https://staging.thenewjew.org/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-why-did-god-create-the-world.xml/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-why-did-god-create-the-worldxmlarticleWhy Did God Create the World?Three classical answers — the rationalist, the kabbalist, and the Hasidic — and why each is illuminating.The New Jew/index.xmlFoundations of Belief/sections/foundations.xmlWhy Did God Create the World?/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-why-did-god-create-the-world.xml
https://staging.thenewjew.org/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-why-did-god-create-the-world
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going-deeper-deeper-questions-why-did-god-create-the-worldWhy Did God Create the World?Three classical answers — the rationalist, the kabbalist, and the Hasidic — and why each is illuminating.Summary. Why God created the world is among the oldest Jewish questions. The Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim) argued that the question is improperly posed: creation reflects God’s wisdom, not a need. The Arizal taught that creation arose through tzimtzum — divine contraction making space for finite being — and shevirat hakelim, the shattering of vessels whose sparks now await our gathering. Hasidism, especially Chabad, frames creation as “bishvil Yisrael” — for the sake of Israel and the relational possibility of love. The question is one a New Jew should sit with, not rush to answer.deepergoing-deepercreationkabbalahtheology2026-07-06T02:19:03.001Z6133foundationsFoundations of Beliefhttps://pub-73c694f3dc3c4d0ea8f98f090d227a0d.r2.dev/article-images/why-did-god-create-the-world-ms8hpk5u-4f369d5a.pnghttps://pub-73c694f3dc3c4d0ea8f98f090d227a0d.r2.dev/article-images/why-did-god-create-the-world-crop-ms8ir1fs-f823b545-large.pnghttps://pub-73c694f3dc3c4d0ea8f98f090d227a0d.r2.dev/article-images/why-did-god-create-the-world-crop-ms8ir1fs-f823b545-thumb.pngWhy Did God Create the World?summary
Summary. Why God created the world is among the oldest Jewish questions. The [Rambam](/glossary.xml#letter-R) ([Moreh Nevuchim](/glossary.xml#letter-G)) argued that the question is improperly posed: creation reflects God’s wisdom, not a need. [The Arizal](/glossary.xml#letter-T) taught that creation arose through [tzimtzum](/glossary.xml#letter-T) — divine contraction making space for finite being — and shevirat ha[kelim](/glossary.xml#letter-K), the shattering of vessels whose sparks now await our gathering. [Hasidism](/glossary.xml#letter-H), especially [Chabad](/glossary.xml#letter-C), frames creation as “[bishvil Yisrael](/glossary.xml#letter-B)” — for the sake of Israel and the relational possibility of love. The question is one a New Jew should sit with, not rush to answer.
Summary. Why God created the world is among the oldest Jewish questions. The Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim) argued that the question is improperly posed: creation reflects God’s wisdom, not a need. The Arizal taught that creation arose through tzimtzum — divine contraction making space for finite being — and shevirat hakelim, the shattering of vessels whose sparks now await our gathering. Hasidism, especially Chabad, frames creation as “bishvil Yisrael” — for the sake of Israel and the relational possibility of love. The question is one a New Jew should sit with, not rush to answer.heading
The Rationalist Answer (Rambam)
The Rationalist Answer (Rambam)paragraph
The Rambam ([Moreh Nevuchim III:13](https://www.sefaria.org/Guide_for_the_Perplexed,_Part_3.13)) argues that creation is the expression of God’s will; the search for a “why” imports human categories of purpose that may not apply to God. The world exists because God willed it to exist. The Rambam’s philosophical asceticism here is striking: the question is closed not by an answer but by a refusal to ask.
The Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim III:13) argues that creation is the expression of God’s will; the search for a “why” imports human categories of purpose that may not apply to God. The world exists because God willed it to exist. The Rambam’s philosophical asceticism here is striking: the question is closed not by an answer but by a refusal to ask.heading
The Kabbalist Answer (Arizal)
The Kabbalist Answer (Arizal)paragraph
Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–1572) developed the most influential mystical account. Before creation, there was only [Or Ein Sof](/glossary.xml#letter-O) — the infinite divine light, occupying all that is. For there to be a world of finite beings, God performed tzimtzum — a contraction, withdrawing the divine light from a “space” in which creation could occur. Into that space, God emitted divine light through a series of vessels (the kelim) corresponding to the [Sefirot](/glossary.xml#letter-S). The lower vessels could not contain the light and shattered — [shevirat hakelim](/glossary.xml#letter-S). The sparks of light scattered into the realms of impurity (the [klipot](/glossary.xml#letter-K)). The work of every Jew, in every [mitzvah](/glossary.xml#letter-M), is [birur](/glossary.xml#letter-B) — sifting the sparks from the husks and returning them to their Source. (See the Editor’s treatise on [gilgul](/glossary.xml#letter-G), reformatted in this Field Guide, for the soul-level extension of this teaching.)
Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–1572) developed the most influential mystical account. Before creation, there was only Or Ein Sof — the infinite divine light, occupying all that is. For there to be a world of finite beings, God performed tzimtzum — a contraction, withdrawing the divine light from a “space” in which creation could occur. Into that space, God emitted divine light through a series of vessels (the kelim) corresponding to the Sefirot. The lower vessels could not contain the light and shattered — shevirat hakelim. The sparks of light scattered into the realms of impurity (the klipot). The work of every Jew, in every mitzvah, is birur — sifting the sparks from the husks and returning them to their Source. (See the Editor’s treatise on gilgul, reformatted in this Field Guide, for the soul-level extension of this teaching.)heading
The Hasidic Answer (Baal Shem Tov, Chabad)
The Hasidic Answer (Baal Shem Tov, Chabad)paragraph
Hasidism, particularly in its Chabad form, frames creation in relational terms. Drawing on the [Midrash](/glossary.xml#letter-M) ([Bereshit Rabbah 1:4](https://www.sefaria.org/Bereshit_Rabbah.1.4), 1:6) that the world was created bishvil [Yisrael](/glossary.xml#letter-Y) — for the sake of Israel — Hasidism teaches that God created the world to have a finite being to love and be loved by. The very phrase [Pri etz hadar](/glossary.xml#letter-P) (“fruit of a beautiful tree”) for the [etrog](/glossary.xml#letter-E) of [Sukkot](/glossary.xml#letter-S) is read as alluding to God’s desire ([chemda](/glossary.xml#letter-C)) for relationship.
Hasidism, particularly in its Chabad form, frames creation in relational terms. Drawing on the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah 1:4, 1:6) that the world was created bishvil Yisrael — for the sake of Israel — Hasidism teaches that God created the world to have a finite being to love and be loved by. The very phrase Pri etz hadar (“fruit of a beautiful tree”) for the etrog of Sukkot is read as alluding to God’s desire (chemda) for relationship.heading
The Modern Question
The Modern Questionparagraph
Modern Jewish thinkers have continued the conversation. [Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik](/glossary.xml#letter-J) in The Lonely Man of Faith reads the dual creation narratives of [Bereshit 1 and 2](https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.1) as describing two human archetypes — [Adam I](/glossary.xml#letter-A) (the dignified master of nature) and Adam II (the covenantal partner with God). [Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg](/glossary.xml#letter-R) in The Triumph of Life reads the entire arc of creation, revelation, and redemption as God’s patient self-effacing pedagogy training humanity into covenantal adulthood. None of these answers is final; all are conversations.
Modern Jewish thinkers have continued the conversation. Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik in The Lonely Man of Faith reads the dual creation narratives of Bereshit 1 and 2 as describing two human archetypes — Adam I (the dignified master of nature) and Adam II (the covenantal partner with God). Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg in The Triumph of Life reads the entire arc of creation, revelation, and redemption as God’s patient self-effacing pedagogy training humanity into covenantal adulthood. None of these answers is final; all are conversations.heading
Where Denominations Diverge
Where Denominations Divergeparagraph
[Orthodox](/glossary.xml#letter-O) theology accommodates the rationalist, kabbalistic, and Hasidic answers all within its bounds. Conservative thinkers (notably [Heschel](/glossary.xml#letter-A), Borowitz, Greenberg) have continued the tradition with phenomenological and process-theological emphases. [Reform](/glossary.xml#letter-R) classical theology was largely rationalist (in the Maimonidean key); contemporary Reform is more open to mystical readings. [Reconstructionist](/glossary.xml#letter-R) theology, following Kaplan, often reads creation in naturalistic terms.
