In my response to Amba’s essay on “spiritual nomads”, I emphasized the inappropriateness of claiming to extract wisdom from Judaism without also embracing the mitzvot. This point is reinforced by a gemara in M. Shabbat (88b-89a).
At the time of the giving of the Torah, the rabbis explain, the angels appeared before God and asked regarding Moshe, “What business has one born of woman among us?” God replied that he is here to receive the Torah. The angels were outraged. How can God’s greatest gift be given to mere flesh and blood; it should be given to the angels instead. Moshe answered:
Sovereign of the Universe! The Torah which you give me, what is written in it? “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the Land of Egypt.” Said he to them [the angels], Did you go down to Egypt; were you enslaved to Pharaoh: why then should the Torah be yours?… “You shall have no other gods” - do you dwell among peoples that engage in idol worship?… “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” - do you then perform work, that you need to rest?… “Honor your father and thy mother” - have you fathers and mothers?… You shall not murder”, “You shall not commit adultery”, “You shall not steal” - is there jealousy among you? Is the Evil Tempter among you? They [the angels] conceded to the Holy One, blessed be He.
On this passage, my rebbe R. Sobolofsky asks an obvious question. What were the angels really asking for? Didn’t they know that, not having physical bodies, the mitzvot would be of no use to them? He offers the following answer: The angels were asking for the wisdom of the Torah, for a way to grow close to God by studying His greatest treasure. Moshe answered them that this is impossible. The Torah’s wisdom is inextricably tied with the specific mitzvot that must be observed here on earth. You cannot have one without the other.