Created for a Purpose: The Torah’s Perspective on Life, Meaning, and Your Unique Mission

Yaniv asks: "I have a question that has been bothering me for a long time. Like many in our generation, I struggle a lot with sadness, and I’m happy to find in our sources words that encourage a love for life. I’ve always understood that we have a life path that is challenging but rewarding. In general, our Torah strengthens life, encourages having children, doing acts of kindness, saving lives, and so on. But one saying I once heard is especially difficult for me: ‘It is better for man not to have been created.’ What does that mean?

And a second question: I heard in a class that every person must believe that ‘for my sake the world was created,’ and that without me the world would not exist. This is very hard for me to understand — first, because God certainly does not need anyone, and second, because there are so many people in the world, and God could always create someone else in my place. I’d appreciate if you could elaborate. Thank you.”

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Hello Yaniv, and thank you for your questions.

God Himself declared that the world He created is “very good” (Genesis 1:31). This is not a casual statement, because God sees from one end of creation to the other, knowing all generations in advance. When God says the world is “very good,” it means the ultimate purpose of the world is good and perfect for its creatures. If God knew a person would ultimately not find satisfaction in His plan, He would not have created the world.

Every parent knows this truth in miniature: a child may cry over a lost candy or toy, but the parents know that one day the child will mature and thank them for their loving care. The Torah declares: “For you are children to the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 14:1). God knows that souls passing through this world will eventually be content with the eternal reward that follows, and will acknowledge that it was worth it.

Many people quote the phrase “It is better for man not to have been created”, but the Talmudic Sages actually said: “It is more comfortable (נוח) for man not to have been created than to have been created” (Eruvin 13b). Comfort and good are not the same! Many times we endure uncomfortable things to achieve a far greater and lasting good. A woman chooses to go through the discomfort of pregnancy and labor because of the great good of bringing a child into the world.

Similarly, this world can be compared to a long pregnancy that is full of ups and downs, tests and victories, through which our souls develop spiritual strength. The Sages’ statement refers to comfort in this world, which is the world of testing, not the world of reward and joy. Regarding the World to Come, however, they said: “One hour of bliss in the World to Come is better than all the life of this world” (Pirkei Avot 4:17).

The Ramchal opens Mesillat Yesharim with this principle: man was created solely to delight in God and enjoy the radiance of His Presence. This ultimate pleasure is found in the World to Come, which was created precisely for that purpose. The only path to reach it is through this world, where we are given the mitzvot as the means to arrive there. As the Sages said: “Today is for doing them, tomorrow is for receiving the reward” (Eruvin 22a).

Notice also the end of the saying: “It is more comfortable for man not to have been created than to have been created — but now that he has been created, let him examine his deeds.” The point is that life’s purpose is not comfort but correction and mitzvah-performance, even when it’s not easy, because that is the means to the true goal.

The Midrash even warns: when the righteous want to live in comfort here, the Satan accuses them, saying: “Is it not enough that their reward is prepared for the World to Come, that they also seek comfort here?” (Bereishit Rabbah 84:3).

To answer your second question, the Talmudic Sages taught: “Therefore man was created alone, to teach that whoever destroys a single soul is considered as if he destroyed an entire world; and whoever saves a single soul is considered as if he saved an entire world” (Sanhedrin 4:5).

Every person is a world unto himself, with unique inner strengths, challenges, and perceptions. No two people see the world in the exact same way. As the Sages said: “Just as their faces differ, so do their thoughts” (Berachot 58a). Therefore they warned: “Do not judge your fellow until you have reached his place” (Pirkei Avot 2:4).

Every soul is given a mission in the world that no other soul can fulfill in exactly the same way, with the same personal strengths and life experiences. This is the meaning of the saying: “Each person must say: The world was created for me” (Sanhedrin 37a).

This does not imply that God “needs” us, but He designed the world in such a way that your mission matters enough that if no one else existed, He would sustain the entire world just for you — for your personal journey and spiritual growth. Like a father who builds a house for all his children and tells each one: “I built this house for you.”

As Jeremiah 33:25 says: “If not for My covenant day and night, I would not have established the laws of heaven and earth.” The world’s purpose is tied to its moral and spiritual mission, that is fulfilled through each and every one of us.