Man’s nature is that he can relinquish a small pleasure in return for receiving a greater one. Hence, there is no matter of choice about this. This is not so with one who works in order to bestow, only because of the truth, meaning that the real way is only in work in order to bestow. In this, there is choice because he chooses to work on the path of truth although he will not have any pleasure, and although on this path, there is suffering. And all this is only because he wants to choose the truth (as in “Let my nourishment be as bitter as olive from the hands of the Creator”).
We should understand that if one engages in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] for the purpose of reward and punishment and not in order to bestow, he is satisfied with the faith that he has, since it is the nature of the body to fear suffering and pursue pleasure. For this reason, he has no necessity to be rewarded with the greatness of the Creator, since why does he need to know the greatness of the Creator?
In other words, he has no need to know the greatness of the Creator if he is serving the Creator with faith in reward and punishment, since the greatness of the King is not a reason that will obligate him to increase the work in Torah and Mitzvot, since there is no connection between them. Rather, the reason for the work depends on the measure of faith in reward and punishment.
Conversely, one who works in order to bestow, meaning that it is in the nature of his body that he can submit himself under one who is greater than him, and he has the strength to serve the one who is greater than him, then only the measure of greatness of the Creator obligates him to work. To the extent that he believes in the greatness of the Creator, to that extent he has the strength to work.
And since the Creator’s will is for the lower ones to be rewarded with seeing the greatness and exaltedness of the Creator, for this reason, the lower one must work only in order to bestow, meaning not because of the King’s gift, called “conditional love,” but because of the King Himself. Because he believes in the greatness of the King, he has the power to bestow and serve the King.
It follows that all his work is to observe His greatness and exaltedness. To the extent that he recognizes His greatness, to that extent he increases the work. Hence, there is great merit in the work in order to bestow contentment upon one’s Maker.