Chapter 1
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| ANTIGONUS, OF THE CITY OF SOCHO, RECEIVED (the Mesorah) FROM SHIMON HATZADIK. HE WOULD SAY: DO NOT BE LIKE SLAVES WHO SERVE THE MASTER ON CONDITION OF RECEIVING A REWARD. HOWEVER, BE LIKE SLAVES WHO SERVE THE MASTER WITHOUT CONDITION OF RECEIVING A REWARD. AND LET THE FEAR OF HEAVEN BE UPON YOU. |
Antigonus, of Socho, was a student of Shimon Hatzadik and was the head of the yeshiva following his rebbe, during the days of the 2nd Temple. His statement is one of ambiguity and has raised many eyebrows among our commentators.
The Baal Ha-Akeda and the Abarbanel question the quoted mishna. The Torah is replete with statements to all Israel... Honor father and mother, l'ma'an ya'arichun yu'me'cha... in order that your life be long (Exodus 20:12 and Deut. 5:16)... deal with honest weights in order that you life be lengthened (Deut. 25:15). The Torah says many times... observe all the Mitzvos of Hashem so you will lengthen you life on the land that Hashem gives you (Deut 6:2; 11:9; 30:17)... Send away the mother bird before you keep the fledglings so that your life be lengthened (Deut 22:7).
On the latter statement, Rashi observes... 'If on such an easy Mitzvah to fulfill (sending off the mother bird) Hashem promises the reward of long life, how much more so is there reward for fulfilling the more difficult mitzvohs!'
What does Antigonus mean, then, when he seems to negate the expectation of reward, which the Torah itself holds forth as a motivation for serving G-d?
True, Hashem treats us to the reward for the performance of his commands. This is the elementary level of service.
Like a child, who has to be enticed to do a deed which his parents want, and entice him with the candy, so Hashem deals with us, to introduce us to the mitzvohs.
It was a common practice, when a father brought his child to the rebbe in the yeshiva, the child was given a slate with honey or candy on it, which he licked off. When he completed licking off the candy the following verse from the Torah lay exposed on the slate... TORAH TZIVA LANU MOSHE... Moshe Commanded us the Torah, as a bequest to the Community of Israel!
The child's first association with Torah was with sweetness. His first connection with the recognition of Torah's source was with honey. That was the reward!
And that's why he was ready to come back again the following day, and then again. Reward.
But the same child, now a man studies the same Torah. Can we say that he savors that honey, and studies Torah and conducts his life in accordance with its commands, because some one is going to reward him some candy?
Our rabbis teach us that the mitzvohs were given to us "l'tzref es ha'briyos..." to refine G-d's creatures, man. The performance of the Mitzvah brings its own reward. It does so in its effect on our relationship with Hashem, and in our relationship with our fellow man and in our relationship with ourselves.
In our relationship with Hashem – the neshama, that we all have, and which is that part of us that is a part of Hashem, strives to elevate and draw us closer to G-d, to feel His presence. King David sings out..."But one thing I ask from G-d; that I will seek... to sit in the house of G-d; to envision the sweetness of Hashem, and to search [after the commandments of Hashem] in His dwelling place...."
In our relationship with our fellow man – the message in the Torah of the love that Hashem bestows upon us... "banim atem La'shem... "You are children of G-d (Deut 14:1) is transferred to our fellow humans. When we receive love from our parents we can transfer and show love to our children. When we feel love from Hashem we can exude that emotion on all mankind. It means we look kindly upon people; we treat them with tender feelings; we respect their rights, property and life... and all that flows from that approach to life.
Living in accord with Hashem's mitzvos: Give tzadah, Judge another person favorablly, Treat the stranger with love, Apply the law equally to all people, do not steal, murder, lie or deceive another human being... are examples of Torah's influence upon our relationship with others.
In our relationship with ourselves – when the Torah declares 'u'ldavka bo' (Deut 30:20)... "to love the Lord your G-d and to ATTACH yourself to Him, because He is your life and your length of days" ...'ATTACH' cannot mean physically, because Hashem has no physical properties. It means, as our teachers instructed us, "Attach yourself to His ways, His qualities. As He is merciful, you be merciful; as He is honest, you be honest; as he loves the stranger and cares for the widow and the orphan, you love the stranger and care for the widow and the orphan."
Our souls become more refined, our senses are heightened and our sensitivities are attuned to the outside because WE are a better person on the inside.
This is the effect of Torah on our relationship with ourselves. Torah and the mitzvos have created those changes within us.
Antigonus of Socho is instructing us, his students, who have reached a level of maturity, that the the reward of the Mitzvah is inherent in itself. The reward lies in the growing appreciation of how the Mitzvah affects us, who perform it... and that as the appreciation grows it draws in other mitzvohs... 'Mitzva go'rer'es Mitzvah... ' It feeds on itself.
Antigonus, declares: Don't set your sight on external benefits. The Mitzvah is its own reward!
