אל תהיו כעבדים המשמשים את הרב על מנת לקבל פרם אלא הוו כעבדים המשמשים את הרב שלא על מנת לקבל פרס (אבות פרק א') ויש גירסא אחרינא על מנת שלא לקבל פרס, ושמעתי מאא"ז זללה"ה ששני הגירסאות נכונים, והם מדרגות זו למעלה מזו, והוא כי שלא על מנת לקבל פרס הוא עבודה נכונה וגדולה, דהיינו כשמתפלל על איזה דבר יהיה כוונתו לצורך גבוה, והדבר אשר הוא מתפלל עליו אם יבא יבא ואם לא יבא לא יבא, וכן כל עבודת האדם ועשיותיו יהיה לשם שמים, לא לשום דבר הנאתו, ויש עוד בחינה נשגבה, על דרך משל, למי שחפץ ורוצה מאוד ולבו בוער לדבר עם המלך, והמלך גזר ואמר שכל מי שישאל איזה שאלה ימלא בקשתו, וכשאדם הזה אשר חפצו ורצונו לדבר תמיד עם המלך, כשבא לדבר מבוקשתו לפני המלך, מתיירא פן יתן לו המלך וימלא חסרונו ומה לו עוד לדבר עם המלך, לכן הוא רוצה יותר שלא ימלאו לו מבוקשו, כדי שיהיה לו איזה דבר לבא עוד לפני המלך באיזה פעם ולדבר עמו, וזהו (תהילים ק״ב:א׳) תפלה לעני כי יעטוף ולפני ה' ישפוך שיחו, פירוש כל התפלות של עני הוא שלפני ה' ישפוך שיחו, והוא על דרך דאיתא בש"ס (תענית דכ"ה ע"ב) רמז לזה במעשה דשמואל הקטן, וזהו על מנת שלא לקבל פרס: (דגל מחנה אפרים הפטורת תצא ד"ה רני)
“Do not be like servants who serve their master in order to receive recompense; rather be like servants who serve their master not in order to receive recompense.”12Pirkei Avos 1:… There is another version of this statement: “be like servants who serve their master in order not to receive recompense.”13שלא על מנת לקבל פרס or על מנת שלא לקבל פרס. I heard from my grandfather that both versions are correct, and reflect two different levels, one higher than the other. “Not in order to receive recompense,” is indeed the proper and great form of worship. Your intention in praying for something should be for the sake of G‑d.14Tzorech gavo’ah, lit. “for the needs of the high one.” And it does not matter whether or not you receive the object of your prayers. Indeed, everything you do should be for the sake of G‑d, and not for your own pleasure at all. However, there is another, higher level. By way of example, a certain person has a deep and burning desire to speak with the king. The king issues a decree that anyone who presents him with a request will have it granted. When this person who longs to speak to the king presents his request, he is actually afraid that the king will fulfill it, and then he will have nothing more to talk to him about. He prefers, rather, that the king not fulfill his request, so that he has a reason to come before the king and speak to him again. This is the meaning of: “A prayer of the poor, when he faints, and pours out his words before G‑d” (Psalms 102:1). That is, his prayer itself is that he can pour out his words before G‑d. This is also alluded to in the Talmud, in the story of Shmuel HaKatan.15Ta’anis 25b. Once, in a period of drought, Shmuel HaKatan declared a public fast. The rains fell that same day, although after sunset. (This was considered late, as another story in the gemara tells of the rain falling immediately in the morning.) The people assumed that it was because G‑d desired to hear the prayers of the congregation the entire day. Shmuel HaKatan, however, rejected this assumption. However, see the Zohar 2:15a: “Once, the world needed rain. Rabbi Eliezer came and decreed forty fasts, but the rain did not come. He prayed, but the rain did not come. Rabbi Akiva rose to pray. He said: ‘Who makes the wind blow,’ and the wind started to blow. ‘Who makes the rains fall,’ and the rains started to fall. Rabbi Eliezer became dejected. Rabbi Akiva looked in his face and stood before him. ‘I will tell you a parable,’ he said. ‘What is this like? Rabbi Eliezer is like the beloved of a king. The king is pleased when he comes before him, and does not grant him his request speedily, in order that he not leave him, for he is pleased to talk with him. But I am like a servant of the king that makes a request. He does not want me to enter the palace gates, and all the more so, to talk to him. Thus, the king says, “Fulfill his request quickly, and do not let him in.” Thus, Rabbi Eliezer is a beloved of the King, and I am a servant. The King wants to talk to [Rabbi Eliezer] the entire day, and not have him leave. But the King does not want me to enter the gates of the palace.’ Rabbi Eliezer was placated.” This is the meaning of: “in order not to receive a reward.” Degel Machane Ephraim, Haftarah Ki Setze, s.v. “Rani”
