Purpose Of Creation

Dear friends,

For the first time in the history of these letters, I am quoting a Non-Jewish source. You may be very reasonably wondering why I feel that you are interested in what the Boston Globe has to say about the creation of humans, (not that Jeff Jacoby has that in his lexicon).

Bear with me! HERE GOES

​“According to the United Nations, the world’s human population will reach the nice round number of 8,000,000,000. In its latest annual report, the UN Population Division pegs Nov. 15 as the date that milestone will be achieved, but that’s just a guesstimate. No one knows precisely when or where Baby 8 Billion will make her appearance. However, we can be sure that she will be welcomed by her family the way most newborns are welcomed: with happiness.
 
It should make all of us happy that the human club is about to welcome its 8 billionth living member. UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls it “an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity, and reduced maternal and child mortality rates.”
 
He’s right, of course. Yet to many modern, educated elites, the enlargement of the human race is cause for despair and angst, not joy. In sophisticated circles, childlessness is promoted as virtuous — even stylish”
 
ARE YOU GLAD TO BE HERE? 
 
The very first blessing that G-d gave the crown of all creation, human beings, is “Be fruitful and multiply…fill the earth…You are blessed. Your children are blessed... Having them is a blessing. Hmmm.
 
The word brachah is rooted in the letters beit (which has the value of 2) reish (200) and chaff (20). Each one of these numbers is the first “more” in its number unit. A blessing means becoming more. More is not the same as different. Hashem blessed the animals that they multiply, but in a basic sense, they remain what they are (i.e., you can’t bless a lizard to become a snowflake – it can only be whatever a maxed-out lizard is). If you want to see yourself as blessed, it means being the maximum person you could be. Not being someone else. 
 
When the animals were blessed with the possibility of reproduction, they were not given the power to do more than maintaining their species. They were and are instinctively aware of the reason for their centrality, and their reason for being in the Garden of Eden – the place where physical and spiritual reality at that point were not really separate. Some of you are familiar with the Nature Song (Pirkei Shirah). The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni 889) tells us that when Dovid Hamelech concluded the compilation of Tehillim, a frog appeared before him and told him, “I say more songs and praises than you do. Not only that, but three thousand parables are said about every song that I recite…. Not only that, but I am involved in a great mitzvah, and this is the mitzvah that I involve myself with: There’s a creature on the shore whose sustenance comes exclusively from [creatures that live] in the water, and when it’s hungry, it takes me and eats me.”
 
In Perek Shirah, the songs of many creatures are quoted. The “song” of the frog is also there.  It’s Baruch shem kvod malchuso l’olam va’ed — “Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingdom for all eternity.”
 
The difference between any two lizards or frogs is not comparable to the difference between any two people. Human potential for individuation is one of Hashem’s great miracles. The Talmud tells you, “How great the King who mints innumerable coins and every one is different.
Humans have unique abilities and a unique purpose. We are able to dominate nature, but our purpose is not dominion as an end goal. It is “l’ovda vilshomra,” to serve and to guard. This goes far beyond survival. One facet is serving Hashem through the positive mitzvos. What that means is using the directives that He gave you to bring about His plan for you in ways that you and only you can do. If you are a kohen, you aren't a Yisrael. If you are a man, you aren’t a woman. If you are financially stable, you have obligations towards charity that are different from those of someone who is struggling financially. If you are overwhelmed by many responsibilities, you are living a different life than someone who is struggling with loneliness. There are mitzvos that were given to everyone, but the way you will observe them is distinctly your own. Honoring your parents may present possible challenges that someone with an easy set of parents will never have. The list goes on and on. Your blessing is being yourself. Of course, some positive mitzvos can and should be done by everyone – they transcend the aspects of your life that are exclusively yours. An example would be having emunah. Everyone can seek Hashem. Others are distinctly your own. Humans are also commended to guard themselves, the world they live in, and more through observing the negative commandments. You may not destroy yourself by speaking lashon hara or upset the balance that Hashem generated by stealing.
 
YOU ARE BORN TO SUCCEED. AND WHEN YOU DON’T, YOU ARE HERE TO SUCCEED BY RETURNING TO YOUR BEGINNING POINT.
 
Sforno points out that the literal words are “work her” and “guard her”. The “her” in question is the neshamah.
 
The key to your unlocking the door to your own purpose is getting to have sensitivity to your soul’s capacities, and giving them the freedom to flow. This happens when you find your place of spiritual excellence and give it an address. For Henny Machlis it was bringing people into her home. Some of you have heard of her; others have had a Shabbos meal along with the hundred or so other people she hosted week after week. Hachnasat Orchim (hospitality) is a mitzvah for anyone. If you were to have her love of people that would be the natural address for it to flow. I was a friend; we confided in each other. Things were not always easy, but things were always good.
 
Identifying your challenges is the other track. That means guarding your soul by protecting yourself from letting negative “gravity” pull you down to become what you don’t want to be. Self-esteem comes from credibly saying to yourself, “I can be whoever I want to be.” I can resist the pull towards doing whatever people do to get others to say, “Amen. You’re okay," when I don’t believe in their goals. The range here is huge. Some of you are tempted to throw in the towel and just be “normal”. Others of you are tempted to let the strong emotions you feel draw you down towards saying things that can’t be erased. Others are tempted to look away from other people and let their own egos and desires take up the entire stage. 
Hashem didn’t create you or any other human just to maintain the species. The world can’t continue without earthworms (they make tunnels that bring oxygen into the soil). It can do very well without humans. It would be greener…nicer…
 
YOU ARE BORN TO BE A LEADER AND A FOLLOWER.
 
As Jews, we are called a holy nation and a nation of kohanim. We aren’t all literal kohanim. Rashi explains that the word means sarrim, officers or leaders. Ramban says that it means “servants of Hashem”. Sforno speaks about being part of an eternal people. There are no contradictions here. You were created to be yourself and to bring what only you can into the world. You are an officer, a leader. When you look at history you will see that any form of morality that exists came to the world through the Torah (Christianity and Islam drew their moral teachings secondhand from us). This doesn’t mean that they necessarily did or should learn Torah. It means that the moral example of living on the Torah’s terms makes you a leader. The more you serve (Hashem) the more you lead.
 
ENJOY THE WORLD THAT HASHEM RECREATES FOR YOU EVERY DAY!!!
 
Love, 
Tziporah