The word world is an Old English composite of two separate words, wer old, meaning “the age of man.” The Hebrew word for world, olam, on the other hand, means hidden (helem),1 alluding to G‑d’s concealment in creation.

The former expresses an anthropocentric worldview, defining the world by its relationship to humanity; the latter proposes a theocentric worldview, defining the world based on its relationship to G‑d.

From the Jewish perspective, the world is not just a mere stage for human history but the theater wherein the Divine mystery unfolds.2

According to Jewish mysticism, physical reality as we know it is an illusion.3 Matter is not mere material; everything is alive and in resonance, connected through a vibrating web of energy. Our normative perception of material reality as inert does not reflect its true nature and origin.

Kabbalah4 describes the process of creation as a series of curtains that block our view of the unifying infinite light that permeates the universe. Consequently, instead of experiencing the singular G‑dly force that animates all of existence, we see billions of disparate parts that lack any revealed cohesion or connection. This appearance of fragmentation was intentionally crafted by Divine design. G‑d created the world in just such a way because He wants us to partner with Him by pulling back the curtains of deception and opening the doors of perception in order to discover His Infinite Presence here on earth, revealing the underlying oneness within all.5

Abraham was the first6 to pierce the veil of existence,7 to question the origins of the universe, and ultimately to discover the one true G‑d. In the book of Genesis, before Abraham promoted G‑d’s presence in the world, G‑d is referred to as, the G‑d of the heavens,8 because people did not yet recognize the Divine author of creation. Only after Abraham promulgated the idea that the world is, in essence, a manifestation of G‑d in disguise is G‑d called9 the G‑d of the heavens and the earth.10

The Talmud11 teaches that, on Friday evening, whoever recites the verses describing the completion of creation and how G‑d “rested” on Shabbat is considered to have partnered with G‑d in the creation of the universe. Creation is no small feat! How does one become a collaborating partner in creation by merely reciting a few verses?

From the Jewish point of view, creation is incomplete and has not fulfilled its purpose until mankind recognizes G‑d’s creative role and continued presence in the world. Our conscious acknowledgment that the world was created by G‑d is therefore the realization of its intended purpose. Such intentional acknowledgment on our part turns us into full-fledged partners in creation.12

Interestingly, when the Shema is written in Torah, tefillin, and mezuzah scrolls, it includes two enlarged letters, ayin and dalet. These two letters graphically stand out from the others, forming a seventh word, eid (witness).13 This hidden word, revealed through the hand of the scribe for the eyes of the reader and the ears of the reciter, highlights the testimonial role we play in creation when we recite the Shema.

Simply put: Creation is a game of hide and seek, wherein G‑d’s Presence and Providence are hidden within the world. The obfuscation of His presence was necessary in order to create the prime conditions within which free will could exist and express itself. This deliberate concealment makes sense when one considers the fact that if reality’s true G‑dly nature was obvious to all, we would be overwhelmed by His presence and lose all sense of agency. Only because G‑d’s presence is hidden from us can we choose to see this world as either mundane or miraculous, secular or sacred.

Accordingly, much of Jewish practice is designed to help us encounter and acknowledge the Divine Presence in this world. For example, Jews are instructed to recite a blessing over food before eating in order to recognize that what they are about to enjoy is from G‑d. The blessing recited over a glass of water, for example, is “Blessed are You, L‑rd, our G‑d, King of the universe, by Whose word everything came into being.”14 If said with mindful intention, the person reciting this blessing recognizes in the simple glass of water that the entire universe is created by G‑d. Similar to William Blake’s poetic dictum, to “see a world in a grain of sand,” our Sages direct us to find G‑d in a glass of water.

Judaism teaches that our mission in life is to acknowledge G‑d’s presence everywhere and in everything, as the verse states,15 In all your ways, know Him.

Like a puzzle composed of seemingly disparate pieces, this world can often seem disjointed and without purpose. Mankind’s job is to put the pieces of life’s puzzle together, revealing the bigger picture and Divine design at the heart of existence.

This is the deeper meaning behind Judaism’s most essential prayer, the Shema: Hear O Israel, the L‑rd, our G‑d, the L‑rd is one.16 This doesn’t mean that G‑d is the one power above all; rather, it means that G‑d is the singular power within all!17

It is this underlying unity that the multiplicity of the world was designed to conceal. Our G‑d-given task is thus to see through the world’s veneer of separation and reveal the interconnection and oneness within all of creation.

It Happened Once

Once, the son of R. DovBer, the Maggid of Mezritch, came running to him in tears. The Maggid comforted him and asked why he was crying.

The child began to explain that he had been playing a game of hide-and-seek with his friends. He and all his friends were hiding. They remained in their hiding places for a long time, thinking that they had hidden well, and that the person whose turn it was to seek was unable to find them. But soon they grew tired of waiting. They came out of their hiding places and discovered that they had all been wrong. The one whose turn it was to look for them was not even there. He had played a trick on them! After they went into their hiding places, he went home instead of searching for them.

When the Maggid heard this story, he, too, began to cry. When his son asked why he was crying, the Maggid replied that G‑d has the same complaint: “It is written,18 You are a G‑d Who hides. G‑d says, ‘I hide Myself from you, but the purpose of My hiding is only so that you should come and search for Me. But sometimes, My children, as a result of your preoccupation with material existence, you stop searching, forgetting the very purpose of creation…’”19

The Big Idea

G‑d created this world as His hiding place. The purpose of humankind is to “blow His cover,” revealing His infinite presence within all.