Emotional identification with the observance of the mitzvot

He does not write that he will not receive a reward for it, but that he is one of the wise men of the nations and not one of their followers. In my translation: Maybe it has value, but not religious value. This is not the work of God because the work of God is only out of obligation to a commandment. You can complicate things by the words of the Rambam himself, in the sixth chapter of eight chapters, which says that in the intellectual mitzvot there is a higher value for performing them out of identification, and in the auditory mitzvot the opposite. And these are your words. But there is no contradiction. I did not say that it is wrong to identify. On the contrary, it is worthwhile and appropriate to identify (if possible). But the motivation for doing so is not identification but commitment. And as an example of the introduction by Hagali Tal, who writes that those who think that there is no value in studying Torah out of joy and pleasure are mistaken. On the contrary, every morning we ask, “And in the evening, O Lord our God, put the words of Your Torah in our mouths.” But he adds that if one studies out of a desire for pleasure and joy, it is truly study for no other purpose. The test is whether one will study when one does not enjoy and rejoice. By the way, regarding this charity, the Gemara is explicit: so that my son may live or that I may merit the life of a righteous person. —————— Asks: And after I have reached identification, isn’t it better for me to fulfill the mitzvah out of a motivation of identification, and in such a way that the commitment will only serve as a lifeline for me in the event that I fall (or fail to reach) the level of identification? ——————– Rabbi: These are word games. When they say you will abide by the commitment, it means that even if you don’t identify with it, you abide by it. We’re not dealing here with questions of dosage, to the extent that they have any significance at all. One more thing. One must distinguish between the motivation by virtue of which you do things and what exists in your consciousness at the time of their existence. These are two different levels. You can give charity to the poor and at the same time experience great mercy for him and only marginally commit to God’s commandments. This is what is in your mind at the time of existence. The test for the question of motivation is what you would do if there were no identification or mercy. You are talking about the second level and I (and the Maimonides) deal with the first.