The Purpose of Creation

בראשית ברא IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED — This verse calls aloud for explanation in the manner that our Rabbis explained it: God created the world for the sake of the Torah which is called (Proverbs 8:22) “The beginning (ראשית) of His (God’s) way”, and for the sake of Israel who are called (Jeremiah 2:3) “The beginning (ראשית) of His (God’s) increase’’.

Whatever the Holy Blessed One created in His world, he created only for His glory, as it is said: “All who are linked to My name, whom I have created, formed and made for My glory” (Isaiah 43:7), And it says: “The Lord shall reign for ever and ever” (Exodus 15:18).

Rav Yehuda said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, only created His world so that people would fear before Him, as it is stated: “And God has so made it that men should fear before Him” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

PREMUNDANE CREATION, AND THE WORK OF THE FIRST DAY
R. ELIEZER BEN HYRḲANOS opened (his discourse with the text), "Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord, or shew forth all his praise?" (Ps. 106:2). Is there any man who can utter the mighty acts of the Holy One, blessed be He, or who can shew forth all His praise? Not even the ministering angels are able to narrate (the Divine praise). But to investigate a part of His mighty deeds with reference to what He has done, and what He will do in the future (is permissible), so that His name should be exalted among His creatures, whom He has created, from one end of the world || to the other, as it is said, "One generation to another shall laud thy works" (Ps. 145:4). Before the world was created, the Holy One, blessed be He, with His Name alone existed, and the thought arose in Him to create the world...

Forthwith the Holy One, blessed be He, took counsel with the Torah whose name is Tushijah (Stability or Wisdom) with reference to the creation of the world. (The Torah) replied and said to Him: Sovereign of the worlds ! if there be no host for the king and if there be no camp for the king, over whom does he rule? If there be no people to praise the king, where is the honour of the king? The Holy One, blessed be He, heard this and it pleased Him. The Torah spake: The Holy One, blessed be He, took counsel with me concerning the creation of the world, as it is said, "Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge; I am understanding; I have might" (Prov. 8:14). Hence they say, Every government which has no counsellors is not a proper government. Whence do we know this? From the government of the House of David which employed counsellors, as it is said, "And Jonathan David's uncle was a counsellor, a man of understanding, and a scribe" (1 Chron. 27:32). If the government of the House of David had counsellors, how much more so should other people act likewise. This is of benefit to them, as it is said, "But he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise" (Prov. 12:15), || and (Scripture) says, "But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety" (Prov. 11:14).

(Numb. 7:1), “So it came to pass on the day that Moses had finished.” Rav says, “Every place where it is stated, ‘So it came to pass (wayehi),’ [is referring to] something new”; but R. Simeon says, “Every place where it says, ‘So it came to pass (wayehi)’ [is referring to] something which existed, has ceased [to exist] for a long time, and has returned to be as it was.

This text is related (to Cant. 5:1), “When I come to my garden, my sister bride.” R. Samuel bar Nahman said, “When the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He longed to have an abode below just as He had on high. Having created Adam, He commanded and said to him (in Gen. 2:16–17), ‘You may freely eat of any tree in the garden; But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you may not eat of it.’ Then he transgressed against his commandment. The Holy One, blessed be He, said this to him, ‘This is what I longed for, that just as I have a dwelling on high, I would likewise have one below. Now when I have given you one command, you have not kept it. Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, removed His Divine Presence [up] to the first firmament. Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Gen. 3:8), “Then they heard the voice of the Lord God moving about in the garden.” [Now when they transgressed His commandment, He had [only] removed His divine presence to the first firmament.] [When] Cain arose and killed Abel, He immediately removed His Divine Presence from the first firmament to the second firmament…. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘I created seven firmaments, and up to now there are wicked ones [still] arising upon [the world].’ What did He do? He folded away all the generations of the wicked and raised up our father Abraham. When our father Abraham arose and performed good works, the Holy One, blessed be He, immediately descended from the seventh firmament to the sixth. [When] Isaac arose and stretched out his neck upon the altar, He descended from the sixth firmament to the fifth…. [When] Moses arose, he brought down [the Divine Presence] to earth, as stated (in Exod 19:20), ‘And the Lord came down onto Mount Sinai.’” And [so] it is written (in Cant. 5:1), “When I come to my garden, my sister bride.” When? When the Tabernacle was set up.

