Masechet Avot, Perek Aleph, Mishnah Gimel. The Mishnah says that Antigonus Ish Socho, a leader from a place called Socho, received the mesorah (tradition) from Shimon HaTzadik, so he was a student. He had a famous saying: “Don’t be like a servant who serves his master for the sake of receiving a reward.” In other words, even though, of course, we believe in Sachar, we believe there will be a reward for those people who serve Hashem, do the mitzvot (positive commandments), and learn Torah, that shouldn’t be the primary motivation for why a person does all of this. He should do it really me'ahava. He should do it out of love. He should not do it with the agenda of, “What is he possibly going to receive as a reward from Hashem at the end of the day?” But it’s about the relationship that he’s building with Hashem. So the actions that he does and the mitzvot that he accomplishes are much more a duty out of love for Hashem, as opposed to receiving a reward that he wants at the end of the day. We’re using the word pras over here, which is much more like a bonus as opposed to a payment. Hashem doesn’t owe us anything. There should be no expectation that Hashem has to give us anything. Of course, we will receive, but it’s Hashem deciding that He wants to give us a reward for doing something that He told us to do. Rather, we should be like servants who serve their master purely out of love, but not for the sake of receiving a reward. Of course, it could drive us, and of course it could motivate us. He’s not coming to forbid the service of Hashem for the sake of reward. Rather, he’s telling us that the highest possible level is serving Hashem out of love. But of course, as human beings, we need that motivation and we need that push to know the olam haba (the world to come) we’re going to receive, and the benevolence with which Hashem is going to treat us in olam hazeh (this world) as well.
And now that we spoke about ahava (love), he’s going to balance it with yirah (fear) as well: “Let the fear of Heaven always be upon you.” Of course, we have to have the love of God, which we just spoke about. That love of God motivates a person to aseh tov, to do the mitzvot, the positive commandments, to get involved with doing the will of God. But the yirah, the fear that a person should have as well, will also keep him safe from violating the Lo Ta'aseh, the negative commandments. So that perfect balance of ahava and yirah, love and fear of Hashem, will make a shalem (complete) individual who will have the highest possible worship of HaKadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One, blessed be He). Shalom.