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The Sefer HaChinuch is known for giving reasons for the 613 mitvos, which is called טעמי המצוות. Seemingly, the reason to give reasons behind the mitzvos is as a הכרח, a motivation to ensure performance of the mitzvos.
There is one mitzva in this week’s Torah portion of Vayishlach, the third mitzva of the Torah, which is to not eat the גיד הנשה, the tendon of an animal’s thigh. As the Torah states, “Therefore Children of Israel are not to eat the displaced sinew on the hip-socket to this day, because he struck Yaakov’s hip-socket on the displaced sinew” (Breishis 32:33). The Sefer HaChinuch states, “When the Torah says “they shouldn’t eat it” this wasn’t said as a story, meaning parenthetically because this happened to the father then the children shouldn’t eat from that sinew, rather it is a warning from The Blessed Hashem that they shouldn’t eat it. The roots of this mitzvah are in order for there to be a hint to the Jews, that even though they have to deal with great sufferings at the hands of the gentiles in all the exiles, and specifically by the hands of the descendants of Eisav, but still they should have trust that they will never be wiped out. Rather their children and name will always rise up, and there will be their redemption from the hands of the enemy. And through constantly remembering this matter through this mitzvah being used as a reminder, then their faith and righteousness will be everlasting. This hint is based on the fact that this angel that fought with Yaakov Avinu, which tradition says was the ministering angel of Eisav, wanted to uproot Yaakov and his children from this world but he wasn’t able to. However, he hurt him with a blow to the thigh. So, to the descendants of Eisav have pained the descendants of Yaakov, and in the end you will have salvation from them. Just as we find by the father [Yaakov] when the sun rose he was healed and saved from the suffering, so to the sun of Moshiach shall rise for us and heal us from our suffering and our exile, amen, speedily in our days.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Sefer HaChinuch first tells us to fulfill this mitzvah of not eating the gid hanasheh because Hashem commanded us not to, and not because we have a mesora, tradition, from our forefather, Yaakov to not eat it. But then the Sefer HaChinuch gives a reason why we should observe this mitzva, as a hint to strengthen our belief and trust in Hashem, that He will eventually end our suffering and redeem us from exile, as He promised never to wipe us out.
Why isn’t just the fact that Yaakov, one of our forefathers, refrained from eating the gid hanashe because of a specific incident that happened to him, enough of a reason for his descendants to follow suit and keep this mitzvah? A tradition is a tradition. Chaza”l speak very highly of the concept of mesora, keeping and abiding by the link chain of our tradition from generation to generation. It is what binds the Torah together and ensures it’s continuity. If such a righteous and holy man as one of our forefathers, a progenitor of the Jewish People, had a tradition to not eat something, wouldn’t that be a noble enough reason to fulfill that mitzvah? Yet the Sefer HaChinuch says we should fulfill the mitzvah because Hashem said to, and not because of what our forefather did. What then is the point of giving a reason for observing this mitzva in the next paragraph that talks about the roots of the mitzva?
It must be that even the Sefer HaChinuch holds that ultimately the main intent when observing mitzvos must be because Hashem commanded and warned us to do so. Yet the Sefer HaChinuch felt he had to provide reasons behind the mitzvah, as a means to strengthen our emunah and bitachon in adhering to that mitzvah, for the sake of doing Hashem’s will. Therefore, any reasons given for why to fulfill the mitzva must be only to reenforce the belief that Hashem commanded us to keep this mitzva; and for no other reason should any mitzva be observed.