The Work of Creation

 

Our Significance

 

The purpose of the creation of the world is that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have an abode in the lower worlds. (Tanchuma Bechukotai 3 Tanchuma Nasso 16)

 

From this statement, we can begin to understand that God, being Eternal, Divine, and Infinite, being Complete and Fulfilled within the Godhead, chose to desire to create a physical world, in which He could dwell with His creation. We cannot even begin to comprehend the reason for God’s desire for that dwelling.

 

Before the world was created, He was One Alone, One, and Unique, filling all space in which He created the universe. (Rabbi Schneur Zalman, Tanya 36)

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (Yochanan 1:1)

 

There is no existence at all besides Him, and nothing in addition to His Being. “Before the world was created, God was fully revealed in the “space” in which the world was subsequently created, so that there was no existence but His.”[1] In order for God to create the universe, He had to begin by creating a space for that universe by “contracting” His Presence, as it were. Prior to His act of creation of the universe, He existed Alone within the Godhead and nothing was beyond His Being.

 

From God’s perspective, it is still the same. As stated in our Shacharit (Morning) Prayers:

 

            You existed before the world was created.

            You exist [in the same way] now that the world has been created.

            You exist in this world, and You will exist in the World to Come.

 

This is due to God’s Infinite Essence, which is beyond, beyond our ability to comprehend. He chose to reveal this aspect of the Godhead through His Name, YHVH. This Name, which is so Holy, so Other, that we dare not even pronounce it, stands for “hoyo, hova, vehihiyeh (k’echad)—He was, He is, and He will be simultaneously,” signifying that He transcends the constraints of time and never changes.[2]

 

Therefore, from the perspective of an Eternal, Infinite God, the universe is completely insignificant, in and of itself. Therefore, what is our purpose? Our reason for being? Our significance? Although our finiteness is so completely insignificant compared to God’s Infiniteness, the only reason we matter is because God has chosen to care about us. For reasons beyond our comprehension, although we actually add absolutely nothing to Him, He has chosen to be concerned about us and He has chosen to desire to have us help Him create a dwelling place for Him here in this lowest of all possible worlds.

 

Creation from Nothingness[3]

 

            The world was created by means of ten (Divine) utterances.” (Avot 5:1)

           

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth … Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light … Then God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, separating water from water … And it was so.” (Gen. 1:1-7)

 

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 1:3)

 

Hence, the Godly life-force that creates and enlivens the world is termed “God’s speech.” It must be understood that God’s speech, used solely anthropomorphically, is not like our speech. When we speak, our speech is separate from us and distinct. Once we say the words, they are no longer a part of us. So in what way is God’s speech similar to that of humans? Just as in the case of people, whose speech reveals to others what is hidden and concealed in one’s thoughts, so, too, does God’s speech reveal His inner thoughts and desires, as He releases His life-force to create worlds and sustain them.

 

And to make sure we remember that we have no significance of our own, recall that the entire universe was created with ten utterances from God. Now imagine how many words we speak in our lifetime. (Some of us, more than others, granted.) And how significant are ten words we utter compared to all the rest? In similar fashion, that shows us how insignificant ten utterances from God are in comparison to Eternity. If it were not for the fact that God has chosen to create us, sustain us, and care about us, we would be very, very insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

 

Yesh Me’Ayin (Creation from Nothingness)[4]

 

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Gen. 1:1)

 

Being that the Source of the universe is God, and God is Spirit, how did God create a physical universe? No matter how far removed from God, Spirit should only be able to give rise to something spiritual. Here we come upon one of the greatest of miracles: the creation of physicality.

The creation of being from nothingness (yesh m’ayin) cannot come about by way of cause and effect, since a spiritual source can give rise to nothing more than a less refined form of spirituality. Also, the final effect would still be incorporated within the original cause (source). And physicality cannot be contained within spirituality. Therefore, matter had to have been created by God ex nihilo, yesh m’ayin, “being from nothingness.”

Since physical matter cannot exist within the realm of the spiritual, God had to create physical matter from nothingness. Therefore, physical matter can only exist as long as God continues to sustain it. Otherwise, physical matter would simply return to its original state of nothingness.

 

Perpetual Creation[5]

 

The Lord exists forever; Your word stands firm in heaven. (Psalm 119:89)

 

Your words that you spoke, Let there be a firmament—these words continue to stand in the heavens to create them. (Midrash Tehillim 119:89)

 

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

 

Just as words exist only as long as they are being spoken, so the world, created through God’s speech, must be constantly uttered and sustained into existence. God has life within Himself. Physicality, being created from nothingness, has no life in and of itself. The physical universe is completely dependent on God, the very Source of Life. If God, for even one second, was to stop sustaining the physical world, the universe would cease to exist, it would return to a state of nothingness.

 

This is what the prophet means with “God is true.”[6] He alone is true, and no other being possess truth like His truth. This is what the Torah says: ein od milvado—i.e., there is no other true existence besides Him that is like Him.[7]

 

There is Nothing Besides You[8]

 

Lord, who is like You among the [Eilim]? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders? (Exodus 15:11)

 

Yonatan, a disciple of Hillel the elder, author of the Aramaic translation of the Torah Targum Yonatan, translated this verse as, “Who is like You among the supernal beings, O God …” Without Yonatan’s insight, it would be possible to misunderstand this passage to mean that, although there were no other gods as glorious, God forbid, there actually did exist other gods.