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...But of those who accept our theory that the whole Universe has been created from nothing, some hold that the inquiry after the purpose of the Creation is necessary, and assume that the Universe was only created for the sake of man's existence, that he might serve God. Everything that is done they believe is done for man's sake; even the spheres move only for his benefit, in order that his wants might be supplied. The literal meaning of some passages in the books of the prophets greatly support this idea. Comp. "He formed it (viz., the earth) to be inhabited" (Isa. 45:18); "If my covenant of day and night were not," etc. (Jer. 33:25); "And spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in" (Isa. 40:22). If the sphere existed for the sake of man, how much more must this be the case with all other living beings and the plants. On examining this opinion as intelligent persons ought to examine all different opinions, we shall discover the errors it includes. Those who hold this view, namely, that the existence of man is the object of the whole creation, may be asked whether God could have created man without those previous creations, or whether man could only have come into existence after the creation of all other things. If they answer in the affirmative, that man could have been created even if, e.g., the heavens did not exist, they will be asked what is the object of all these things, since they do not exist for their own sake but for the sake of something that could exist without them? Even if the Universe existed for man's sake and man existed for the purpose of serving God, as has been mentioned, the question remains, What is the end of serving God? He does not become more perfect if all His creatures serve Him and comprehend Him as far as possible; nor would He lose anything if nothing existed beside Him. It might perhaps be replied that the service of God is not intended for God's perfection; it is intended for our own perfection,--it is good for us, it makes us perfect. But then the question might be repeated, What is the object of our being perfect?

We must in continuing the inquiry as to the purpose of the creation at last arrive at the answer, It was the Will of God, or His Wisdom decreed it; and this is the correct answer. The wise men in Israel have, therefore, introduced in our prayers (for Ne‘ilah of the Day of Atonement) the following passage:--"Thou hast distinguished man from the beginning, and chosen him to stand before Thee; who can say unto Thee, What dost Thou? And if he be righteous, what does he give Thee?" They have thus clearly stated that it was not a final cause that determined the existence of all things, but only His will. This being the case, we who believe in the Creation must admit that God could have created the Universe in a different manner as regards the causes and effects contained in it, and this would lead to the absurd conclusion that everything except man existed without any purpose, as the principal object, man, could have been brought into existence without the rest of the creation.

I consider therefore the following opinion as most correct according to the teaching of the Bible, and best in accordance with the results of philosophy; namely, that the Universe does not exist for man's sake, but that each being exists for its own sake, and not because of some other thing. Thus we believe in the Creation, and yet need not inquire what purpose is served by each species of the existing things, because we assume that God created all parts of the Universe by His will; some for their own sake, and some for the sake of other beings, that include their own purpose in themselves. In the same manner as it was the will of God that man should exist, so it was His will that the heavens with their stars should exist, that there should be angels, and each of these beings is itself the purpose of its own existence. When anything can only exist provided some other thing has previously existed, God has caused the latter to precede it; as, e.g., sensation precedes comprehension. We meet also with this view in Scripture "The Lord hath made everything (la-ma‘anehu) for its purpose (Prov. 16:4). It is possible that the pronoun in la-maanehu refers to the object; but it can also be considered as agreeing with the subject; in which case the meaning of the word is, for the sake of Himself, or His will which is identical with His self [or essence], as has been shown in this treatise. We have also pointed out that His essence is also called His glory. The words, "The Lord hath made everything for Himself, "express therefore the same idea as the following verse, "Everything that is called by my name: I have created it for my glory, I have formed it; yea, I have made it" (Isa. 43:7); that is to say, everything that is described as My work has been made by Me for the sake of My will and for no other purpose. The words, "I have formed it," "I have made it," express exactly what I pointed out to you, that there are things whose existence is only possible after certain other things have come into existence. To these reference is made in the text, as if to say, I have formed the first thing which must have preceded the other things, e.g., matter has been formed before the production of material beings; I have then made out of that previous creation, or after it, what I intended to produce, and there was nothing but My will. Study the book which leads all who want to be led to the truth, and is therefore called Torah (Law or Instruction), from the beginning of the account of the Creation to its end, and you will comprehend the opinion which we attempt to expound. For no part of the creation is described as being in existence for the sake of another part, but each part is declared to be the product of God's will, and to satisfy by its existence the intention [of the Creator]. This is expressed by the phrase, "And God saw that it was good" (Gen. 1:4, etc.). You know our interpretation of the saying of our Sages, "Scripture speaks the same language as is spoken by man." But we call "good" that which is in accordance with the object we seek. When therefore Scripture relates in reference to the whole creation (Gen. 1:31), "And God saw all that He had made, and behold it was exceedingly good," it declares thereby that everything created was well fitted for its object, and would never cease to act, and never be annihilated. This is especially pointed out by the word "exceedingly"; for sometimes a thing is temporarily good; it serves its purpose, and then it fails and ceases to act. But as regards the Creation it is said that everything was fit for its purpose, and able continually to act accordingly.

