Why Did God Create Such a Vast Universe?

Rachel asks: “There are billions of stars in space, some larger than our entire solar system. That means we are incredibly small… Why did God create such a huge and bewildering universe?”

We’ve already discussed the unique complexity of the human being — the crown of creation, but now let’s look upward. The greatness of the Creator is reflected in the greatness of the universe, which was made to honor Him.

As the verse says: “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to humankind” (Tehillim 115:16).

Everything Was Created for His Glory

The Sages teach in Pirkei Avot (6:11): “Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world, He created only for His glory, as it is said: ‘All that is called by My Name and for My glory I created, formed, and made’ (Yeshayahu 43:7). And it says: ‘The Lord shall reign forever and ever’ (Shemot 15:18).”

Maimonides, in The Guide for the Perplexed (Part 3, Chapter 14), expands on this idea: the countless stars and heavenly bodies were created for divine reasons — for purposes that the human mind cannot grasp.

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach explained that this understanding is rooted in the teaching of Beit Shammai that “the heavens were created first” (Chagigah 12a) — meaning that the celestial spheres have their own divine purpose, independent of earthly life.

What could that purpose be, if not to express the infinite greatness of the Creator?

The Stars Declare the Greatness of God

King David marvels at this mystery: “He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to them all” (Tehillim 147:4).

The prophet Yeshayahu echoes this: “Lift up your eyes on high and see who created these. He brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name” (Yeshayahu 40:26).

The vastness of the cosmos which is beyond comprehension, mirrors the boundless nature of the One who made it. An infinite Being would not create a small or limited universe. It is only natural that the limitless, spiritual Creator would fashion the largest physical universe imaginable — indeed, one that exceeds imagination itself.

Astronomers may estimate the size of the universe mathematically, but no human mind can truly comprehend its magnitude. The Creator alone, who is infinite and ever-present, perceives the entirety of existence — every star, every atom, every living soul. He counts them, names them, and sustains both the vast and the minute simultaneously. “Great is our Lord and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure” (Tehillim 147:5).

The Universe as a Reflection of the Divine

Reality mirrors its Maker. Since we cannot comprehend the boundaries of the Infinite — because He has none, we likewise cannot comprehend the scale of His creation. If the universe were smaller, it could not express or reflect the glory of an infinite Creator.

The Sages taught that everything was created for His honor. Just as a person’s clothing reflects their status, so too the universe serves as the “garment” that reveals the majesty of God. The grandeur of creation is the “attire” that hints at His boundless power, within the limits of what creation itself can contain.

The Universe as God’s Garment

Rashi, in his commentary on Bereishit (1:1), explains that God initially intended to create the world with the attribute of justice alone, but saw that it could not endure, and so He combined it with mercy. Thus it says, “on the day the Lord God made earth and heaven.”

King David describes the universe as the divine garment itself: “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You change them, and they pass away. But You are the same, and Your years have no end” (Tehillim 102:25–27).

The cosmos, magnificent and vast beyond all measure, serves as the greatest possible expression of divine splendor. Its very existence proclaims the greatness of the One who sustains it — not an angel, not a seraph, but the First Cause, the Infinite One, the true and only God.

The One Who Created Heaven and Earth

The prophet Yeshayahu records the divine declaration: “Listen to Me, Jacob, and Israel, My called one: I am He; I am the First and I am the Last. My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens” (Yeshayahu 48:12–13).

Nechemiah affirms: “You alone are the Lord; You made the heavens, the heaven of heavens and all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; You give life to them all, and the host of heaven worships You” (Nechemiah 9:6).

The Ultimate Answer

The greatest Creator imaginable made the greatest universe possible. That is the answer — simple yet profound.

We don’t need any other explanation for why the universe is so vast or why the stars are so many. Their number and immensity exist to declare one truth: The infinite majesty of the Creator of all.