in your notes.
In your centre, students write their question here and the teacher receives it together with this lesson. The answer reaches them by email.
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