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Why Create a World?


Question:

Rabbi, why did God create the world?



AskTheRabbi.org answered:

Our Sages teach that God created the world in order to bestow goodness and reward on mankind. A central attribute of God is the desire to give to others, and without the creation of the world there would be no “others” to give to!

However, mankind must act properly and morally to deserve this goodness. Otherwise, this reward of goodness would be a source of embarrassment to mankind instead of a source of pleasure and satisfaction. A person who “earns” his reward is much happier with his accomplishments and his compensation than a person who receives something for nothing. In fact, our Sages refer to undeserved reward as "the bread of embarrassment".


 
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