RAV KOOK ON Ki Teitzei Part 1: Rationale for Mitzvot

Are we capable of understanding the true reasons for the Torah’s commandments? Or should we be satisfied with the simple rationale that we perform mitzvot in order to fulfill what God wants us to do? “If you come across a bird’s nest ... You must first send away the mother, and only then may you take the young.” (Deut. 22:6-7) At first glance, the mitzvah to chase away the mother bird seems clearly to be an expression of Divine compassion for His creations. In fact, that is exactly what Maimonides wrote in his Guide for the Perplexed (III:48). However, we find the Talmud (Berachot 33b) explicitly states: “One who says in his prayers, ‘May Your compassion extend to us as it does for the mother bird’ ... should be silenced.” Maimonides explained that this Talmudic statement is according to the opinion that we should not to seek explanations for mitzvot. According to this position, the Torah’s mitzvot may only be understood as an expression of God’s Will and His divine decrees, and are beyond the grasp of the human intellect.