Why God Created the World – And Why He Never Abandoned It

Isaac asks:"I believe there is a Creator of the world and that He watches over us, but what is the proof for this? Is it possible that God only pressed the ‘power button’ to create the world and then left, similar to a person who can build a chair or a table and then walk away? How is the world different?"

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Shalom and blessings, Isaac. Thank you for your question which I’ll answer with several explanations, each complementing the other.

1. The Philosophical Answer: God is Infinite — He is everywhere and never leaves us.

Our Sages taught: “Why do we call God ‘HaMakom’ (‘The Place’)? Because He is the place of the world, but the world is not His place” (Bereishit Rabbah 68:9). This profound statement teaches that God is not a being inside the universe (“the world is not His place”), but rather the universe exists within God (“He is the place of the world”). God is the reality itself, the cause of all causes, and only through Him does our material existence continue.

God is not a physical being that moves from one place to another. He is infinite and unlimited, present in every place and every moment, just as much in the smallest atom as in the largest galaxy. He fills all existence and never abandons us. When one understands this idea fully, the thought of a world without His constant presence becomes impossible.

2. The Scientific Answer: The universe cannot exist without God.

Is there anything that must exist other than God? Only God must exist — He is infinite, the first cause. Everything else is contingent.

The world is not like a chair or a table, which are made from preexisting materials and can exist without their maker. Those materials existed before the craftsman, so they can continue to exist afterward.

Nature, however, was created ex nihilo (from nothing). It has no existence apart from God’s will to sustain it. Without His ongoing choice, it would vanish. We therefore say in daily prayer: “He renews in His goodness every day, continually, the work of creation.”

Like electricity flowing to a light bulb, if the power company stops supplying current, the bulb goes out instantly. In the same way, the laws of nature — atomic structure, gravity, electromagnetism, the cosmic fabric, exist only because God continually sustains them. Without Him, they would stop, and the universe would “switch off” instantly.

3. The Logical Answer: It makes no sense to create a world and then abandon it.

Logic tells us that a wise builder works toward a purpose. A carpenter makes a chair so someone can sit on it; he doesn’t create it just to discard it.

God, the ultimate source of wisdom, created the universe for a great and meaningful purpose. Abandonment would contradict that wisdom. As the prophet Isaiah says: “He did not create it to be empty; He formed it to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18). Every detail of creation reveals a purposeful design.

4. The Spiritual Answer: Humans are not “objects” — they are the crown of creation.

We cannot compare a human to a chair or table. Humans have a divine soul, a spiritual essence, and an inborn drive to seek their Creator. God made us in His image so we could know Him and connect with Him. The Torah says: “You are children of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 14:1). Just as a loving father would never abandon his children, God does not abandon humanity.

5. The Torah-Historical Proof: The supernatural history of the Jewish people.

The Jewish people’s survival is itself a miracle: the Exodus from Egypt, the revelation at Sinai, the giving of the Torah, and our continued existence despite exile and persecution. The Torah foretold all of these events in detail, proving God’s direct guidance of history: “For the Lord will not forsake His people, nor abandon His inheritance” (Psalms 94:14).

These historical proofs, together with philosophical, scientific, logical, and spiritual reasoning, show that God has never “built the world and walked away.” He is with us every moment, sustaining creation and guiding it toward its ultimate purpose.