The Truth Behind This World: The Proofs That Will Open Your Eyes

The Daily Quote

'And truly you will see that no sensible person could believe that the purpose of creating man is his status in this world, because what are man's life in this world, or who is really happy and at peace in this world... with several sorts of pain and diseases and troubles, and after all of this, death. Hardly one in a thousand will find that the world gives him real enjoyment and peace. And even if one reaches a hundred years, he has already passed and is gone from the world.'

'Moreover, if the purpose of creating man was for this world, there would be no need therefore to breathe into him such an important and exalted soul, greater than the angels themselves, especially as it finds no satisfaction in any of the pleasures of this world... It is like a commoner who marries a king's daughter; even if he brings her all that there is in the world, they are of no importance to her, for she is a king's daughter—so the soul, even if you bring it all the delicacies of the world, they are nothing to it, because it is from above.'

(Mesilat Yesharim, Chapter 1).

The Meaning of the Quote

The passage from Mesilat Yesharim emphasizes the central idea that this world is not the purpose of man's creation, but merely a means or stage towards a higher goal. The Ramchal provides two proofs for this:

1. The Limitations of This World

Human life in this world is short, full of difficulties, pain, diseases, and troubles. Even those who live many years do not experience true peace but only a limited time of enjoyment. Even if a person manages to achieve 'peaks' of wealth and peace, even this vanishes over time, as life ends in death.

2. The Soul's Mismatch with This World

The human soul is 'important and exalted,' even greater than the angels themselves. The soul does not find satisfaction or pleasure in worldly delights. The Ramchal uses a parable from the Midrash: a common person ('city dweller') who marries a king's daughter. Even if he brings her all the world's delicacies, they will not satisfy her, for she is accustomed to much higher things.

The soul, coming from the higher world, belongs to a spiritual and divine reality. All the pleasures of this world, which are physical and fleeting, do not suit it, just as the Midrash describes the 'city dweller' cannot satisfy the king's daughter.

If man was created only for this world, he would not have been given such an exalted and significant soul, one that is not fulfilled by material pleasures. Hence, the true purpose of man is found elsewhere—in serving Hashem and fulfilling mitzvot, which lead him to cling to Hashem and eternal life in the World to Come.

These words call upon man to examine his life deeply: not to focus solely on material needs and pleasures but to seek the spiritual purpose for which he was created. The conclusion is that life in this world is an opportunity for spiritual work and connection to the true purpose.

The message of the Ramchal is a pointed statement about the need to live a life with high and meaningful purpose, focusing on the soul and eternity rather than just chasing material pleasures.

A Few Words About The Author

The Ramchal (Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto) passed away around 280 years ago. He was a great rabbi and a giant in Torah, thought, ethics, and Kabbalah. He worked in Italy, and at the end of his life, moved to the Land of Israel and was buried in Tiberias. Most of his books were lost over time. Among the books that remain and have been published are: Mesilat Yesharim, Derech Hashem, Da'at Tevunot, and others, which remain foundational books in Jewish ethics and thought.

Rabbi Zamir Cohen in His Weekly Lecture: What’s the Purpose of Living?—Life and Its Purpose