Rav Ovadiah ben Yaaqov Seforno (15^th cent CE, Cesena, Italy) writes in “Kavvanas haTorah” (se’ifim 2-3), one of the introductions to his commentary:

… [T]he contemplative person would continue to try to go in [Hashem’s] blessed good Ways, to resemble Him — in particular, to benefit the other as much as possible — in order to be desirable before [Hashem] and to cleave to Him. As He blessedly said, “and you shall make yourselves holy and you will be holy, for I Am Holy.” (Vayiqra 11:44) And our sages say (Shabbos 133b, quoting Abba Shaul), “‘This is my G-d, and I will glorify Him [ve’anveihu]’ (Shemos 15:2) — [Make yourself resemble Him]. Just as He is generous and compassionate, so to you should be generous and compassionate.” (Shabbos 133b, c.f. Rambam, Hil’ Dei’os 1:6) This is what we understood from the word “ve’anveihu — ani veHu, I and Him”, as to say, I will be like Him. (See Rashi, Shemos ad loc.)

With this, he will be enriched and enabled for eternal life more than anyone else. As it says, “Behold, [the heavens and the heavens-of-the-heavens, the earth and all that is in them] are for Hashem your G-d. But only your ancestors did Hashem long to love them…” (Devarim 10:14-15) Similarly, they z”l said, “The righteous are greater than the ministering angels.” (Sanhedrin 93a) And with this, he will accomplish the purpose intended by [Hashem], may He be blessed, for the human species. All these parts were [true of] our holy ancestors and some of the tzidiqim of the generations before the giving of the Torah, which is how they “found favor before Him” (as we quoted before, see also Bereishis 6:8) like justice for those who love His name.

However, the intent of the practical aspect of [serving Hashem] is a derivative intent, and that is to prepare people and bring them along the original intent [that is: to benefit others] and to be drawn after it. Behold this derivative intent of the physical aspect is described by the phrase, “[Wisdom built her home,] she has carved out her seven pillars” (Mishlei 9:1):

1. For a few of the mitzvos, like the structure of the Beis haMiqdash and its holy [utensils] and the uniforms of those who serve in it, the service and the taharah of those consecrated to it, and the gifts to those who do the service [terumah, maaser, etc…] are all in focus the pure heart to the primary purpose. In the submissiveness which which brings the qorban, in how he stands over it, his intent in the details of its service, his prayer, his confession as he presses on the qorban‘s head, and to keep away from anything oppressive and defiling, like a clique of sheidim, the spirit of desire, etc…. To awaken teshuvah in all these matters, there is the confession and deprivations of Yom Kippur.
2. Some [mitzvos] are given to distance oneself from confused ideologies. In the guarding that which is declared holy, that they are called in Hashem’s name, the masses are also thereby caused to stay away from confused ideologies. And it informs them of the adornment of true statements and true ideas, and the way to observe the mitzvos of the blessed G-d, to be like Him, according to the power of those who receive, through acts of lovingkindness, etc….
3. Some of them are to repair the tools of the mind in its reproductive desires, such as in sexual prohibitions, niddah, zavah, etc…
4. Some of them are to repair their food appetites, like the prohibitions against some foods.
5. Some as a sign
   ver. 1 (Bar Ilan): and a memorial for the covenant that He made with our ancestors.

   ver. 2 (Cooperman 5792): that “for Hashem’s portion is His nation, Yaaqov is the core of His heritage.” (Devarim 32:9), like

   the underlying matter of beris milah and Shabbos.
6. Some are reminders to serve, like tzitzis, tefillin and mezuzah.
7. And some are for correcting how the home and country are run, like the mishpatim, etc…

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The similarity to Rav Shimon Shkop’s philosophy should be obvious to readers of this blog. Enough that it is surprising Rav Shimon doesn’t quote the Seforno.

Both take the commandment to be holy like Hashem Is, and note that emulating Him is consistently framed in Chazal in terms of emulating His Middos, or for the philosophical purist, the middos we find in His Action. That we are to live to “benefit the other.” And both find the meaning in all mitzvos in their potential to make us better sharers of His good. Different pesuqim as sources, same thesis.

