Does God Need Honor? The True Meaning of “All Was Created for His Glory”

Yoav asks: "I would like to understand a saying from our sources that seems to suggest that God requires praise and honor: ‘Everything that God created, He created only for His honor.’ Does God really need honor or praise?"

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Our Sages taught: “Even ordinary conversation of Torah scholars requires study” (Avodah Zarah 19b). All the more so when we deal with the words of the Tannaim and the Prophets.

The Talmud you quoted carries a profound message. Philosophers once mistakenly thought that God was detached from His world and took no interest in it. Likewise, most idolaters in the past believed that their gods had created humanity by accident. The Torah, however, teaches that God created the world with deliberate intention. Not only is He present and watching over His creation, but the world itself serves His divine purpose. Nothing is random, and everything is directed toward a higher goal.

Imagine one of the greatest Torah leaders traveling to a small study hall in a distant land. Naturally, the local Jews are overwhelmed by his presence, but at the same time they feel distant from such a towering and famous figure. Suddenly, he shares: “You should know, I personally arranged for this beit midrash to be built. This place has always been my vision.” Immediately, everyone present feels deeply connected to him; after all, they are fulfilling his own purpose and mission. In a similar way, the Talmud reveals that God is not just the transcendent King ruling from afar, but His very will and purpose are invested within creation itself.

God created billions of galaxies and stars, yet He is never detached from His world. As the Midrash teaches: “He is the place of the world, but the world is not His place” (Bereishit Rabbah 68:9). In other words, God is not contained within the universe — the universe exists within Him. He fills all reality, as the Sages taught that God fills the entire world, similar to how the soul fills and gives life to the entire body (Berachot 10a).

When we are told that the world was created for God’s honor, it means that the very existence of the world, and your existence within it, flows from His ongoing will. You are a partner in God’s divine purpose. The world is not meaningless but it has a lofty and holy direction, and nothing could be more important than fulfilling this divine purpose.

It is important to clarify that the word “honor” (kavod) when used regarding God is not the same as when we speak of human honor. For people, honor often means ego, pride, or fear of disgrace. In Judaism, when we speak of God’s “honor,” it refers to His greatness, His supreme value, and His holiness being revealed in the world.

God does not change and has no needs, as the Prophet said: “Do they provoke Me?” (Jeremiah 7:19). And as Scripture teaches: “For He is not a man, that He should change His mind” (Samuel I, 15). God is not human, He has no ego, no desires, and He does not need our praise.

Why then does the verse say all was created for His honor? Creation has a goal to receive His goodness, and to become sanctified with His holiness. For this to happen, the world must be worthy of His honor — that is, a vessel for His divine light and goodness. The world was therefore created to reflect His honor, to become filled with His light and blessing.

The ultimate “honor” of God — the very purpose of creation, is not for Him, but for us. As the Torah says: “You are children of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 14:1). God created the world in order to bestow good upon His children, especially when we follow His ways. By praying, performing mitzvot, and living with faith, we open our consciousness to divine awareness and draw closer to Him. That closeness itself is the fulfillment of creation’s purpose.

Prayer, praise, and mitzvot are not “for God’s sake”, but for our sake. Through them we connect to Him and merit to receive His goodness.