Mitzvos Meant To Make Us Merry?

Shiur #66 in Rav Aharon Kahn’s Hashkafah Series Based on Mishlei with Biur HaGra.

Content Description: Maharal's opinion that even though the Torah is good and pleasant, the mitzvos were not commanded in order to grant us, or instill in us, goodness and pleasantness. They are simply decrees of our Master. The Rambam's opinion regarding our ability to discern the reasons for mitzvos but not the reasons for the details of each mitzvah. The Ramban's opinion: mitzvos are for our benefit, but Hashem does not need our mitzvos. Ramban believes that mitzvos are to transform us into elevated and refined people. Maharal disagrees with both positions and holds that mitzvos serve supernaturally to free our souls from their being stuck in our physical state, and mitzvos allow the soul to cleave to Hashem. We have a very specific role in Hashem's Creation, which is accomplished through mitzvah performance, and that mechanism is unfathomable to us.

Citations: The following source is referenced in this shiur: Sefer Tiferes Yisroel of the Maharal of Prague, chapters 6-8 found in the source packets on pages 1-5.