Description: Clarifying the Purpose of Life 03
Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh
Volume I Pages 9-10
To answer the question, where do we begin in Avodas Hashem, we need to know what is the general reason why all people come down to this world.
What, in truth, is the purpose of a man in this world? Baruch Hashem the Mesillas Yesharim (Ch. 1) has already addressed this question!
No one is interested in a broken table or chair. No one wants to sleep on a broken bed. All the more so, deep down, no one wants to be a broken person, but rather, a complete person. We all know natively, that what we need is ‘shelaimus’, self-perfection, completion, fulfillment of purpose. What is a complete Jew? One who doesn't lack hands? Who doesn't lack legs? Baruch Hashem, we have those! But that’s only superficial completeness, bodily completeness. True shelaimus, true feeling of fulfillment and accomplishment, is only the inner completeness of the soul.
How do we achieve self-perfection and fulfillment? There is only one way.
The Mesilas Yesharim writes:
כי השלימות האמיתי הוא רק דביקות בו יתברך והוא מה שהי' דוד המלך אומר ואני קרבת אלוקים לי טוב וכשתסתכל בדבר תראה
“If we examine this question we will see, that the only true ‘shelaimus’, self-perfection, is deveikus to Hashem.”
Ok. That unequivocally defines what is ‘shelaimus’ – perfection! But the Ramchal goes one step further:
“This is what Dovid Hamelech would always say [Tehillim 73:28]: "Ve’Ani kirvas Elokim li tov,” meaning: As for me, closeness to Hashem is what’s good for me." In other words, if one wants to know what will make us feel fulfilled, feel ‘sipuk’, feel a purpose in life - we should consider what Dovid Hamelech understood to be good for himself. If it was good for him, it is good for every single one of us. He said, "As for me, [only] closeness to Hashem is [what I consider] good!" The Ramchal is applying this to each and every one of us. This means the true perfection of every single person without exception, no matter who you are, what your life is like, what your abilities are: is devaikus – connecting to Hashem!
He continues, "Anything else considered good by people is ‘hevel v’shav niseh’ – emptiness!” It might have the appearance of something good, something worthwhile, but with any level of true evaluation – we will realize that we are just fooling ourselves.
This is all a Jew really has in life - closeness to Hashem and deveikus to Him. The entire essence of a Jew is to be close to Hashem and build a relationship with Him. The Ramchal develops the point further and says, although true deveikus in Hashem can only happen in the world-to-come, it begins here! We create our Olam Habah – through the deveikus and relationship with Hashem we build in this world.
Any moment not utilized to connect to Hashem in some way, is an empty moment! Sometimes we feel this. We feel a yearning, and an empty feeling that needs to be filled. Unfortunately, we at times fill it with what the Mesilas Yesharim describes as ‘hevel’ nothingness! This doesn’t last for long, and soon we have that nagging empty feeling again. When do we feel full – fulfilled? When we daven a good davening! When we finish a Shabbos seudah (often we feel full both literally and figuratively!) If we start to identify this reality, recognize the truth of it, and we are sincere about it – we know we have to ask ourselves the question – how do we achieve this devaikus?
There’s no question we have heard this before, and we have heard it many times – we are here to establish a relationship with Hashem! The purpose of life is well-known, but at the same time - it isn’t known! If we would know it properly (the Hebrew word for knowledge is yediah, which means connection), and would be attached to the information, our whole way of life would definitely change.
The time during which a person recalls the purpose of his life is the time in which he is truly alive.
Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh
Volume I Pages 9-10
To answer the question, where do we begin in Avodas Hashem, we need to know what is the general reason why all people come down to this world.
What, in truth, is the purpose of a man in this world? Baruch Hashem the Mesillas Yesharim (Ch. 1) has already addressed this question!
No one is interested in a broken table or chair. No one wants to sleep on a broken bed. All the more so, deep down, no one wants to be a broken person, but rather, a complete person. We all know natively, that what we need is ‘shelaimus’, self-perfection, completion, fulfillment of purpose. What is a complete Jew? One who doesn't lack hands? Who doesn't lack legs? Baruch Hashem, we have those! But that’s only superficial completeness, bodily completeness. True shelaimus, true feeling of fulfillment and accomplishment, is only the inner completeness of the soul.
How do we achieve self-perfection and fulfillment? There is only one way.
The Mesilas Yesharim writes:
כי השלימות האמיתי הוא רק דביקות בו יתברך והוא מה שהי' דוד המלך אומר ואני קרבת אלוקים לי טוב וכשתסתכל בדבר תראה
“If we examine this question we will see, that the only true ‘shelaimus’, self-perfection, is deveikus to Hashem.”
Ok. That unequivocally defines what is ‘shelaimus’ – perfection! But the Ramchal goes one step further:
“This is what Dovid Hamelech would always say [Tehillim 73:28]: "Ve’Ani kirvas Elokim li tov,” meaning: As for me, closeness to Hashem is what’s good for me." In other words, if one wants to know what will make us feel fulfilled, feel ‘sipuk’, feel a purpose in life - we should consider what Dovid Hamelech understood to be good for himself. If it was good for him, it is good for every single one of us. He said, "As for me, [only] closeness to Hashem is [what I consider] good!" The Ramchal is applying this to each and every one of us. This means the true perfection of every single person without exception, no matter who you are, what your life is like, what your abilities are: is devaikus – connecting to Hashem!
He continues, "Anything else considered good by people is ‘hevel v’shav niseh’ – emptiness!” It might have the appearance of something good, something worthwhile, but with any level of true evaluation – we will realize that we are just fooling ourselves.
This is all a Jew really has in life - closeness to Hashem and deveikus to Him. The entire essence of a Jew is to be close to Hashem and build a relationship with Him. The Ramchal develops the point further and says, although true deveikus in Hashem can only happen in the world-to-come, it begins here! We create our Olam Habah – through the deveikus and relationship with Hashem we build in this world.
Any moment not utilized to connect to Hashem in some way, is an empty moment! Sometimes we feel this. We feel a yearning, and an empty feeling that needs to be filled. Unfortunately, we at times fill it with what the Mesilas Yesharim describes as ‘hevel’ nothingness! This doesn’t last for long, and soon we have that nagging empty feeling again. When do we feel full – fulfilled? When we daven a good davening! When we finish a Shabbos seudah (often we feel full both literally and figuratively!) If we start to identify this reality, recognize the truth of it, and we are sincere about it – we know we have to ask ourselves the question – how do we achieve this devaikus?
There’s no question we have heard this before, and we have heard it many times – we are here to establish a relationship with Hashem! The purpose of life is well-known, but at the same time - it isn’t known! If we would know it properly (the Hebrew word for knowledge is yediah, which means connection), and would be attached to the information, our whole way of life would definitely change.
The time during which a person recalls the purpose of his life is the time in which he is truly alive.