Know that the ancients investigated a great investigation – in that they were given wisdom and proper thought – until it became established for them that everything that exists, perforce, requires a purpose for which it has its existence. As it is not for an empty thing that what exists, exists. And when this general rule became established for them, they began to discern all of what exists to know the purpose of all of the species in existence. And they saw that anything that exists which is crafted – [by which] I mean to say it was made for a craft (for a specific use) – its purpose is known and there is no need to investigate about that thing; since the craftsman would not not do the work unless its purpose was sketched in [his] heart. And the example of this is like it is said that the blacksmith only makes a saw after he has thought in his heart how he can separate the wood's bonds, until the form of the saw becomes revealed to his heart and he begins to make it in order to cut with it. If so, we know that the intention of the saw is to raise it to the wood (to cut it); and the intention of the axe is to [chop] with it; and the intention of the needle is to connect one garment with another garment; and [so, too] with all things that exist, the existence of which is crafted.

But that which was created by Divine crafting and natural wisdom – for example, types of trees and grasses and types of quarries in the ground and types of stones and types of animals – there are some of them for which the purpose of their existence is hidden and no one knows it at all; unless it is made known by prophecy or with the power to know the future, but it is impossible with rational investigation. [This is] because it is not within man's ability to investigate to the point that he will understand and know for what reason nature produced some ants with wings and some without wings; and the reason it also produced [insects] with many legs and others with few legs; and what is the purpose of this [insect] and that ant. But with things that are larger than this – [that] their action is more revealed – however, the advantage of the men of wisdom in knowing the purpose of their creation is revealed. And according to one being wiser and [more] impassioned and of clear thought, so will his knowledge be more complete. And therefore, when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave to Shlomo the wisdom He promised him, he knew from the secrets of the creation of these types that are possible for a person to know, [but only] inasmuch as he is a person. And he spoke about the purpose of the creation of trees and grasses and types of life, as Scripture stated (I Kings 5:13), "He spoke about trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall; and he spoke about beasts, birds, creeping things, and fishes." And this was testimony that he had a Divine spirit within him. And it stated afterward, "And they came from all of the nations to hear Solomon’s wisdom."

However, in general, one should know that all of what exists under the sphere of the moon came into existence only for man. And [with regards to] all types of animals, there are some of them for his food – like sheep and cattle and the rest of them; and there are some for his use, for [things] other than foods – like the donkey to carry upon it that which he cannot bring in his hand, and horses to reach with them the path of a long journey in a few days; and there are types of them that we do not know their purpose, but they have a use for man and we [just] don't recognize [it]. And so [too with] trees and plants: some of them are for his food and some of them are for his healing from his illnesses; and so [too with] grasses and other species. And [regarding] everything that you find from the animals and the plants that does not have a use [for] nourishment, and there is no [other use] for it according to your thinking, know that this thing is from the weakness of our intellects. And it is impossible for any grass or for any fruit of for any type of animal – from the elephants to the worms – that it not have a use for man. And the proof to this is that, behold, in each and every generation, grasses and types of fruit that were not known to those before us are revealed to us, and they have great uses. And it is not in the ability of man for his mind to encompass the use of every plant of the earth. However, the matter becomes revealed over the generations, by means of experimentation. However if you will say, why were the lethal plants created – for example the grass that is called byish and 'blood grass' – which a man can die from and they do not have a use; it is fitting for you to know that they do have a use. For if they kill when [people] eat it, they do not kill when they use it as a salve on the surface of the body. And when you recognize that there is great use for man in the viper and in the snakes, all the more so [should we expect usefulness] from that which are less damaging than they.

