The reason for Karbonos (Kuzari and Rambam View)

The Kuzari has a very innovative view on the reason for korbanos. He analogizes the korban to a human eating. There is seemingly an interesting paradox in that physical material that the physical body intakes somehow manages to keep the spiritual Neshama in the body. The interesting point about it is here you have a physical machine, somehow the spirit resides in the body (as the Rama says that is the bracha in Asher Yatzar of "Mofli La'asos" that a spirit can remain contained in a physical container is a Nes). The spirit will leave the body at its determined time. However, one can cause the spirit to leave by simply not feeding the body its physical needs. So you have a situation where a spiritual entity resides in a physical space and needs some kind of physical nourishment to keep it there.

The Kuzari explains Karbanos this way. The Karbon is physical nourishment for the Shechina and keeps the Shecina in this physical world. When we had the Bais Hamikdash and we didn't bring Karbonos the Shechina would leave the physical world. Just like the body has its physical rules as to what nourishes it so to the Shecina has rules as to what it need to nourish it to keep it in its body which is our universe

Just an interesting point about the Rambams view of karbanos and about the Rambam in general. The Rambam explains the reason for Karbanos in Moreh Nevuchim and the famous Ramban in Parshas Vayikra takes the Rambam to task. Many question the Rambams view and it is very hard to understand how the Rambam could have such a seemingly limited perspective on such a great Mitzva and seemingly important aspect of the Torah. I'm not here to explain the Rambams view or to answer any of the Ramban's or other meforshim's questions. However the Rambam in the end of ספר מעילה where he discusses מצות ן in general and חוקים specifically writes " וכל הקרבנות כולם מכלל החוקים הם, אמרו חכמים שבשביל עבודת הקרבנות העולם עומד. Obviously the Rambam recognized a much broader view of קרבנות than what her writes in מורה. Before we take the רמב"ם to task for anything he writes we must have a full perspective of all his writings and try to reconcile it with what he writes regarding a specific issue when he tries to make a specific point. The Rambam"s veltanschung was very broad and cannot be construed based on a specific explanation about one topic especially in מורה.