Orthodox theology accommodates the rationalist, kabbalistic, and Hasidic answers all within its bounds. Conservative thinkers (notably Heschel, Borowitz, Greenberg) have continued the tradition with phenomenological and process-theological emphases. Reform classical theology was largely rationalist (in the Maimonidean key); contemporary Reform is more open to mystical readings. Reconstructionist theology, following Kaplan, often reads creation in naturalistic terms.heading
Sources
Sourcesparagraph
Rambam, Moreh Nevuchim III:13.
Rambam, Moreh Nevuchim III:13.paragraph
Arizal (via [Chaim Vital](/glossary.xml#letter-C)), [Etz Chaim](/glossary.xml#letter-E).
Arizal (via Chaim Vital), Etz Chaim.paragraph
Midrash [Bereshit Rabbah 1:4, 1:6](https://www.sefaria.org/Bereshit_Rabbah.1.6).
Midrash Bereshit Rabbah 1:4, 1:6.paragraph
[Baal Shem Tov](/glossary.xml#letter-B), [Keter](/glossary.xml#letter-K) Shem Tov.
Baal Shem Tov, Keter Shem Tov.paragraph
Joseph Soloveitchik, The Lonely Man of Faith.
Joseph Soloveitchik, The Lonely Man of Faith.paragraph
[Tzimtzum](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/361884/jewish/Tzimtzum.htm) — Chabad.org.
Tzimtzum — Chabad.org.paragraph
[Shattered Vessels: Introduction to the Ari's Concept of Shevirat haKeilim](https://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/380568/jewish/Shattered-Vessels.htm) — Chabad.org.
Shattered Vessels: Introduction to the Ari's Concept of Shevirat haKeilim — Chabad.org.paragraph
[The Purpose of Creation](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/361898/jewish/The-Purpose-of-Creation.htm) — Chabad.org.
The Purpose of Creation — Chabad.org.paragraph
[Kabbalah, Science and the Creation of the Universe](https://jewishaction.com/science-technology/kabbalah-science-creation-universe/) — Jewish Action.
Kabbalah, Science and the Creation of the Universe — Jewish Action.heading
Further Reading
Further Readingparagraph
Arthur Green, A Guide to the [Zohar](/glossary.xml#letter-Z).
Arthur Green, A Guide to the Zohar.paragraph
Daniel Matt, God and the Big Bang.
Daniel Matt, God and the Big Bang.paragraph
Yitz Greenberg, The Triumph of Life.
Yitz Greenberg, The Triumph of Life.going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-mussarWhat Is Mussar?/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-mussar.xmlgoing-deeper-deeper-questions-hasidism-vs-mitnagdismHasidism vs. Mitnagdism/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-hasidism-vs-mitnagdism.xmlgoing-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-kabbalahWhat Is Kabbalah?/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-kabbalah.xmlgoing-deeper-deeper-facts-the-oral-torah-and-its-authorityThe Oral Torah and Its Authority/articles/going-deeper-deeper-facts-the-oral-torah-and-its-authority.xmleditors-desk-treatise-the-journey-of-the-soul-gilgul-neshamot-in-jewish-thought-prologueThe Journey of the Soul: Gilgul Neshamot in Jewish Thought (Prologue)scholarly/articles/editors-desk-treatise-the-journey-of-the-soul-gilgul-neshamot-in-jewish-thought-prologue.xmlgilgul-neshamot-the-journey-of-the-soulThe Journey of the Soul: Gilgul Neshamot in Jewish Thoughtscholarly/articles/gilgul-neshamot-the-journey-of-the-soul.xmlAbraham Joshua Heschelאברהם יהושע השלAbraham Joshua Heschel (1907–1972), a descendant of Hasidic dynasties who became a leading voice of 20th-century American Judaism, wrote of a God "in search of man" and of Shabbat as "a palace in time"; his sense of radical amazement at the ordinary shaped a generation of Jewish theology and interfaith dialogue.essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-godAdam I and Adam IIRabbi Joseph Soloveitchik's paired archetypes, from his essay "The Lonely Man of Faith": Adam I is the confident, dignified conqueror of nature, while Adam II is the lonely, humble covenantal partner who stands before God. Soloveitchik argued that a full religious life must hold both together.essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-godBaal Shem Tovבעל שם טובRabbi Israel ben Eliezer (c. 1698–1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov ("Master of the Good Name"), founded Hasidism among the villages of Ukraine, teaching that a divine spark dwells in every person and every blade