אל תהיו כעבדים המשמשים את הרב על מנת לקבל פרם אלא הוו כעבדים המשמשים את הרב שלא על מנת לקבל פרס (אבות פרק א') ויש גירסא אחרינא על מנת שלא לקבל פרס, ושמעתי מאא"ז זללה"ה ששני הגירסאות נכונים, והם מדרגות זו למעלה מזו, והוא כי שלא על מנת לקבל פרס הוא עבודה נכונה וגדולה, דהיינו כשמתפלל על איזה דבר יהיה כוונתו לצורך גבוה, והדבר אשר הוא מתפלל עליו אם יבא יבא ואם לא יבא לא יבא, וכן כל עבודת האדם ועשיותיו יהיה לשם שמים, לא לשום דבר הנאתו, ויש עוד בחינה נשגבה, על דרך משל, למי שחפץ ורוצה מאוד ולבו בוער לדבר עם המלך, והמלך גזר ואמר שכל מי שישאל איזה שאלה ימלא בקשתו, וכשאדם הזה אשר חפצו ורצונו לדבר תמיד עם המלך, כשבא לדבר מבוקשתו לפני המלך, מתיירא פן יתן לו המלך וימלא חסרונו ומה לו עוד לדבר עם המלך, לכן הוא רוצה יותר שלא ימלאו לו מבוקשו, כדי שיהיה לו איזה דבר לבא עוד לפני המלך באיזה פעם ולדבר עמו, וזהו (תהילים ק״ב:א׳) תפלה לעני כי יעטוף ולפני ה' ישפוך שיחו, פירוש כל התפלות של עני הוא שלפני ה' ישפוך שיחו, והוא על דרך דאיתא בש"ס (תענית דכ"ה ע"ב) רמז לזה במעשה דשמואל הקטן, וזהו על מנת שלא לקבל פרס:
(דגל מחנה אפרים הפטורת תצא ד"ה רני)
“Do not be like servants who serve their master in order to receive recompense; rather be like servants who serve their master not in order to receive recompense.”12Pirkei Avos 1:…
There is another version of this statement: “be like servants who serve their master in order not to receive recompense.”13שלא על מנת לקבל פרס or על מנת שלא לקבל פרס. I heard from my grandfather that both versions are correct, and reflect two different levels, one higher than the other. “Not in order to receive recompense,” is indeed the proper and great form of worship. Your intention in praying for something should be for the sake of G‑d.14Tzorech gavo’ah, lit. “for the needs of the high one.” And it does not matter whether or not you receive the object of your prayers. Indeed, everything you do should be for the sake of G‑d, and not for your own pleasure at all.
However, there is another, higher level. By way of example, a certain person has a deep and burning desire to speak with the king. The king issues a decree that anyone who presents him with a request will have it granted. When this person who longs to speak to the king presents his request, he is actually afraid that the king will fulfill it, and then he will have nothing more to talk to him about. He prefers, rather, that the king not fulfill his request, so that he has a reason to come before the king and speak to him again.
This is the meaning of: “A prayer of the poor, when he faints, and pours out his words before G‑d” (Psalms 102:1). That is, his prayer itself is that he can pour out his words before G‑d. This is also alluded to in the Talmud, in the story of Shmuel HaKatan.15Ta’anis 25b. Once, in a period of drought, Shmuel HaKatan declared a public fast. The rains fell that same day, although after sunset. (This was considered late, as another story in the gemara tells of the rain falling immediately in the morning.) The people assumed that it was because G‑d desired to hear the prayers of the congregation the entire day. Shmuel HaKatan, however, rejected this assumption.
However, see the Zohar 2:15a: “Once, the world needed rain. Rabbi Eliezer came and decreed forty fasts, but the rain did not come. He prayed, but the rain did not come. Rabbi Akiva rose to pray. He said: ‘Who makes the wind blow,’ and the wind started to blow. ‘Who makes the rains fall,’ and the rains started to fall. Rabbi Eliezer became dejected. Rabbi Akiva looked in his face and stood before him. ‘I will tell you a parable,’ he said. ‘What is this like? Rabbi Eliezer is like the beloved of a king. The king is pleased when he comes before him, and does not grant him his request speedily, in order that he not leave him, for he is pleased to talk with him. But I am like a servant of the king that makes a request. He does not want me to enter the palace gates, and all the more so, to talk to him. Thus, the king says, “Fulfill his request quickly, and do not let him in.” Thus, Rabbi Eliezer is a beloved of the King, and I am a servant. The King wants to talk to [Rabbi Eliezer] the entire day, and not have him leave. But the King does not want me to enter the gates of the palace.’ Rabbi Eliezer was placated.”
This is the meaning of: “in order not to receive a reward.”
Degel Machane Ephraim, Haftarah Ki Setze, s.v. “Rani”