The classic translations: "These are precepts that have no set amount: the corner of the field which must be left over, the first fruit, the pilgrimage, acts of kindness and learning Torah.

These are the precepts whose fruits a person eats in this world but whose essence remains intact for the World to Come, and they are: honoring ones mother and father, acts of kindness, arriving early for morning and evening services, opening ones whom to others, visiting the sick, providing for a bride, accompanying the dead, absorption in prayer, making peace between a man and his friend and the study of Torah is equal to all of them."

Origin: The first eilu devarim is from the Mishnayos Pe'ah - perek alef. The second is partly taken from Gemara Shabbos - daf kuf chof zayin and partly from a baraisa. Interestingly enough it seems that the Rambam's nusach of tefilah and in Sefardic siddurim, v'hachnasas kallah, u'levayas hames, and v'iyun tefilla are omitted.

The mishna tells us that for the following mitzvos, the Chumash does not set a requirement for how much to give or do. Pe'ah is the part of our field that we must leave over when we are harvesting. We are told to set aside a corner of the field where the poor may come and take what they need, but the Chumash does not tell us how much of the field should be set aside. Chazal however have told us that 1/60 of our field needs to be left over.

Bikurim are the first of the fruits each year that we are required to bring to the Kohen in the Bais Hamikdash, here to the Chumash does not tell us how much to bring.

Rayon is being oleh regel - going up to the Bais Hamikdash. While we know that we have to go three times a year, Pesach, Shavuos and Succos, we are not told of a specific amount of time we have to spend there. It also says that we have to bring karbanos during this time, we are not told how many karbanos to bring.

Gemilus chasadim means acts of kindness that don't cost money. Some examples of this may be saying hello and goodbye, visiting the nursing home, smiling at someone, etc. Where there are no financial ramifications involved there is not set amount of how much chesed to do - the more you do, the better it is.

Talmud Torah means learning Torah - we should be involved in all our days and nights. There is no set amount for learning Torah because as Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld explains in a discussion on Pirkei Avos (torah.org) Judaism is not a one-size-fits-all religion. We are all individuals with different capabilities - while one may be able to learn 15 hours a day, another may only be able to learn 15 minutes a day. Either way they are learning Torah - and that should be our goal - daily Torah learning. We are not told how much time to spend learning, but rather that we must spend time learning.

The gemara tells us that there are some mitzvos for which we receive a reward both in this world and in the world to come. We know that we are not supposed to do mitzvos in the hopes of receiving s'char, a reward. We are taught that the s'char for doing a mitzvah is the mitzvah, which stands for us in olam haba. However, there are some mitzvos that we do, that can in some way better our olam hazeh. These are called peiros - fruits because they are temporary.

To understand this better let's consider a tree. A fruit tree can stand for many years, through many seasons - that is the principle - the reward that awaits us in olam haba. During the right season fruit grow on the tree. They are not always there, but when they are and they have ripened, it's an additional reward - that is what we receive in olam hazeh. Nothing is taken away from the tree, but occasionally we can get something additional from it. (Editors note: If this idea is unclear, please contact me)

The mitzvos are: Kibbud av v'eym - honoring ones parents. I always tell my children that this mitzvah does not have to be explained. Just like we keep Shabbos and kashrus because Hashem said to, so to we should keep this mitzvah. However, in terms of reward in this world, the simplest explanation for this mitzvah is that when our children see us honoring and respecting our parents, they will want to do the same for us - and it makes for a pleasant life, which is a reward onto itself.

On another level, Hashem is our Father, a partner in our creation with our parents. When we honor and respect them, we are expressing an understanding of a need to honor and respect Him. Doing that brings us closer to living a life of Torah and mitzvos, which brings with it many rewards.

Gemilus chasadim we discussed in connection with the mishna. I would just add that doing acts of kindness helps to bring an essence of tov, of goodness to the world that we all benefit from. It also makes a person feel good about oneself, which is also a reward.