of grass and can be elevated through joyful worship and everyday deeds.essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-godChabadחב״דChabad-Lubavitch is a Hasidic movement, historically headquartered in the Russian town of Lubavitch, known today for its worldwide network of Chabad Houses that offer hospitality, classes, and holiday services to Jews of every background, often in places with no other organized Jewish community.community-finding-a-shulChaim Vitalחיים ויטאלRabbi Chaim Vital (1543–1620) was the primary disciple of the Arizal and the compiler of Etz Chaim, the systematic written record of his teacher's oral Kabbalistic teachings, without which Lurianic Kabbalah might not have survived in its detailed form.essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-godEtz Chaimעֵץ חַיִּים'Tree of life' — the Torah's own epithet, from the verse 'it is a tree of life to those who hold it fast,' sung as the scroll is returned to the ark. The wooden rollers of a Torah scroll are also called by this name.Guide for the Perplexedמורה נבוכיםMoreh NevuchimThe Rambam's philosophical masterwork argues that God can be described only through negation — saying what God is not rather than what God is — and works to reconcile Aristotelian philosophy with Torah faith for readers troubled by any apparent conflict between the two.essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-godHasidismחֲסִידוּתThe mystical revival movement founded by the Baal Shem Tov in 18th-century Eastern Europe, teaching that God can be served with joy in every act and every person. Its communities, each led by a Rebbe, remain a major force in Jewish life.going-deeper-deeper-questions-hasidism-vs-mitnagdismJoseph Soloveitchikיוסף דב הלוי סולובייצ'יקRabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903–1993), known to his students as "the Rav," was the towering figure of 20th-century Modern Orthodoxy; his framing of the Jew as both dignified "Adam I" and covenantal "Adam II" remains a touchstone of Modern Orthodox thought.essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-godKeterכֶּתֶר"Crown" — the highest of the ten Sefirot in Kabbalah, representing the divine will that precedes all comprehension.MidrashמִדְרָשׁLiterally 'inquiry' — the rabbinic genre of creative biblical interpretation, filling gaps in the text, drawing out moral lessons, and reading Scripture in surprising directions.going-deeper-deeper-facts-midrashOr Ein Sofאוֹר אֵין סוֹף'The light of the Infinite' — the Kabbalistic term for God's boundless radiance before and within creation.Orthodox JudaismOrthodox Judaism holds Halacha as fully binding and the Shulchan Aruch as its canonical code; it spans Haredi and Hasidic communities as well as Modern Orthodoxy, and is the starting point from which this Field Guide is written, even as it engages seriously with other denominations.how-to-use-this-field-guideRabbi Yitz GreenbergRabbi Irving 'Yitz' Greenberg (b. 1933), a Modern Orthodox rabbi and Holocaust theologian known for the principle that no Jewish theological statement should be made that would not be credible in the presence of burning children; author of The Jewish Way.holidays-modern-observances-yom-hashoahRambamרמב״םRabbi Moshe ben Maimon (1138–1204), known by the acronym Rambam and in the Latin West as Maimonides, was the towering rationalist codifier and philosopher of medieval Judaism — author of the legal code Mishneh Torah and the philosophical Guide for the Perplexed. His formulation of God's unity and incorporeality remains foundational to Jewish theology across denominations.essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-godReconstructionist JudaismFounded by Mordecai Kaplan, Reconstructionist Judaism understands Judaism as an evolving religious civilization rather than a fixed set of supernatural commandments, and was an early adopter of patrilineal descent and full gender egalitarianism.how-to-use-this-field-guideReform JudaismReform Judaism treats Halacha as a source of values and meaning rather than binding law, emphasizing individual autonomy, ethical monotheism, and tikkun olam; it was the first movement to fully recognize patrilineal descent and ordain women as rabbis.how-to-use-this-field-guideSefirotסְפִירוֹתIn