If you are truly acting for the sake of Hashem, your driving force is the emotions you hold for Him. Either you love Hashem and so you want to connect with Him or make Him happy; or, you are inspired by awe and reverence, and tremble at the thought of ever being separated from Him. Now we explore a third way to act for the sake of Hashem, and that is by feeling compassion upon the Spark of Divinity which has descended from total unity with its Source, become enclothed in the body which is called the “serpent’s skin,” and is dragged into unworthy thoughts, speech and deeds. How heart-wrenching! Harness the compassion that this thought engenders to fuel your Torah study and mitzvah performance.