Q&A: Serving God for Reward and Punishment, and out of Love
Serving God for Reward and Punishment, and out of Love.
Question
Maimonides, and many others following him, write that serving God out of fear of punishment or for the sake of reward is inferior. The higher level is serving out of love.
A. What value is there in serving out of fear of punishment or for the sake of reward? After all, that is serving oneself alone—for the sake of not being hurt or of having things go well for oneself. There is no value in that other than egoism. Either way: if he would serve even without reward and punishment, then he does not belong in the inferior category. And if he serves because of reward and punishment—that is, without reward and punishment he would not observe—what value is there in that?
B. What does serving out of love mean? I understand that there should be service because that is what God commanded—that is, accepting God's authority and command. That is what "for its own sake" means. What does love have to do with it?
I would divide it into serving because of the command, and serving because of reward and punishment. In the second case there is no value at all, except for the idea that from acting not for its own sake one comes to act for its own sake—which of course indicates that there is no value in the act itself, only in the fact that it will eventually lead to serving God.
Could you explain?
Answer
A. He is still doing the right thing, even if for the wrong reason.
B. The concept of love of God takes on different meanings in different places in Maimonides. At the beginning of chapter 10 of the Laws of Repentance, it means doing the truth because it is true (because of the command). Elsewhere, it seems to refer to an emotion of love. See Column 22.
Discussion on Answer
That is unrelated. A believing Jew can perform a commandment even if it is done not for its own sake. A Jew who does not believe cannot fulfill commandments.
And what about someone who simply does not believe that a particular commandment, as it appears in the Shulchan Arukh, represents God's will in any way—for example, he does not believe that a bill of divorce has these or those conditions, and is prepared to write a writ of severance only according to his own view?
In my opinion, in such a case he has no commandment.
I do not understand what value there is in a commandment done not for its own sake. That is serving myself and not God. Could you explain the logic, Rabbi Michi?
It is hard for me to give another explanation. He serves God in order not to be punished, and he still serves Him.
A. About a secular person who does the right thing מתוך folkloristic Jewish feelings—you would say there is no value in his actions either, right?