Hashkamas bais hamidrash - arriving early to daven. What is the reward that can be received in this world? We are told that one who arrives early to daven will have specific prayers answered. Why - because of his zerizus, his diligence, in coming to the Beis ha'Midrash. Arriving early for shachris may mean leaving our beds at an earlier hour than we would like to, arriving early for ma'ariv very often means taking time away from our family and friends. Our willingness to not only set this time aside to converse with Hashem, but to arrive early to do so, is looked upon with great favor in Shamayim and therefore our tefillos are looked upon favorably as well.

Hachanassas orchim - opening your home to guests. This doesn't mean inviting your neighbor for a Shabbos meal, even though that is a wonderful thing to do. Hachnassas orchim means opening your home to those in needs, even if they are strangers. Avraham and Sarah opened their home to all people and treated even the lowliest of servants as royalty. We all know that having guests in our home can be a pleasant experience, but it can also be a trying one - when Hashem sees that we are making extra effort to make others feel welcome and comfortable at our table, He will make us feel welcome and comfortable at His table.

Bikur cholim - visiting the sick. The idea behind visiting one who is sick is the essence of chesed, giving of ourselves to someone else. When is a person is ill and possibly unable to care for themselves, anything we can do to alleviate their suffering, for the suffering of their families is part of this mitzvah. It is not always pleasant or comfortable to visit someone who is not well, but it is something Hashem Himself has showed us, by His visit to Avraham when he was recuperating from his bris. Taking time out for others, showing care and concern for their well being will be repaid in kind by Shamayim.

Hachnasas kallah- addressing the needs of marriage-- whether it means finding a shidduch for a young woman or man, raising the money so that the wedding can take place, or to outfitting the chassan/kallah in an appropriate manner. It is well known that the Steipler Gaon zt"l, one of the leaders of religious Jewry until his death in 1985, opined that participating in the mitzvah of hachnasas kallah protects a terminally ill person from death. He brought a proof from the mishna in Peah cited above, "these are the precepts whose fruits a person enjoys in This World but whose principal remains intact in the World to Come. They are... visiting the sick, providing for a bride, accompanying the dead..."

The Steipler asked why the mishna enumerates the three precepts in that order. He explained that this order was chosen to teach that hachnasas kallah could intervene and protect the ill from death.

He explained the mishna in the following manner: If one is so sick that people are coming to visit him, he should forestall death and being accompanied to his grave by providing for a bride. The Steipler believed that the mitzvah of providing for brides was placed between visiting the sick and accompanying the dead to teach us that hachnasas kallah can serve as a barricade between sickness and death.

Many years ago, the chief rabbi of Belgium, HaRav Chaim Kreisworth zt"l was very ill. He visited the Steipler to receive his blessings and advice. The Steipler advised him to undertake marrying off needy brides. Rav Chaim immediately began to do so and miraculously recovered, living to the age of eighty-two.

Levayas hames - accompanying the dead. This mitzvah has been referred to as a chesed shel emes; the truest form of chesed because there is no opportunity for the recipient to pay you back.

Iyun tefilla- concentrating on davening. The more time we spend focusing on what we say when we daven, the greater our understanding of our tefillos, the more meaningful they become. When we our tefillos are filled with meaning and thoughts, there is a greater acceptance of them in Shamayim.

Havas shalom bayn adam l'chaveiro - making peace between others. One of the greatest acts of chesed is helping to end strife. Our tefillos are filled with requests for shalom, so the act of making peace between others can bring only good into our lives and into the world at large. Talmud Torah keneged kulam - the study of Torah is greater than all or it may be said the study of Torah is fundamental to them all. All of these mitzvos delineated above can seem to be ones of common sense - giving charity, visiting the sick, etc. They seem to be something that any moral society would make a part of their being. However, we know that not all societies are moral and that morality that is dependant on the whims of a society cannot be trusted. We are commanded to be a certain way, because that is what Hashem wants from us. And how do we know what Hashem wants, because it says so in the Torah. The study of Torah is what makes our lives meaningful and filled with purpose.