And when they found that the purpose of all of these matters was for the existence of man, we needed to likewise investigate why man exists and what was the intention of his creation. And when they spent much time investigating this matter, they found that man has very many activities. As, behold, all types of animals and trees have only one activity or two activities; just as we see that palm trees have no activity besides putting out dates, and so [too with] the other trees. And so [too with] the animals, you will find among them one that only weaves like the spider and one that builds like the shemaimit – which is small wild bird that nests in homes during the hot season – and one that devours like the lion. But man does many actions – one differing from the other. And they investigated his activities – [each] activity – to know the purpose of his creation, from these activities. And they found that his purpose is one activity alone, and that because of it, he was created. And the rest of his activities are to maintain his support so that he perfect himself in that activity. And that activity is to depict for himself the intellectual secrets and to know the truths, according to what they are. As it is to be reasoned that it be worthless and false that the purpose of man is for eating and drinking and sexual intercourse or to build a wall, since all of these events that recur to him do not add to his inner power; and also since he shares this with most of the animals. And wisdom is that which adds to his inner power and takes him from the level of disgrace to the level of honor – as behold, he was a man in potential and he became a man in actuality, [since] before man understands and knows, he is considered like an animal. He is only distinguished from other types of animals by [his] reasoning – as he is [unique in being] a reasoning life-form – meaning to say through the reasoning with which he depicts ideas to himself. And the most honored of the ideas to depict to himself is the unity of the Holy One, blessed be He, and all that accompanies that matter from the theological. As the other wisdoms are only to train him in them, until he reaches the knowledge of Divinity. And discussion about this to its end would be very lengthy.

However the depiction of ideas necessitates the distancing of most bodily pleasures; as the beginning of understanding will depict that the ruin of the soul [comes] from the enhancement of the body, and the enhancement of the soul [comes] from the ruin of the body. As when a man pursues desires and increases the physical over the intellectual and turns his intellect to his desires until, he returns to being like an animal that only depicts for itself eating, drinking and intercourse, the Divine power [in man] – meaning to say, the intellect – is no longer known. And he then returns to being as if he were a reduced and lowly creature in a sea of hyle – and the explanation of a sea of hyle is emptiness (tohu). And it has become clear from these introductions that the purpose of the world and all that is in it is the wise and good man. And when it becomes clear to a man that he is from the type of men that are of mind and deed – I mean to say with mind, to depict with his intellect the truth of things according to what they are, and to grasp all that is possible for a man to grasp; and the deed is the enhancement and regulation of the natural things and that he not be drowning in [physical] pleasures and that he not partake of them except for that which is for the care of his body and the regulation of all the character traits – and so, the man that accords with this is the purpose and the aspiration.

And this thing is not known only from the prophets, but [rather] the sages of the transitory nations that did not see the prophets nor hear their wisdom – they too – already knew that a man is not complete unless he encompasses mind and deed. And let the words of the famous sage among the philosophers who said, "God desires from us to be pious wise men," be enough for you. As when a man is a wise sage that pursues desires, he is not truly a sage; since the beginning of wisdom requires that a person not partake of bodily indulgences, except that which is for the care of the needs of his body. And when we explain Tractate Avot, we will complete this matter and elucidate it according to what is fit. And so [too] have we found that the prophet accuses and considers a sin the one who boasts that he is a sage that rebels against a commandment and pursues his personal desire. And this is [the meaning] of what he said (Jeremiah 8:8), "How can you say, 'We are sages, and the Torah of the Lord is with us'"? And so [too], if a man is likewise a servant [of God] and a nazarene and pushes off indulgences besides what is needed for the care of his body and he goes in all of the natural ways according to the straight path and he attaches himself to all of the pleasant traits but does not have wisdom, this one too is lacking completeness. But he is more complete than the first – still, the deeds that he does are not in the correct way and the true path. Therefore the sages said (Avot 2:5), "A boor cannot fear sin and an ignorant person cannot be pious," as we have elucidated. And anyone who says about an ignorant person that he is pious belies the sages, who were most definitive about this matter. And he likewise belies the intellect. And therefore you find the command in all of the Torah, "and study them[...] and do them," bringing wisdom before action. As, with wisdom, he will arrive at [proper] action, but with [proper] action, he will not arrive through it to wisdom. And this is [the meaning] of that which they, peace be upon them, said (Kiddushin 40b) that study brings [one] to [proper] action...

...And, if so, it has become elucidated from all that we have said that the intention in the creation of all that there is in the present and transitory world is only for the man who is complete in wisdom and in deed, as we said. And when you reflect and study these two matters from their words, peace be upon them – I mean to say wisdom and deed – from that which they elucidated and hinted, you will know that what they said, "The Holy One, blessed be He, only has in His world the four cubits of the law (halakha) alone," was correct. And we have [digressed] from the matter that we were involved in. But I brought [up] these things because they edify faith and stimulate the pursuit of wisdom, and they are not trifling, according to what I see.

