Another random Torah Thought

 This is an extension of something I wrote almost 8 years ago here.

The shabbat morning amida begins its central section with the phrase yismach Moshe b'matnat chelko. Moses was happy with his portion. The nest phrase is "ki eved ne'eman karata lo" because (or when) you called him a loyal servant.

That seems strange to me -- the wording is flowery and its biblical reference isn't clear. But then I remembered what Ben Zoma is quoted as saying in Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers 4:1 "אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר, הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ" Eizeh hu ashir? Hasame'ach b'chelko. Who is rich? He who is happy with his portion.

The wording in the prayer isn't random - it is a specific call back to this definition. Moshe, who knew he would not enter the land of K'na'an, who would be buried in a secret grave, who would hand over the priesthood to his brother, be insulted by his sister and would have people challenge him at every turn still was satisfied with his role and his portion in life. He typifies this incredible wealth through happiness. Even when an entire nation challenges you, if you have faith that this is the portion you are supposed to have, you attain richness. But beyond that, Moshe didn't do one specific thing. He never asked "what's in it for me?"

The Ethics also have a statement (1:3) from Antignos from Socho (who heard it from Shimon the Righteous): "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". What portion is the most coveted, the one that Moshe seemed to crave? To be a loyal servant (hence the "because" connecting the two phrases in prayer). And how could he be that? By not asking for personal reward as a condition, or even an expectation of his service to Hashem.

Moshe was humble but he knew a serene level of joy, a transcendent understanding of his place and the true value of service. By celebrating the sabbath not in terms of what it can give us, but in terms of how we can serve God through it, we can emulate Moshe's selflessness and maybe get a fraction of his happiness and "wealth."