Mishnah
Mishnah

Kabbalah for Pirkei Avot 1:3

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:

Antignos Ish Socho received it from Shimon Hatzaddik: He was wont to say: Do not be like servants who serve their master in order to receive pras ["valuation," as in the targum of (Leviticus 5:15): "your valuation" — "bepursaneh," what one gives one who serves him, though he is not required by law to give him anything, as what one gives his young son or his wife or his servant because of the pleasure that he gives him. One should not serve his Creator even in the expectation of such pras], but be like servants who serve their master not in order to receive pras, [but out of love alone]. And let the fear of the L rd be upon you. [Even though you serve Him out of love, serve Him also out of fear. For one who serves out of love is zealous in the performance of positive commandments, while one who serves out of fear is heedful in the observance of negative commandments, so that his service is found to be complete. And thus did our sages say: "Serve out of love and serve out of fear. Serve out of love, so that if you are moved to hate, know that you love, and a lover does not hate. Serve out of fear, so that if you are moved to "kick," know that you fear, and a fearer does not kick."]

Or Neerav

The significance of this [passage] is that there are two ways to approach prayer. The first [way] is that of “slaves who serve their master in order to receive a reward” (Avot 1:3). Thus their prayer [is meant] according to the literal meaning with regard to their enjoyment [of the pleasures] of this world. To such [worshippers], prayer [consists] of asking God for their sustenance in the lower [world]. However, there are children [of God] whose entire purpose in prayer is to unify Malkhut with Tiferet. This is the mystery of “psalm” which he interpreted as partaking of the mystery of “praise” (hallel). Thus, through their prayer they abandon the matters of this world and occupy themselves with the Account of the Chariot, which is the mystery [of the divine name] Y’HDOVNHY.16This is a combination of the two divine names, YHVH and ADoNaY. On the Kabbalistic use of divine names, see Moshe Idel, Kabbalah: New Perspectives (New Haven, 1988), pp. 96-123. Concerning this particular divine name, see Mark Verman, “The Development of Yihudim in Spanish Kabbalah,” Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Thought 8 (1989): 25-42. For the union of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shekhinah is termed the Account of the Chariot, which is [equivalent to] “psalm.”
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