We note 3 distinctions in the first few words.
Bikush - chemdah
g'dulah - kavod
l'atzm'cha - stam
Rashi explains gedulah is leadership or power & with regard to kavod Rashi explains not to want it as people will think that your Torah was for that purpose.
This is the precise wording that is used. As David hamelech says 'achas sha'alti... Osah avakesh. One is a question the other is the entire drive and goal. For Gadlus the mishanah says Al t'vakesh - that sould not be your goal & reason for learning. But for kavod it says you should not covet it at all.
Based on this we may understand that distinguished greatness comes together with Torah study & Hashem wants it that way. Whether people actually fulfill their mitzvah to give honor to the talmid chacham or not, is their choice, but the 'gadlus' - the distinguished greatness, character, & leadership of a talmid chacham must intrinsically exist. It is part of k'vod shamayim that it be noticeable & it is a positive integral outcome of one's Torah study. It can be anticipated & looked forward to. The mishnah only warns that it should not be the primary GOAL of why you are learning. This is also precise in the word l'atzm'cha - because if you make the goal of your learning this gadlus - then it is not for the sake of k'vod Torah & Shamayim. If it is the 'ikkar', then it is self serving and wrong.
However, with regard to kavod - which is externally offered to the talmid chacham, (thus the abscence of the word l'atzm'cha) the mishnah tells you not to have an interest in it at all. Needless to say that may not be your goal in studying Torah, because to learn in order get something external is "using the crown" for personal gain! Rather the mishah must tell us not to anticipate kavod at all. Because when people see a talmid chacham appreciating the honor offered to him they might come to say that is why he learned in the first place.
Rashi defines 'yoser milimudcha, assay' as it sounds. Besides for Rabeinu Yonah's question of how is it possible to do more than you know, - which the language of our mishnah would not allow for his answer, (Earlier the mishnah was describing th 'gavra' one who has more deeds than knowledge' - & it can mean the potentia of his commitment. Here the mishnah is instructional.) another problem is what is the connection with the rest of the mishnah????
I believe we must answer that Rashi learns the mishnah is advising that one who finds himself caught in the desire for kavod to the extant that it becomes his reason for learning - lo lishmah - he may, & even should break from his learning somewhat to dedicate his focus on his deeds & character. (The Vilna Gaon says to break from learning and learn mussar.) Along the same line perhaps Rashi means to say that he should take a step down from his reserved lofty position of torah study & dedicate more time to being a 'simple jew' of good deeds who doesn't get that much recognition.
(Others learn the word 'yoser milimudcha' to mean more than you are accustomed. Ruach Chaim - more than you are accustomed you should always do more. Others don't have the word 'assay' - and understand the mishnah - don't covet more honor than you learn, or more than you are used to.)
Don't desire the table of sarim - it seems strange that we are discussing the refined character of a talmid chacham & he must be warned from desiring the delicacies of the rich person's dinner table? Also why does the mishnah say shulchan as opposed to the actual food or wealth? It also seems like there is actually nothing wrong with such a desire, only the mishnah dissuades us by saying we have better? Why is there less wrong with this desire that the others mentioned here?
The Medrash Shmuel explains the desire here is for the wonderful opportunities of tzedakah v'chessed that take place by rich man's table. We are not talking about the food or money, rather the 'table' hosting and generous availability of provisions that the rich man offers and provides for others. This is a known tactic of a Talmid Chacham's yetzer hora, to break from his full dedication to Torah study, in favor of limited study together with some business - not for selfish reasons, but for the oppotunity to provide for others. Regarding this the mishnah tells us "shulchancha gadol mishelahem" - You provide for others more than they do!!!! The whole world was provided for in the merit of the very poor "Chanina B'ni"! A Talmid chacham's torah study is the greatest act of chessed, providing for the entire world!
v'ne'eman bal milachtecha sheyishalem schar p'ulasecha' - what is the connection here? Why the title bal milacht'cha & schar peulascha?
Perhaps the talmid chacham can claim even if my merit provides for the world, 1) it is unintentional. & 2) we are considered agirei yoma anan, we're s'chirei yom in mitzvos who get paid for our time, not by what we produce. So the extra product of chessed for the world that is produced in the paid time of the learner shouldn't really be paid for so there is still something the talmid chacham is missing .
Therefore the Mishnah says
Bal melachteCHA will pay schar PE'ULASECHA - for what we produce. Even if min hadin a boss does not have to pay ba'al melachteCHA - Hashem certainly is ne'eman l'fnim min hadin to pay like a POEL. Alternatively, since Hashem is 'gaining' residually, & Hashem would have provided the world anyway, it is like a mkif v'nikif & the nikaf pays.
just another he'ara -perhaps the mishnah is addressing the other two crowns .alchus - kavod - external - ein melech bli AM. Kehunah - gedulah - intrinsic ma'alah of gadlus - Shluchei rachmana?
This is where the Rambam (talmud Torah 3.1) gets the notion that a talmid chacham may think these are higher goals...
The entire mishnah is a discussion of gadlus & k'vod Torah & although it warns the Talmid Chacham not to pursue them, we must realize the integral importance of honoring Torah & its learners. This week we begin mourning the churban - shelo barchu baTorah t'chilah - a lck of appreciation. More so the Maharsha (nedarim 81a) explains the Talmidei chachamim would allow amei ha'aretz the first aliyah, & they themselves were not mevarech "techila" before the others! Even if they should not pursue kavod & gadlus, they may not let k'vod Torah suffer.
