Pirkei Avot - Ethics of the Fathers

Main Page

Chapter 2 Mishna 19
פרק ב משנה יט

He [Rabbi Tarfon] would say: it is not incumbent upon you to complete the work, but neither are you free to idle from it. If you have learned much Torah, you will be given much reward, and your Employer is faithful to pay you the reward of your labor, but know that the giving of reward to the righteous is in the world to come.
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לִבָּטֵל מִמֶּנָּה. אִם לָמַדְתָּ תוֹרָה הַרְבֵּה, נוֹתְנִים לְךָ שָׂכָר הַרְבֵּה. וְנֶאֱמָן הוּא בַעַל מְלַאכְתְּךָ שֶׁיְּשַׁלֵּם לְךָ שְׂכַר פְּעֻלָּתֶךָ. וְדַע מַתַּן שְׂכָרָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא


~Level 1~
Bartenura - "it is not incumbent upon you to complete the work" - the Holy One, blessed be He, did not require that you finish all of it or lose your reward. Perhaps you will say: "I will not learn and I won't take reward!"...

"neither are you free to idle from it" - the yoke to work is upon you by force.
~Level 2~
Rabeinu Yonah - "it is not incumbent upon you to complete the work" - do not think, I am not so smart and cannot finish it. What good is my labor and what will my toil help? - It is not your job to finish it. Rather since you are toiling in Torah, you are fulfilling the command of your Creator.

"but neither are you free to idle from it" - don't say since I am not obligated to finish the work, I will not burden myself. Rather, I will learn one hour per day! It is not so. For you are an acquired servant to contemplate in it day and night - then you will succeed..
~Level 3~
Tiferet Yehoshua - "neither are you free to idle from it" - one might think why should I learn Torah matters I will never use?
Know that the learning itself and the knowledge is a divine commandment. It acquires for a man a straight intellect, perfection in his soul and illuminates his soul directing him to the path of Life.
~Level 3~
Ohr Yechezkel, part 6, yegata umatzata - a person should not despair on seeing the work is great and many trials stand before him and his abilities are not sufficient to bring him to greatness. For "it is not incumbent upon you to complete the work". True, one who learns Torah and attains Shlemut (levels of perfection) will receive much reward. But nevertheless, he should know that the main thing depends on toil and effort. According to his toil will be the reward.. Even if one does not see with his eyes progress and attainment of levels, nevertheless he must know that the reward of the righteous is not in this world. It is in the next world. There he will delight in G-d on all he toiled and labored to break his bad character traits and tendencies
~Level 2~
Ben Ish Chai - Birkat Avot - "if you have learned much Torah, you will be given much reward" - true a man needs to toil for his livelihood, but the hours you toil in Torah should be more than the hours you toil in your livelihood. This is "if you have learned much Torah", i.e. more than what you toil in your livelihood. Then certainly you will be given great reward in olam haba.
~Level 3~
Tiferet Yehoshua - "giving of reward" - from the word "gift". For even the reward of the righteous is a gift of G-d in the world of truth. For as our sages said:
"Man's Evil Inclination gathers strength against him daily and seeks to slay him, for it is said: 'The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him', and were not the Holy One, blessed be He, to help him [man], he would not be able to prevail against him', for it is said: 'The L-rd will not leave him in his hand'" (Kidushin 30b).
Thus all the mitzvot a person did in this world were performed only with G-d's help. Without His help, one would not be able to become a tzadik. Thus the reward is a gift.
~Level 3~
Tiferet Yehoshua - "know that the giving of reward unto the righteous is in the world to come" - take heart to know and understand that it must be in the next world. For if it were openly in this world, there would no longer be any free will.
~Level 3~
Sfas Emes on Avot - "know that the giving of reward to the righteous is in the world to come" - specifically for the tzadikim. But for the wicked, when they have some merit, they are paid in this world, as written: "He pays those He hates..." For the Beinonim (middle people), they are paid partially in this world and partially in Olam Haba.
~Level 4~
Chida - Zeroah Yamin - in the book Eished Bachalim, the author asks: "why does G-d not pay reward in this world due to the mitzvah of (Devarim 24:15): 'do not delay payment of wages' (baal talin)?" He answers that fear of G-d is in man's hand. And when a man does a mitzvah or learns Torah with fear [of G-d], he acquires it with the law of "improving the vessel" (koneh b'shevach kli), and in that case there is no mitzvah of 'do not delay wages' (baal talin). This works for a tzadik but for a rasha there is no fear. Therefore G-d pays him in this world due to 'do not delay' (baal talin). This is a summary of his words.

Thus here it says "your Employer is faithful to pay you the reward of your work". For you acquired (your work) through shevach kli... understand this well.
~Level 4~
Ben Ish Chai - Birkat Avot - "know that the giving of reward to the righteous is in the world to come" - there is to ask, how can he be given great payment in Olam Haba? It appears like interest, because if he were paid in this world in cash, it would not have been so much..

The answer is that it is like the wages of a worker (schar sachir) whose din (law) is to be paid at the end, i.e. in the next world. Thus the time of payment was not during his time in this world.. If you ask "but it looks like interest?" On this he said: "know that the giving of reward to the righteous is in the world to come", in Olam Haba, i.e. I am stipulating a condition on you that the payment will be in Olam Haba and thus you have no claim in this world...