Why Did Hashem Create Us if He is Perfect?

Hello, Itzik. Your question can be considered the "question of questions," and thus it is straightforward that the answer is complex and not immediately comprehensible. I will try to explain it in steps:

1. Evil, as is known, always stems from deficiency (selfishness, self-need), and thus evil by its nature takes from others.

2. Good comes from perfection, so good always gives.

3. One who is infinite and perfect has no evil and no deficiencies. Since He is perfect, He must be good and benevolent.

4. Therefore, Hashem created the world, the animals, and distinctly from them the angels, to bestow His eternal goodness upon them.

5. However, the true good of Hashem is closeness to Him, as He is the source of good, the eternal infinite.

6. To draw closer to the Creator, one must resemble Him. The closer one resembles Him, the nearer they are to Him. Only those who are close to Hashem can enjoy true and eternal abundance.

7. This resemblance to the Creator of the universe cannot be based on falsehood or illusion because Hashem is truth, and closeness to Him comes from true similarity to Him. Therefore, falsification and illusion cannot connect the created to Hashem.

8. Hence, Hashem created a unique creature called man. Man alone received a divine soul, which is most similar to Hashem, thus giving him the ability to create and destroy with Hashem's power. Even angels do not have the ability to resemble Hashem as man does. The Sages said in the Talmud that Hashem fills the entire world just as the soul fills the whole body.

9. All creatures in the world receive Hashem's goodness without choice, even the highest angels. Therefore, their closeness to Hashem is limited because they do not resemble Him. Man was given the greatest task - to resemble Hashem through his self-choice, directly deriving from Hashem. Man must independently choose truth to resemble Hashem and earn His eternal closeness.

10. Thus, man was placed in a world of darkness and trials. He was given a good inclination and an evil inclination, a divine will for spiritual meaning, and a psychological pull towards materialism. Through the Torah, man learns to integrate spirit and matter and to resemble Hashem. The highest emulation of Hashem is to do good as He does without seeking reward. Just as Hashem receives nothing from man, so the greatest resemblance to Him involves sacrifice and performing mitzvot for their own sake, not for reward. This is the highest level of closeness to Hashem and the greatest power that exists within the soul given to man: the power of love.

The meaning of human life is love. And thus Hashem revealed in His holy Torah (Deuteronomy 6:5): "And you shall love Hashem, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might" (even if He takes your property, even if He takes your life - love Him with all your heart. This is the meaning of your life on earth).

Hashem's purpose was to reveal Himself to man, to provide Him with the manufacturer's instructions on what is good and what is evil so that the complete man could achieve his life's purpose and merit the world to come. The purpose of creation was to establish a people that would fulfill Hashem's will and deserve true good. However, most of the nations in the world did not seek Hashem and were not willing to sacrifice for Him. Hashem chose the people of Israel because they wanted Him, thanks to their forefathers.

The primary goal of Hashem was to establish the complete person who fulfills His Torah; therefore, Israel is the chosen people, to which anyone who seeks Hashem can join. And so it is said in the Torah: "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6). Israel is the divine kingdom, and the prophets predicted that when the complete redemption arrives, all nations in the world will recognize the truth and live in world peace. Divine love and unity, this is the meaning of life.

Search in Google for the booklet "Critical Conversation" and enjoy an expanded explanation on this delicate topic.