Mitzvot are a blessing and not a burden TB Makkot 23

Do you know that Jewish scholars who specialize in the second Temple period have contributed introductions and commentaries on each of the books of the Christian Testament entitled The Jewish annotated New Testament? At the back of the book there are background essays the reader to give context and Jewish understanding to Jewish-Christian concepts.

Amy-Jill Levine’s article “Bearing False Witness: Common Errors Made about Early Judaism” writes “First, as part of a broader theological view that contrasts Jewish ‘law’ with Christian ‘grace,’ some Christians may believe that the Law (Torah) is impossible to follow, ‘a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear’ (Acts 15. 10), as opposed to Jesus’ ‘easy yoke’ (see Mt 11.29-30). In actuality, Jews, then and now, did not find Torah observance any more burdensome than citizens in most countries find their country’s laws today. As Deuteronomy 30.11a states, ‘surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you.’ Furthermore, modern states have more laws than there are in all the ancient Jewish sources combined.” (page 501)

I never looked at the mitzvot as a burden. Just the opposite, they were God’s gift to the Jewish people. Who doesn’t want more gifts than less? The end of the last Mishna of our massekhet found on today’s daf TB Makkot 23 expressed my feelings.

“Rabbi Ḥananya ben Akashya says: The Holy One, Blessed be He, sought to confer merit upon the Jewish people; therefore, He increased for them Torah and mitzvot, as each mitzva increases merit, as it is stated: “It pleased the Lord for the sake of His righteousness to make the Torah great and glorious” (Isaiah 42:21). God sought to make the Torah great and glorious by means of the proliferation of mitzvot.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Rambam in his commentary on the Mishna explains what a wonderful gift the mitzvot are when explaining what exactly Rabbi Ḥananya ben Akashya meant.

“It is among the fundamental principles of the Torah that when an individual fulfills one of the 613 commandments in a fit and proper manner, not combining with it any aspect of worldly intent but rather doing it for its own sake, out of love, then they merit the World to Come through this single act. This is what R' Hananya meant - being that the Holy One have us so many commandments it is impossible that in a lifetime one not do a single one in a full and proper manner, and in doing so their soul will live through that act. When R' Hananya ben Tradiyon's asked 'will I merit to life in the coming world' and received the response 'have you ever done anything?' this also indicated the same principle. The answer he received meant 'have you ever had the chance to do one of the commandments properly?' His answer was that he once had the chance to give tzedaka in a wholehearted fashion, as much as is possible, and it was through this that he merited to life in the World to Come.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Everybody knowingly or unknowingly has observed at least one mitzvah wholeheartedly without expecting a reward and thus merit a life in the World to Come. Instead of a burden, mitzvot are a blessing.