“Go and see the works of God, Who has placed devastations on the earth” (Psalms 46:9).

Actually, this is a very amazing and awesome matter—that the Blessed One created the entire creation in which there are any number of very many amazing and awesome things. ‘How many are the works of God!’ (cf. Psalms 104:24). Even in this world alone, God’s wonders are countless. He created inanimate objects and vegetation, and so on. Who can fathom the greatness of God contained in the creations of this world, all the more so the other worlds?! And every single thing was created solely for the sake of the Jewish people.

And the Jewish people themselves were created primarily for the sake of Shabbat, which is the ultimate purpose. Shabbat is the ultimate purpose for which heaven and earth were created, namely, the concept of the World of Souls (Zohar, Introduction p.1b; ibid. II, 136b), which is a world that is entirely Shabbat. There, they will perceive God properly, without any barrier and without any hindrance. For an absolute unity will manifest then, and, as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: Each one will point with his finger [and say], “This is God, in Whom we trusted” (Taanit 31a). This is the ultimate purpose, on account of which the Blessed One created the entire creation.

Thus, everything created in the world certainly contains an aspect of the ultimate purpose. This is because each thing has a beginning and an end. The beginning is the place from which it devolves until it materializes and comes into being in that image and form. And it also contains the concept of ultimate purpose and end, for which sake it was created. That [ultimate purpose] is so that the Jewish people are able to study deeply, know and comprehend the details of the creation—the gestalt of each thing’s parts, shape, structure and form, etc.—and perceive in them God’s greatness and serve Him through this.

And so, too, all the way up to the ultimate purpose, where that thing approaches the ultimate purpose. For each thing has a hold in the ultimate purpose, which is its raison d’être, such that through this thing one can perceive God and serve him up to its ultimate purpose, where that thing ends and approaches the ultimate purpose. And each person has to deepen his study of this, to know and recognize God in each thing—in its gestalt and form, in the details of its parts, structure and the like—and serve Him through this, until he arrives at that thing’s ultimate purpose, i.e., the concept of Shabbat, the World of Souls, etc.

Now see, the intellectually gifted, by virtue of their considerable intelligence, are capable of this. But [what of] those of lesser stature, such as we nowadays, who are on a most inferior level, the concept of feet? How is it possible for us to attain this knowledge? We therefore have to greatly long, yearn and pine—if only we had a leader of the generation, a faithful shepherd, with this power to shine the aforementioned knowledge and perception even into us, who are the concept of the feet, so that we might attain the ultimate purpose.

The example is Moshe Rabbeinu, may he rest in peace, whose exceptional loftiness enabled him to illuminate even the least of the least, even a maidservant. As our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: A maidservant at the Red Sea saw what the prophet Yechezkel did not (Mekhilta, Beshalakh 3; Rashi, Exodus 15:2). Thus even Yechezkel, who was such a great prophet, could not see what a maidservant saw in Moshe’s day. This was entirely due to the exceptional loftiness of the leader.

For Moshe Rabbeinu was that leader. He could illuminate even those who correspond to the feet, so that although they are far from the mind, the feet, too, could nonetheless attain and know the ultimate purpose through “the works of God” which He created in this lowly world, as mentioned above. This is because the leader’s greatness enables him to draw down the mind even to the feet. And then it is possible that these feet are greater than a different mind.

This is the meaning of: {“Go and see the works of God, Who has placed shamot (devastations) on the earth.”} Go and see— Specifically “Go,” the concept of the feet, which are the instruments of ambulation. They, too, will “see the works of God, Who has placed devastations on the earth”—i.e., the works of God placed on this earth, namely, in this lowly world. Through the works of God on this lowly earth it is possible to know and attain the ultimate purpose. And this is:

Who has placed ShaMOT on the earth— In other words, the ultimate purpose is the concept of SheiMOT (names), an acronym for Takhlit Maaseh Shamayim Vaaretz (the ultimate purpose for which heaven and earth were created). This is as in “each living soul, that is its name” (Genesis 2:19); and as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: Do not read ShaMOT but SheiMOT (Berakhot 7b). In other words, the World of Souls, which is the ultimate purpose, is enclothed in and taken hold of through this lowly earth. By means of this lowly world—specifically by this means—must the ultimate purpose be attained, as mentioned above.

Actually, this is a very amazing and awesome original insight; that attaining the ultimate purpose, namely, such a sublime thing as perceiving the Blessed One, depends specifically on the creations of the lowly world. Thus all the souls are obliged to traverse this world in order to attain the ultimate purpose, because Mashiach the son of David will not arrive until all the souls are emptied from The Guf (Yevamot 62b). They must all enter this lowly world so as to attain the ultimate purpose through it. It follows, that all of them are the concept of “needing creations”—they are in need of the creations of this world, to attain the ultimate purpose through them.

By rights we should cry and shed bitter tears when saying this. [We should] cry and long, beg and plead with God: When will we merit having this awareness so that can know and recognize the Blessed Creator from the minutest details of all the things of this world; until [we can attain] the ultimate purpose? And considering our current inferior level and that all our faces are without any beauty, we need God to take pity on us, to give us a leader, a faithful shepherd, who can shine into us the aforementioned knowledge so that we might serve God properly and arrive at the ultimate purpose, as mentioned above.

2. The Six Days are the beginning, in which everything was created. Shabbat is the end and ultimate purpose…. And there certainly are distinctions between the creations, because there certainly are differences between that which was created before and that which was created on Day Six, which is closer to Shabbat. Thus it is brought in the holy books: “six days God made heaven and earth” (Exodus 31:17)—that also the Six Days themselves were created. Kabbalistically, they are [points that form] a circle around an inner point, which is Shabbat (Zohar II, 204a). Even so, there are distinctions.

3. [Regarding] that which our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: It would have been preferable for a person to have not been created than to have been created (Eruvin 13b) ; and also that which is written, “and better than both are those who have not yet come into being” (Ecclesiastes 4:3). The matter is perplexing, since, in that case, what is the reason he was created?

Now, this was certainly said only from the standpoint of this world. Considering the adversities of this world and the afflictions which each and every person suffers here, it certainly would have been better to have not been created at all. But from the standpoint of the World to Come, it certainly is better to have been created, because specifically through this one attains the ultimate purpose, as mentioned above. And even in this world: Better one hour of repentance and good deeds in this world than the entire life of the World to Come (Avot 4:17).

4. Nissan—the new year for kings (Rosh HaShanah 2a). It is then that all the kings are appointed on high, and gifts are surely given to each one who is enthroned. May God give us as well a king and a leader, a faithful shepherd, who can shine into us…, as mentioned above.

It is we who are “the people at your feet” (Exodus 11:8)—who follow your counsel (Rashi). We follow in the ways of the leader. If only we had a leader such as Moshe Rabbeinu, may he rest in peace…, as mentioned above. {All this belongs with Lesson #39.}