יתברך הבורא ויתעלה היוצר שבראנו בצלמו ובדמות תבניתו, וחיי עולם נטע בתוכנו שיהיה אדיר חפצנו, להיטיב עם זולתנו, ליחיד ולרבים בהוה ובעתיד בדמות הבורא כביכול. שכל מה שברא ויצר היה רצונו יתברך רק להיטיב עם הנבראים, כן רצונו יתברך שנהלך בדרכיו כאמור ״וְהָלַכְתָ בִדְרָכָיו״, היינו, שנהיה אנחנו בחירי יצוריו, מגמתנו תמיד להקדיש כוחותינו הגופניים והרוחניים לטובת הרבים, כפי ערכנו, ולדעתי כל ענין זה נכלל במצות ה׳ של ״קְדֹשִים תִהְיוּ.״

לכן נראה לפי עניות דעתי, שבמצוה זו כלול כל יסוד ושורש מגמת תכלית חיינו, שיהיו כל עבודתנו ועמלנו תמיד מוקדשים לטובת הכלל, שלא נשתמש בשום מעשה ותנועה, הנאה ותענוג שלא יהיה בזה איזה ענין לטובת זולתנו, וכמובן בכל הקדשות שהוא התיחדות למטרה נכבדה, והנה כשהאדם מישר הליכותיו ושואף שתמיד יהיו דרכי חייו מוקדשים להכלל ,אז כל מה שעושה גם לעצמו להבראת גופו ונפשו הוא מתיחס גם כן אל מצות קדושה, … אבל ברעיון ושאיפת הרוח מתרחבת מצוה, זו גם על כל מפעליו ומעשיו של האדם גם בינו לבין המקום,

Blessed shall be the Creator, and exalted shall be the Maker, Who created us in His “Image” and in the likeness of His “Structure,” and planted eternal life within us, so that our greatest desire should be to benefit others, to individuals and to the masses, now and in the future in imitation of the Creator (so to speak). For everything He created and formed was according to His Will (may it be blessed) only to be good to the creations. So too His Will is that we walk in His Ways. As it says, “and you shall walk in His Ways.” (Devarim 28:9) That is, that we, the select of what He made — should constantly hold as our purpose to sanctify our physical and spiritual abilities, for the good of the many, according to our abilities. In my opinion, this whole concept is included in Hashem’s mitzvah [of] “Be holy, [for I am Holy].” (Vayiqra 19:2)

And so, it appears to my limited understanding that this mitzvah includes the entire foundation and root of the purpose of our lives. All of our work and effort should constantly be sanctified to benefiting the community. We should not use any act, movement, or get benefit or enjoyment that doesn’t have in it some element of helping another. And as understood, all holiness is being set apart for an honorable purpose. Behold, when a person straightens his path and strives constantly to make his lifestyle dedicated to the community, then anything he does even for himself, for the health of his body and soul, he also associates to the mitzvah of being holy. … But with insight and the calling of spirituality, this mitzvah broadens to include everything a person causes or does even between him and the Omnipresent.

We get one important addition to the picture with this look at the Seforno. In the Seforno we find a taxonomy to analyze ritual mitzvos in the context of an Other-Focused Orthodoxy. A direction Rav Shimon doesn’t explore in his haqdamah.

Ritual in halakhah serves to:

1. The beis hamiqdash and all its ritual create an atmosphere that keeps us focused on holiness and our mission to benefit others.
2. To impart true ideas so that we don’t veer into ideologies that take us off mission.
3. To harness and sublimate physical desires, like sex
4. … and food.
5. Symbols of the beris and the uniquely Jewish mission to spread the Divine Word.
6. Daily reminders to serve — like tzitzis, tefillin, mezuzah. (I assume this is in contrast to the big nation-sized culture setting atmosphere of #1.)
7. Mitzvos that themselves guide the proper running of social interaction.