The Soul's Creation: A Journey Beyond the Physical

Evidence from near-death experiences suggests that we possess a spiritual soul, indicating that the physical world is not our natural habitat but rather a realm we enter for a particular mission.

The presence of a soul within a body implies there is a Creator who fashioned these spiritual entities, created the physical forms to host them much like a driver in a car, and, by divine will, placed these souls within physical bodies for about 80 years, equipping them with both good and evil inclinations, and granting them the free will to choose between right and wrong. Upon the body's death, the soul returns to its Creator to be rewarded or punished for its actions, with its place in the afterlife determined by deeds in this world.
 
Anyone reaching this conclusion will realize that material life is not the main focus; spirituality takes precedence. Such a person would seek to grow closer to their Creator and fulfill divine purposes. Recognizing one's soul naturally leads to a search for life's meaning and requires examining if there is any religion in the world given by Hashem.
 
Without Torah, we cannot truly know how to serve Hashem. For instance, some claim it's wrong to eat animals, labeling it murder, whereas others argue that euthanasia is permissible, provided the person consents. Millions of mothers worldwide believe they can allow doctors to terminate their unborn babies for economic or personal reasons. Some insist on marital fidelity, while others see no problem with pursuing relationships outside of marriage. In contrast, monks in India считаютabstain from marriage altogether to achieve spiritual fulfillment. The ease with which people interpret right and wrong or divine desires is alarming.

Saying "Be good" is akin to "Drive safely." Without detailed traffic laws, roads would become chaotic, as one driver might think it's safe to speed at 50 mph in the city, while another believes caution means going 15 mph on the highway, leading nowhere.
Herein lies the need for clear divine instructions, as without religion, knowing Hashem's desires for us and truly being good and righteous is impossible.
Even a household microwave requires a user manual (such as not putting metal inside), and certainly, the human being - the most complex creation in the universe - demands detailed guidance from its Creator.
 
Additionally, it is no coincidence that the Creator has instilled in us a desire for religious meaning, explaining why no community on Earth has failed to create a religion to meet this spiritual need. The human quest for religion, designed by our Creator, indicates that human purpose lies within religion. It is logical then that the Creator would leave human beings a "user manual" through one of the religions, tasking us with finding the true path.

Judaism stands apart from all other world religions due to several key facts:
1. Judaism introduced the belief in Hashem to the world. Before Judaism, all faiths indulged in idol worship. The Torah brought forth the belief in the one, eternal, infinite Hashem who created the universe. Notably, the world's two largest religions, Christianity and Islam, are founded on the teachings of Israel. Thus, the Torah of Israel is the source of the belief in God worldwide, expected of a divine Torah to shape humanity, which indeed it has.
2. Judaism introduced the world to moral and just laws: principles such as "Thou shalt not kill," "Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not commit adultery," "Thou shalt not stand by while your neighbor's blood is shed," "Do not mistreat the orphan and widow," and the obligation to support the poor and needy with charity. Before the Torah, no culture recognized these moral duties between individuals; ancient cultures (Egypt, Greece, Rome, Persia, etc.) treated humans as property unless they belonged to privileged classes.
3. Judaism is the only faith globally based on a divine revelation experienced by an entire nation, witnessed through grand miracles: the ten plagues, the Nile turning to blood, fire and hail falling from the sky, the death of all Egyptian firstborns in a single moment, the splitting of the Red Sea, pillars of fire and cloud, and the Mount Sinai experience, where the mountain blazed with fire reaching towards the heavens, and Hashem spoke prophetically to three million people simultaneously.
4. Furthermore, Judaism uniquely offers prophecies that materialized on a global scale. Over 3,300 years ago, the Torah predicted the dispersion of Israel across the world, the rise of antisemitism, the desolation of the land during exile, the global recognition of the Torah and Jewish people, and, in the end of days, the return of Israel to its land. These prophecies testify to a divine presence governing history.