Halakhah su Proverbi 9:12

Behold, they explained that the deterrent to our [understanding of] the explanations of the commandments is only from the blindness of our intellects; and that the explanation of the most difficult one of them was already revealed to the sages of Israel. And there are many such statements in their words - and in the Torah and in Scripture, very many. And Rambam, may his memory be blessed, mentioned some of them. But [as far] those homiletic teachings (aggadot) with which the Teacher was challenged, according to [Ramban's] opinion, they are about a different matter: that they wanted to say that there is no benefit in the commandments to the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself, may He be blessed. Rather, the benefit is for the person, himself, to deter him from harm or a bad belief or an ugly trait or to remember wonders of the Creator, may He be blessed, [so as] to remember God. And this is [what was meant by] "to refine them with them" - that they should be like refined silver. As the action of the one who refines silver is not without explanation, but [rather] to remove all the dross. So too are the commandments to remove from him any bad belief and to inform him of the truth and to always remind him. And the language of the aggadah itself in Yilamdenu in the section, 'This is the animal ' (Midrash Tanchuma, Shmini 8) is "And for what would the Holy One, blessed be He, care if one slaughters a beast and eats or stabs [it] and eats? Does it help Him or hurt Him at all? Or what would He care whether one would eat pure foods or eat carcasses? 'And if you have been wise, you have been wise for yourself.' Behold, the commandments were only given to refine the creatures with them, as it states (Psalms 12:7), 'The words of the Lord are pure words'; 'The word of the Lord is refined' (Psalms 18:31). Why? So that it will a shield for you."