Why Did G-d Create the World? A Deeper Look at the Purpose of Creation

You may wonder, why did G-d decide to create the world and humanity? Wouldn’t it have been easier if none of this had ever existed? No work, suffering, hunger or war, certainly sounds simpler.

The Torah teaches that life and the world are more precious than gold. And this most basic question—Why does the world exist?—can take a lifetime to ponder.

If you were to ask a group of people that question, you’d likely get answers like: “G-d was bored, so He magically created a giant game of marbles using the stars,” or, “He made everything so that billions of people would serve Him with prayers and sacrifices…”

Greek philosophy, for instance, suggests that although G-d may have created the world, He did so without purpose or awareness, and without knowledge of us or involvement in our daily lives.

Using logic however, we can see these answers don’t hold up. From what we’ve already learned, we know that G-d is perfect, and a perfect being lacks nothing. He therefore had no need or self-interest in creating the world. And yet, it’s hard to believe that such a complex and finely-tuned universe just came about by accident. Anyone who believes that must also reject the existence of G-d, and as we’ve already concluded, only conscious wisdom could have created such a precise and purposeful world.

To understand why the world exists, we need to grasp the key truth that G-d is infinitely good. There are people in the world with kind hearts who go out of their way to help others, but even their kindness has limits. G-d's kindness, however, knows no bounds.

In his classic 18th-century work Derech Hashem (The Way of G-d), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto explains G-d’s intention in creating the world: G-d created the world as a way to express His infinite goodness that gives freely without needing anything in return. In order to give, there must be a recipient, which is the reason that He created the world, and specifically human beings.

We know that He created everything and oversees everything, but because He is perfect, He lacks nothing. This implies that no one gives Him anything—not honor, or pleasure. When you pray or follow His commandments, you're not doing it for His sake, but for yours. He doesn’t benefit from our praise or rituals.

G-d created the world and mankind simply so that there would be someone to receive His goodness.