Idealism and Realism in Motivation

The inclusion of the last line seems to challenge the entire theme of this mishnah. Antiignos calls for an ideal motivation that does not think about reward and punishment. Yet the closing line reminds us to fear God. Does this not bring us back to the world of reward and punishment?

Tosafot Yom Tov explains that the “mora” described in the mishnah refer to reverence for the awesomeness of God and not to fear of punishment. Idealistic motivations and reverence certainly fit together. If so, the entire mishnah reads as a smooth whole.

The Tifferet Yisrael offers two alternative explanations. As Antignos states, we should strive for idealistic motivations for doing the right thing. At the same time, we are sometimes tempted by sin and forget our idealism. In these contexts, it pays to utilize less noble motivations to help us desist. Though our goal remains the ideal, we need to consider how some lesser motivations will also help us act in a religiously and morally superior fashion.

In his second approach, he suggests that fear of heaven will help us stick to the ideal motivation. We should be afraid of treating religious worship as a good business deal with an excellent payoff. When we realize that this is inappropriate, we will try to move back to higher motivations.

The two interpretations of Tifferet Yisrael provide the perfect balance. We certainly do not want to convert religious service into a self–serving endeavor. Acting appropriately is reason enough without focusing on rewards. Yet we are complex people with mixed motivations. The occasional prod of honor or other rewards also have their place in a religious life.