The Purpose of the Mitzvot part 3

RAMBAM's "Guide for the Perplexed" sent shock waves through the Jewish world. The main reason that it does not do that very much today, is that the real issues that it deals with are now non-issues. Aristotelian concepts of the eternity of the Universe (as opposed to creation at a point in time), among others, and philosophical questions such as if G-d has attributes, does that contradict His unity, are not the big issues of our generation. In order to overcome such issues, RAMBAM posits a very distant, unknowable G-d. His foreknowledge makes prayer meaningless, except as an exercise in realizing our dependence on Him. He can only be perceived by philosophical inquiry. In fact, the Paradise envisioned by RAMBAM is the ultimate contemplation of Him. RAMBAM  is not a cold rationalist; he sees such contemplation, even in this life, as bringing one to a sense of ecstasy. In fact, Paradise only awaits those who have pursued such contemplation in this life. Philosophy, rather than Torah, is the ultimate goal. The mitzvot are seen as tangible reminders of G-d and His meaning. The mezzuzah on the door reminds us of His presence, as do the tefillin on our arm and head remind us of dedicating our hearts and minds to His reality. The Temple service was a concession rather than an ideal. Men were used to sacrificing. Rather than pagan rituals, including human sacrifice, we were given a toned-down sacrificial system that contains great lessons. Even the ketoret (incense)  of the Temple, which is seen in rabbinic literature as the most ethereal of the sacrifices, was seen by RAMBAM as merely having the function of removing the foul odors of the dead animals. Again, there were, and are, those who will interpret this mystically. Perhaps a "foul odor" means the forces of evil which must be banished. But RAMBAM would consider a belief in the "forces of evil" to be inconsistent with His unity and omnipresence. RAMBAM negates the existence of both angels and demons for this reason! Most controversial of all is his "Parable of the Island". He writes that there exists an island, on which is a palace, in which dwells a great king. People not living on the island, have no knowledge of any of this. Many live on the island who are unaware of the king. Some are aware, and circle the palace, but are unable to find the entrance. Only a few enter. RAMBAM explains: The people who know nothing of the island, the palace, or the king, are the pagans. Those living on the island, but are unaware of the palace, are the followers of other monotheistic religions. Those who circle the palace are the Torah scholars. Those who enter, are the philosophers. The Guide was hailed by many whose worldview was shaped by Aristotle. In Franco-Germany, the rabbis burned RAMBAM's books, all of them, in the public squares. Some defended his halachic works, while distancing themselves from the philosophical works, especially the Guide. Some refused to believe that the Guide was even written by RAMBAM. After all, if the Temple Service was merely a concession, why does it loom so large in the Torah (covering two-thirds of its commands). Moreover, RAMBAM's own halachic work, the Mishneh Torah, has a huge volume dedicated to the details of the Temple Service (like "how many priests carry the limbs of each sacrifice onto the altar?"). Indeed, if the purpose of the tefillin is to be a mere reminder, why does he go into such great detail in his halachic works about how they must be made, what the ink must be made of, how the parchment is to be processed? But, if they are mere reminders, do we really need to do these actions at all? Jewish humanism, as well as early Reform, used the idea of the commands being mere reminders, as a central feature in their ideology. indicating that the commands are really only suggestions, and that Judaism is primarily focused on ideas rather than actions. The shock-waves went out to the entire Jewish world. many theories came about, but they are still reverberating.