ULTOTAPHOTH’ BETWEEN THINE EYES.
...And now I shall declare to you a general principle in the reason of many commandments. Beginning with the days of Enosh when idol-worship came into existence, opinions in the matter of faith fell into error. Some people denied the root of faith by saying that the world is eternal; they denied the Eternal, and said: It is not He [Who called forth the world into existence]. Others denied His knowledge of individual matters, and they say, How doth G-d know? and is there knowledge in the Most High? Some admit His knowledge but deny the principle of providence and make men as the fishes of the sea, [believing] that G-d does not watch over them and that there is no punishment or reward for their deeds, for they say the Eternal hath forsaken the land. Now when G-d is pleased to bring about a change in the customary and natural order of the world for the sake of a people or an individual, then the voidance of all these [false beliefs] becomes clear to all people, since a wondrous miracle shows that the world has a G-d Who created it, and Who knows and supervises it, and Who has the power to change it. And when that wonder is previously prophesied by a prophet, another principle is further established, namely, that of the truth of prophecy, that G-d doth speak with man, and that He revealeth His counsel unto His servants the prophets, and thereby the whole Torah is confirmed.

This is why Scripture says in connection with the wonders [in Egypt]: That thou [Pharaoh] mayest know that I am the Eternal in the midst of the earth, which teaches us the principle of providence, i.e., that G-d has not abandoned the world to chance, as they [the heretics] would have it; That thou mayest know that the earth is the Eternal’s, which informs us of the principle of creation, for everything is His since He created all out of nothing; That thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth, which indicates His might, i.e., that He rules over everything and that there is nothing to withhold Him. The Egyptians either denied or doubted all of these [three] principles, [and the miracles confirmed their truth]. Accordingly, it follows that the great signs and wonders constitute faithful witnesses to the truth of the belief in the existence of the Creator and the truth of the whole Torah.

And because the Holy One, blessed be He, will not make signs and wonders in every generation for the eyes of some wicked man or heretic, He therefore commanded us that we should always make a memorial or sign of that which we have seen with our eyes, and that we should transmit the matter to our children, and their children to their children, to the generations to come, and He placed great emphasis on it, as is indicated by the fact that one is liable to extinction for eating leavened bread on the Passover, and for abandoning the Passover-offering, [i.e., for not taking part in the slaughtering thereof]. He has further required of us that we inscribe upon our arms and between our eyes all that we have seen in the way of signs and wonders, and to inscribe it yet upon the doorposts of the houses, and that we remember it by recital in the morning and evening — just as the Rabbis have said: “The recital of the benediction True and firm, [which follows the Sh’ma in the morning and which terminates with a blessing to G-d for the redemption from Egypt], is obligatory as a matter of Scriptural law because it is written, That thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. [He further required] that we make a booth every year and many other commandments like them which are a memorial to the exodus from Egypt.

All these commandments are designed for the purpose that in all generations we should have testimonies to the wonders so that they should not be forgotten and so that the heretic should not be able to open his lips to deny the belief in [the existence of] G-d. He who buys a Mezuzah for one zuz [a silver coin] and affixes it to his doorpost and has the proper intent of heart on its content, has already admitted the creation of the world, the Creator’s knowledge and His providence, and also his belief in prophecy as well as in all fundamental principles of the Torah, besides admitting that the mercy of the Creator is very great upon them that do His will, since He brought us forth from that bondage to freedom and to great honor on account of the merit of our fathers who delighted in the fear of His Name. It is for this reason that the Rabbis have said: “Be as heedful of a light commandment as of a weighty one,” for they are all exceedingly precious and beloved, for through them a person always expresses thankfulness to his G-d.

And the purpose of all the commandments is that we believe in our G-d and be thankful to Him for having created us, for we know of no other reason for the first creation, and G-d the Most High has no demand on the lower creatures, excepting that man should know and be thankful to G-d for having created him. The purposes of raising our voices in prayer and of the service in synagogues, as well as the merit of public prayer, is precisely this: that people should have a place wherein they assemble and express their thankfulness to G-d for having created them and supported them, and thus proclaim and say before Him, “We are your creatures.” This is the intent of what the Rabbis of blessed memory have said: “And they cried mightily unto G-d. From here you learn that prayer must be accompanied by sound. The undaunted one wins over the abashed one.”

