Our Purpose in the World

The Creator is good, and His desire is to bestow goodness upon His creations. It is certain that His ultimate purpose was not to create man solely for his life in this world, which is filled with troubles and suffering. Hashem, creator of the entire universe, could have created man with conditions that allow for perfect happiness and satisfaction. The fact that man was created differently clearly proves that his creation's purpose is otherwise. Every sensible person understands that Hashem, who is omnipotent, created man in a perfect form, and thus, the conclusion is that the purpose of man's creation is not for this world. Indeed, this world is akin to a corridor through which we pass on the way to the main hall, which is the world to come. Life here is temporary, leading toward life after current existence, the eternal world to come. Only there will man—and more precisely, the human soul—find happiness and fulfillment. We cannot describe the magnitude of the pleasure that is to be there and its essence, as it is beyond our comprehension. We have received that there lies the pinnacle of delight. Hashem, being good, desires greatly to bestow goodness, and for this purpose, He created creatures that can enjoy the goodness He wishes to grant them. Whoever follows the commandments of G-d's Torah will merit that world of complete goodness.

Faced with these matters, the question arises:

Why, therefore, was our world created? After all, to bestow goodness upon creations, man could have been created and brought straight to the world to come, the place of eternal delight?

Two answers to this question:

It is the nature of man to dislike receiving unearned gifts. He is embarrassed by consuming bread that’s not given as a reward for his work. If Hashem had brought man directly to the world to come, and man would enjoy its delights eternally, he would feel uncomfortable. The unpleasant thought would always nag him: Why do I receive all this? What have I done to deserve this reward? Therefore, man must first live in this world. During his lifetime here, he is obligated to follow the Torah's commandments. Indeed, this is no easy task, as practicing commandments is often accompanied by internal struggles against desires and external struggles against the environment. Afterward, when man receives abundant delight in the world to come, he will feel comfortable. He will see his reward not as an unearned gift, but as a justly deserved reward, earned through his efforts in his lifetime by keeping the commandments.

The reward in the world to come is given to those who have striven with all their might to achieve the perfection of character. Indeed, this is the purpose of the Torah’s commandments: to create a perfect person, whose crowning glory is being good and benevolent to others. With this goodness, one resembles the Creator a bit, as our sages taught us: Just as He is compassionate, so should you be compassionate. A person who has struggled with all his might to reach the peak of perfection in character deserves to be close to the Creator and enjoy the glow of His presence. Hashem is the source of goodness and grants man the eternal delight of the world to come. A person who has successfully overcome the trials of this world and refined his character deserves to be eternally close to the source of eternal goodness and grace. The true reward in the world to come is structured so that only those who have purified themselves and labored to refine their character can draw abundant spiritual goodness and true blessing from it.