Let’s say you fell in love with a magnificent painting of a scenic landscape. So you ran off 100 photocopies to sell. Easy, right? But how much could they sell for? $10? Maybe $20?

Now imagine that instead of copying someone else’s painting, you painted the image yourself. You studied the art and nurtured your talents for years. You tried countless times to bring your vision to canvas, failing again and again. Then, finally, after repeated frustration and almost giving up a thousand times, it happens: You look at that canvas and, yes, it’s there—your dream has become real.

Now, this could sell for hundreds—if not thousands—of dollars. Okay, maybe it won’t. But it is something in which you can take pride and say, “Look, I’ve accomplished something. This has meaning for me. It was worth it.”

G‑d wants a masterpiece for a home. A world in which He will be comfortable. A place in which Torah will be studied and mitzvot performed.

But He didn’t create a ready-made home. He wants it to be built by those who live within it.

The task was not given to angels. G‑d’s home is to be created with work and sweat. He wants paintings—not prints. He doesn’t want it to be built off His inspiration alone. He wants us to reach deep within our souls and inspire ourselves. And so, He gave the job to regular people like me and you, people who have temptations and confusions, guys who occasionally mess up. And the harder the challenge, the more valuable the worker.

That’s why there is a world. That’s why there’s you. And that’s why it’s so hard. Because it’s worth it.

Rabbi Yisroel Cotlar