Kabbalah, the ten emanations or attributes — such as chesed (love) and gevurah (strength) — through which the infinite God relates to creation.going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-kabbalahSukkotסוכותThe autumn Festival of Booths, one of the three pilgrimage festivals — seven days of dwelling in the sukkah and waving the four species, in 'the season of our joy.'holidays-shalosh-regalim-sukkotThe Arizalהאר"י ז"לRabbi Isaac Luria (1534-1572), the towering kabbalist of 16th-century Safed whose teachings -- including tzimtzum, shevirat hakelim, and tikkun -- reshaped Jewish mysticism; he wrote almost nothing himself, and his system survives through the writings of his student Rabbi Chaim Vital.going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-kabbalahYisraelישראלYisrael, the name given to the patriarch Yaakov after he wrestled with a divine being (Bereshit 32:29), means roughly "one who wrestles with God" and became the name of the Jewish people as a whole — a people defined, on this reading, by struggle and engagement rather than easy certainty.essentials-essential-questions-who-is-a-jewZoharזוהרThe central work of Kabbalah — a mystical commentary on the Torah that emerged in 13th-century Spain and is traditionally attributed to the 2nd-century sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-kabbalahbirurבירור'Clarification' or 'sorting' — the Kabbalistic idea that human acts sift the holy sparks scattered through creation, raising them back to their Source.bishvil Yisraelבִּשְׁבִיל יִשְׂרָאֵל'For the sake of Israel' — the midrashic teaching, cited by Rashi on the Torah's first verse, that the world was created for the sake of Israel and the Torah.chemdahחֶמְדָּהDesire or delight. Hasidic teaching speaks of God's chemdah — a longing, as it were, for a dwelling place in the lower world — as a reason for creation.etrogאֶתְרוֹגThe citron — the fragrant yellow fruit held together with the lulav as one of the four species of Sukkot. A fine etrog is chosen with the care of a jeweler.going-deeper-deeper-judaica-lulav-and-etrog-the-four-speciesgilgul neshamotגִּלְגּוּל נְשָׁמוֹתThe Kabbalistic doctrine of the transmigration of souls — the teaching that a soul may return in successive lifetimes to complete its unfinished work; often shortened to gilgul.gilgul-neshamot-the-journey-of-the-soul-gilgul-neshamot-in-jewish-thoughtkelimכֵּלִים"Vessels" — in Lurianic Kabbalah, the containers of divine light that shattered at creation (shevirat hakelim), scattering sparks that humanity is charged with restoring.klipotקְלִפּוֹת"Husks" or "shells" — the Kabbalistic term for the forces that conceal divine light, the counterpart to the holy sparks awaiting release.mitzvahמִצְוָהA commandment — one of the Torah's 613 divine instructions, and by extension any religious duty or good deed. The plural is mitzvot.essentials-essential-facts-the-613-mitzvotpri etz hadarפְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר'The fruit of a splendid tree' — the Torah's phrase (Vayikra 23:40) understood by the tradition to mean the etrog, taken among the four species on Sukkot.shevirat hakelimשְׁבִירַת הַכֵּלִים'The shattering of the vessels' — the Lurianic Kabbalistic teaching that the vessels meant to hold God's light broke at creation, scattering sparks that human deeds now gather and restore.tzimtzumצמצום'Contraction' — the Lurianic Kabbalistic teaching that the Infinite withdrew or concentrated its light, so to speak, to make room for a finite world.parentFoundations of Belief/sections/foundations.xmlrelatedWhat Is Mussar?/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-mussar.xmlrelatedHasidism vs. Mitnagdism/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-hasidism-vs-mitnagdism.xmlrelatedWhat Is Kabbalah?/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-kabbalah.xmlrelatedThe Oral Torah and Its Authority/articles/going-deeper-deeper-facts-the-oral-torah-and-its-authority.xmlrelatedThe Journey of the Soul: Gilgul Neshamot in Jewish Thought (Prologue)/articles/editors-desk-treatise-the-journey-of-the-soul-gilgul-neshamot-in-jewish-thought-prologue.xmlrelatedThe Journey of the Soul: Gilgul Neshamot in Jewish Thought/articles/gilgul-neshamot-the-journey-of-the-soul.xml