Through the great open miracles, one comes to admit the hidden miracles which constitute the foundation of the whole Torah, for no one can have a part in the Torah of Moses our teacher unless he believes that all our words and our events, [as dictated in the Torah], are miraculous in scope, there being no natural or customary way of the world in them, whether affecting the public or the individual. Instead, if a person observes the commandments, His reward will bring him success, and if he violates them, His punishment will cause his extinction. It is all by decree of the Most High, as I have already mentioned. The hidden miracles done to the public come to be known as is mentioned in the assurances of the Torah on the subject of the blessings and imprecations, as the verse says: And all the nations shall say: Wherefore hath the Eternal done thus unto this land? … Then men shall say: Because they forsook the covenant of the Eternal, the G-d of their fathers. Thus it will become known to all nations that their punishment came from G-d. And of the fulfillment of the commandments it says, And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the Eternal is called upon thee. I will yet explain this, with the help of G-d.

(12) Said the Intellect - But that which must be explained first is the matter of the existence of man and the work which devolves upon him, to know what is the purpose which is desired in all of this:

(13) Said the Soul - This is certainly a matter that begs much study to understand it in its details and parts:

(14) Said the Intellect - The first foundation upon which the entire construct stands is, that the Heavenly Will wanted that man should complete himself and all that was created for him, and this itself shall be his merit and reward. His merit - because it will be found that he occupies himself and will achieve this completeness, and when he he reaches it - he will gain benefit only from the achievement of his hands and his portion from all of his effort. His reward - for in the end he will be that which is completed, and will enjoy goodness forever and ever:

(15) Said the Soul - This is a foundation that includes many corners, and I am given over to hear what you will build on this foundation, ּbecause then I will differentiate retroactively what is included in this foundation. But one matter will I ask first in general, is there a reason why the Heavenly Will wanted it like this?:

(16) Said the Intellect - The reason is simple, and it is dependent on the answer to another question, which is, why did the Creator blessed is He, want to create creations?:

(17) Said the Soul - Respond for you and for me something that equal to [answering] both of them:

(18) Said the Intellect - What we can grasp in this matter is, that HaShem may his name be blessed is certainly the perfection of good. And indeed it is the rule of good to do good, and this is what He may his name be blessed wanted - to create creations in order the he could do good for them, for if there is no one to receive the good then there is no giving of good. And indeed, in order that the giving of good be complete, He knew in his sublime wisdom that it is appropriate that those who receive it [the good] receive it with the work of their hands, because then they will be masters of this good, and they will not have residual embarrassment in the receipt of the good, like one who receives charity from another. And upon this did they say (Yerushalmi Orlah 1:3 11a- [paraphrase or variant text]), "One who eats not from his own, is ashamed to look at his [benefactor's] face":

(19) Said the Soul - The reason is settled in my heart. Now complete your words:

The Revelation of Unity and Goodness: Foundation of the Creation (Openings 1-4)

Oneness: God’s existence, His will and control

The oneness of Eyn Sof – He who has “No End”, blessed be He – lies in the fact that only His Will exists, and no other will exists except through Him. Therefore He alone is in control and not any other will. The entire structure is built on this foundation.

The ultimate goal of creation – to bestow the ultimate good on God’s creatures

The ultimate purpose of the creation of the world was for God, in accordance with His good desire, to bestow the ultimate good. Having explained the meaning of faith in God, we will now discuss His works. The ultimate purpose of the creation of the world… For clearly, every actor acts for a purpose …was for God… to bestow… not for His own need, since He has no need for His creatures, but in order to benefit His creatures …in accordance with His good desire. In other words, if you ask, “Where did this purpose originate?” the answer is clear: That which is good desires to bestow good. The Supreme Will is the ultimate good. If so, His desire is to bestow good – the ultimate good, because He is the ultimate good, and therefore His desire is to bestow the ultimate good. This is why He made the world in this way, with free will, reward and punishment. For this is the means to bring His creatures to the ultimate good, as will be explained in the next Opening.

His desire to bestow good to perfection through the revelation of His oneness is the cause of the deficiencies in the world, which create the conditions for man’s service. The revelation of His oneness is itself the reward.

The Eyn Sof, blessed be He, wanted to bestow complete good, so that its recipients will not even be ashamed. He planned and calculated how to reveal His perfect oneness in actuality, for before Him there are no barriers or deficiencies. Accordingly, He established the system of government that He follows, in which eventually evil actually turns back into good. Initially, He gave a place for evil to do what is in its power, but at the end of everything, all the damage is repaired and all evil turns back into actual good. And thus His oneness is revealed, and this itself is the delight of the souls.