 

It has been clearly demonstrated to you that the Lord alone is God; there is none beside Him. (Deuteronomy 4:35)

 

Onkelos, a second-century CE proselyte of Roman origin, under the guidance of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, translated the Torah into Aramaic, Targum Onkelos, and translated Deuteronomy 4:35 as, “There is nothing besides You.”

 

These verses combine to help us understand that the reality of God’s existence is not like that of any other being, since everything else is dependent on God for its existence. Nothing, aside from God, enjoys an independent existence.

 

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone [echad]. (Deuteronomy 6:4)

 

Since echad can be used for “one of many,” while yachid means “only or singular,” there must be a reason that the verse uses echad.

 

It has been taught on Tannaite authority: Sumkhos says, “Whoever lengthens the recitation of the word ‘one’ [echad] has his days and years lengthened as well.” … R. Jeremiah was in session before R. Hiyya bar Abba. He noticed that someone prolonged the letters too much. He instructed him, “Once you have [in your heart] declared God to be king above and below and in the four quarters of heaven, you do not have to persist in the matter.” (b. Berachot 13b)

 

This idea is hinted at in the very word echad, spelled aleph-chet-dalet. The chet, equivalent to eight, alludes to the seven heavens and the earth. The dalet, numerically equivalent to four, alludes to the four corners of the world. Therefore, hinted at in the verse’s use of the word echad, is that although the seven heavens, the earth, and the four corners of the world were created, their existence does not nullify God’s exclusivity because the aleph represents God, the Creator of the universe.

 

The Concealment of God and Godliness

 

“But,” He said, “you [Mosheh] cannot see My face, for man may not see Me and live.” (Exodus 33:20)

 

You are indeed a God who concealed Himself, O God of Israel, who bring victory! (Isaiah 45:15)

 

Just as the rays of the sun would be unrecognizable within the sun, if anything were to stand near to God in His Infinite Essence, it would be consumed by God’s Presence and would cease to exist as an independent entity. At this time, the physical world and God cannot coexist; they exist together only as long as God is hidden.

 

This concealment of God and Godliness exists because God has chosen to create this world in such a way that the divine needs to be concealed. This can be seen even in the words olam (world) and teva (nature). The Hebrew word olam (world) is related to the Hebrew word he’elem, which means “hidden,” “concealment,” or “darkness.” The Light of God with which He created the world was hidden and concealed to enable the creation of physicality.

 

The Hebrew word for nature, teva, is related to the word for “sinking,” as in Exodus 15:4, “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Reed Sea.” The objects that sunk in the sea, in this case Pharaoh’s army, are covered by water. When looking at the water, any objects beneath the surface are not visible. However, the water covering the object does not eliminate its existence. In this world, God and Godliness are concealed within nature, but God is still present.[9]

 

In fact, God is so concealed in this present world that people can live their entire lives not only ignoring Him, but actually denying His very existence.

 

Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:2/ MT 5:1)

 

God’s Purpose for Creation[10]

 

The purpose of the creation of the world is that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have an abode in the lower worlds. (Tanchuma Bechukotai 3 Tanchuma Nasso 16)

 

It is almost impossible for a person to see what he assumes does not exist. In order to be aware of God and Godliness in this physical world, one must look beyond physical existence and beyond one’s ego. For God to be revealed in this world, one must provide Him a dwelling place. However, God cannot reveal Himself where a person’s ego exists.

 

R. Eleazar said, “For whoever is arrogant the Presence of God laments, “as it is said, ‘But the haughty he knows from afar’ (Ps. 138:6)” … ‘For though the Lord is high, yet he takes note of the low’ (Ps. 138:6).” Said R. Hisda, and some say it was Mar Uqba, “Concerning whoever is arrogant said the Holy One, blessed be he, he and I cannot live in the same world.” (b. Sotah 5a)

 

Hence, the way to prepare a dwelling place for God in this lowest of all worlds is through recognizing, revealing, and elevating the Godliness hidden within us and nature.

 

Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4)

 

Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by [Torah], because the righteous will live by faith. (Galatians 3:11)

 

My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him … Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 10:38, 11:1)

 

When a person believes that God not only exists in the heavens or in some other dimension, but also here in our midst, and that there is truly nothing else but Him, then that person is preparing a dwelling place for God in this world. Living by faith is becoming aware that God, although concealed, is with him, that God is his life, and that there is nothing besides God that truly exists in this world.

 

Through the elevation of one’s Godly soul over one’s animal soul, through the revelation of God within nature, and through the elevation of physical matter into Godliness; God and Godliness can be revealed in ways far greater than are possible in a purely spiritual realm. After all, light shines brightest when it shines forth from darkness. Part of the elevation of this physical world is to reveal the spark of Godliness hidden deep within a person’s Godly soul, especially if that person is downtrodden, vulnerable, and in need. This elevation of the Godliness hidden within physicality, prepares a dwelling place for God in our world. This process of preparing a home for God here on this earth is a part of the power of redemption.