Introduction Antigonus (certainly a Greek name) was from the city of Socho, which was in Judea. He received the oral tradition from Shimon the Righteous, mentioned above in mishnah two.
Antigonus a man of Socho received [the oral tradition] from Shimon the Righteous. He used to say: do not be like servants who serve the master in the expectation of receiving a reward, but be like servants who serve the master without the expectation of receiving a reward, and let the fear of Heaven be upon you. This mishnah contains an important basic concept in Judaism, one which the Rambam viewed as perhaps the most important concept. Although the Torah promises rewards for those who fulfill the commandments, one who constantly performs mitzvoth in order to receive a reward is not acting in an ideal manner. The reward is for the person who cannot see the innate wisdom in performing a mitzvah totally out of love (ahavah). Like a servant who only works for an allowance, this person has a shallow relationship with his master. One who performs the mitzvoth out of love can achieve a much greater closeness to God, for he expects nothing in return. In essence his performance of the mitzvoth is a statement that the mitzvoth are good in an of themselves, regardless of the reward that they might bring. The Rabbis teach that the reward for performing a mitzvah is the ability to perform another mitzvah. As a person improves himself, he will be given more and more opportunities to do so, to live a good life, and draw closer to God. Despite the fact that Antigonus emphasizes that one should serve God out of love, he finishes his statement by reminding us of the commandment to fear God. There are times when love will not suffice as a motivating factor for the performance of the mitzvoth. The Rabbis teach that love is a strong motivator for the performance of positive commandments but that fear is a stronger motivator for negative commandments. Antigonus’s balanced statement reminds us that we need to have both love and fear of God.