The Spiritual Power Within Humans — For Good and Bad

Zohar asks: "I read in the booklet 'A Fateful Conversation' that humans must have a different purpose than animals because humans do not accept death and always strive for more. Yet I know there are animals that risk their lives for their offspring. Furthermore, there are people who sacrificed their lives for significant causes without fear of death. Also, if the goal is to achieve the afterlife, isn't doing good a selfish goal? Thank you in advance."

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Hello, Zohar, and thank you for your insightful questions.

Animals do not think and choose of their own free will; they act according to instincts implanted in their minds by the Creator. That cat willing to die for its month-old kittens might harm them and snatch food from them six months later. Unlike humans, animals operate without choice, following commands embedded in them from birth till death, such as salmon swimming up rivers to lay eggs and die.

However, humans have the choice between good and evil. Some choose bad, while others opt for good. Humans are not limited to a specific behavior. There are mothers who care for their children, and unfortunately, we hear of mothers harming theirs. Some people choose to help others, while others choose to harm them. There are those who return to faith and the opposite. This reflects the unique spiritual power within humans—the power of choice between good and evil—which is the greatest personal proof that Hashem tests humans in this world to reward or punish them for their choices in the world to come. The booklet 'A Fateful Conversation' discusses this topic broadly, and it's worth revisiting it.

You asked about people who choose to sacrifice their lives without fearing death. The reason is the strongest power within humans: religious power.

Hashem embedded in humans a very strong spiritual power for religion, stemming from a higher source. Many Jews sacrificed their lives for the Creator to not transgress their religion. This is the soul's strongest spiritual power, dedicating to an ultimate purpose through fire and water, out of unconditional love. The power of love is a real force in humans, but just as one can mistakenly use this spiritual power to love a person who truly does not love them back, so can one mistakenly dedicate themselves wholly to a false faith or ideology (hence people willing to die for a state, communism, or political leaders). Terrorists and Nazis used their religious power to dedicate themselves to false messianic ideologies and were prepared to die for them.

The Sages tell us that Amalek was a distant nation that specifically came to the desert to wage war against us. Amalek hated Israel with sheer hatred and killed us solely for the sake of that hate, with no rational or rewarding cause. Many see today's terrorist organizations' hatred as pure, irrational hate, anti-Semitism without a rational bridge.

Observe how powerful the spiritual power given to us is. How triumphant and happy a person would be if they used this immense power to dedicate themselves to the Creator's service and love. This is the meaning of life itself!

And this relates to your last question. The Sages instructed us: "Let a person always engage in Torah and good deeds, even if not for their own sake, for out of an ulterior motive, they will come to a true one" (Pesachim 50b). Thus, even if one initially does a good deed out of selfishness, eventually their heart will open to do it for heaven's sake. Doing good attracts selflessness. The Torah demands that a person ultimately reach a love that depends on nothing: "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). In any situation, even if it takes your life! This is the true purpose Judaism leads a person to, if only they follow its path. This is true love and the purpose of all creation, connecting humans to their Creator in truth. It is the cord linking humanity to the Creator, granting eternal closeness to Hashem.

To read the booklet, search 'A Fateful Conversation' on Google.