Chasidut for Pirkei Avot 3:1

עֲקַבְיָא בֶן מַהֲלַלְאֵל אוֹמֵר, הִסְתַּכֵּל בִּשְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים וְאִי אַתָּה בָא לִידֵי עֲבֵרָה. דַּע מֵאַיִן בָּאתָ, וּלְאָן אַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ, וְלִפְנֵי מִי אַתָּה עָתִיד לִתֵּן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן. מֵאַיִן בָּאתָ, מִטִּפָּה סְרוּחָה, וּלְאָן אַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ, לִמְקוֹם עָפָר רִמָּה וְתוֹלֵעָה. וְלִפְנֵי מִי אַתָּה עָתִיד לִתֵּן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן, לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:

Akavya ben Mahalalel says: Take to heart three things and you will not be brought to transgression: Know whence you came and whither you are going and before Whom you are destined to render judgment and accounting. Whence did you come? From a putrefying drop. [the drop of semen. And even though at the time of conception it does not putrefy (not putrefying in the womb until after three days, and when it does putrefy, it is not fit for fertilization), it is still called "putrefying" for it is close to doing so immediately upon its being outside the womb. And one who takes it to heart that he comes from a putrefying drop is rescued from pride.] And whither are you going? To a place of dust, worms, and maggots. [One who takes this to heart is rescued from lust and from the desire for wealth.] And before whom are you destined to render judgment and accounting? Before the King of the kings of kings — the Holy One Blessed be He. [One who takes this to heart separates himself from sin and does not stumble into transgression.]

Kedushat Levi

Another approach to the words ‎קדושים תהיו‎ and what it ‎means, seeing it is an abstract virtue and cannot be demonstrated ‎by deeds. In order to understand this we need to explain why this ‎line is followed by ‎איש אמו ואביו תיראו‎, the commandment to ‎‎“fear” one’s mother and father. This too will be better understood ‎after we appreciate the saying in Avot 3,1 where Akavya ‎ben Mahallel exhorts us to keep the following three concepts in ‎mind at all times, as they are a great help in preventing us from ‎committing transgressions. He asks us to remember of our lowly ‎origin, i.e. a putrid drop of sperm, where we are headed for, i.e. ‎dust, and to whom we will have to render an accounting, i.e. the ‎Highest Judge in the universe.
Reading the words of such a ‎model of humility as Akavya ben Mahallel, probably the most ‎humble person of his generation, telling us about his fear of ‎facing the heavenly tribunal after his death, brings home to us ‎what true humility is all about, as he does not even credit himself ‎with possessing the lowest level of fear of the Lord, the level ‎based on ‎יראת העונש‎, fear of punishment. Another remarkable ‎feature of his Mishnah is its somewhat cumbersome and ‎lengthy wording. Why did Akavya not simply say: “know that ‎you originate from a putrid drop of sperm, etc;?” This would have ‎saved more than half the words he used.‎

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