Introduction to the Purpose of Man in this World

5. Ramchal, 138 Principles of Wisdom #4 – The revelation of God’s glory that comes about when evil gives way to good is the greatest pleasure for the soul.

The Infinite Light, Blessed be He, wanted to give the ultimate good, one in which there would be not a trace of embarrassment on the side of the recipient. Therefore, in actuality He withheld the revelation of His complete unity, though there is nothing which He cannot do and He has no lack. But He chose to direct things in such a way that there would be a process by which evil will be transformed to good. That is, by giving room at the beginning for evil to do what it will, but in the end every defect will be fixed as all evil will become truly good. In that way the unity will be revealed, and this is the greatest pleasure for the souls.

רצה הא"ס ב"ה להיות מיטיב הטבה שלמה, שלא יהיה אפילו בושת למקבלים אותו. ושיער לגלות בפועל יחודו השלם - שאין שום מניעה נמצאת לפניו, ולא שום חסרון. לכן שם ההנהגה הזאת שהוא מנהג, שבה יהיה בפועל החזרת הרע לטוב, דהיינו במה שנתן בתחילה מקום לרע לעשות את שלו, ובסוף הכל כבר כל קלקול נתקן, וכל רעה חוזרת לטובה ממש. והרי היחוד מתגלה, שהוא עצמו תענוגן של נשמות:

The process of transforming evil to good is synonymous with the process of the revelation of God’s unity or glory. This process is the means through which we earn our perfection and attachment to God, to be experienced for eternity in the world to come.

6. Rabbi Chaim Freidlander, Commentary to Da'at Tevunot, pg. 18 – Bestowing kindness is the goal of creation; revealing God’s glory is the manner in which it is received.

These two concepts – the revelation of God’s unity and creation for the sake of bestowing kindness – stem from the same root: the purpose of creation was in order to bestow kindness to the creation, while the method of the kindness is the revelation of God’s glory, for that alone created the possibility for kindness – so that the way the kindness is received is by way of earning it through our own effort, and not as a free handout. As such, the concept of revealing God’s unity explains three basic steps: 1) the need for imperfection in creation, 2) the possibility for man’s contribution by way of perfecting himself and revealing God’s unity, and 3) receiving reward, which is also a function of the revelation of God’s unity since in proportion to one’s attachment to God one will delight in His revelation ever more deeply until the eternal heights of the World to Come.

שתי מגמות אלה – גילוי יחודו ובריאת העולם למען קבלת חסדו – עולות בקנה אחד: כוונת הבריאה היא למען התחסד עם הבריות, אופן החסד הוא גילוי יחודו יתברך, כי רק הוא נותן אפשרות לשלימות החסד – שנקבל את החסד בזכות על ידי עבודתנו, ולא במתנת חינם. לכן מענין היחוד נמשכו כל שלושת השלבים: 1) צורך בחסרונות, 2) אפשרות עבודת האדם – שהוא ישלים את עצמו ויגלה את יחודו יתברך, 3) קבלת שכרו, שגם הוא מענין גילוי היחוד. כי לפי מידת דביקותם בה' יהנו מגילוי יחודו, ועל ידי השגת גילוי יחודו יותר ויותר עמוקה עד אין קץ תהיה העליה האין-סופית בעולם הבא.

While the ultimate revelation of God’s glory and the ultimate reward for our actions is only truly realized in the World to Come, nevertheless we do enjoy a certain level of pleasure (albeit a fraction!) even in this world. The pleasure referred to in all these sources comes from an awareness of being attached to the Infinite, a spiritual pleasure we experience when we glimpse the glory of God.

Practically speaking we can feel this pleasure when we attach to God through learning His Torah or performing His mitzvot (the word mitzvah itself actually means attachment, from the root tzevet). So, too, when we perform acts and develop positive character traits that resemble God’s acts and traits, we are attaching ourselves to Infinity. Additionally, although in a much more subtle and perhaps more superficial way, we feel this sense of attachment to “something beyond” when we appreciate the wisdom and grandeur of God’s creation.
7. Irving M. Bunim, Ethics from Sinai, pg. 403 – There are many ways to experience the pleasure of attaching to the Infinite.

With the Torah, Jewry can realize that the world as a whole is an affirmation and exaltation of His majesty. So Jewry accepts the Torah as a life-plan, to live in harmony with His world and to enhance His honor. But even if a human being has never learned the Torah, in a moment of poetic vision he may see in the natural world about him the utter truth of this last teaching of Pirkei Avot (that the world was created for God’s glory). A great expanse of rippling water reflecting sunlight, a bird or gazelle in sudden flight, a flower opening in bloom, may all bring a new sense of wonder. A mighty burst of jagged lightning and rolling thunder can bring a new sense of awe. The scientist peering through a microscope at the bewildering variety of minute forms of life or the amazing actions of living cells; the astronomer gazing through his telescope night after night at distant pinpoints of light and marking his calculations – these and their kind can be seized with sudden fear, a great trembling at the vast mysterious forces they sense beyond their understanding.

Class Summary: Why did God create the world? Why are we here? God is the Ultimate Good, and the nature of good is to want to bestow good upon others. God created the world so that He would have someone (namely, man) upon whom to bestow His goodness. But since a person feels ashamed to receive something without earning it, God placed man in a physical world in which he would be able to exercise free choice to act in accordance with God's will, or the opposite, and in such a way earning his eternal reward, thus making the good that God would bestow upon him complete. In this sense, God placed His own glory in the hands of man: If we fulfill our purpose in bringing glory to God, we earn the good that He wishes to bestow upon us. The task of man is to overcome the wiles and temptations of the yetzer hara, and to use the power of free will to choose good, meaning following God's will, over evil. To this end, man must pass numerous and constant trials and tests, which, if he passes, sustains him in the World to Come. What are the “important things in life”? This world is a place to prepare for the World to Come; it is not an end in itself. Consequently, the things that are important in life are those that aid us in achieving that ultimate purpose. Enjoying the physical pleasures of this world, amassing luxuries, and achieving material betterment should not be considered the priorities of one’s life. The performance of mitzvot, Torah study, acts of kindness, and character refinement are the tools with which we can earn our eternal reward and achieve our purpose on this planet. God has placed the world – the physical world we know, and even the spiritual worlds above us – in our hands. This provides us with a great opportunity for making the world a better place (an abode for the Divine Presence), but also places a great responsibility on our shoulders. We strive to align our priorities with these goals. Do I have an individual mission in life? Every individual is required to observe mitzvot, study the Torah, be kind to others, and work on refining one’s character to the best of one’s ability. But although these are general guidelines, each individual is also created with his own individualized set of strengths and weaknesses, and God’s Providence places each person in a unique set of life circumstances that determine the tests with which he will be faced over the course of his life. Each person has an individual course, destiny, and role to play in the overarching purpose of the world. Each individual must look at the abilities he possesses and the challenges he faces, and recognize that they will determine his path in life. Every person should strive serve God to the best of his ability in the situation that God has given him.