The Art of Reconciliation - Introduction - Igeret Hateshuva

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Introduction: Introduction

Rabbi Manis Friedman, a noted Chassidic philosopher, author and lecturer, is dean of Bais Chana Women's Institute of Jewish Studies.

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Malkie Janowski for Chabad.org coral springs August 1, 2010

G-d doesn't need anything. He's the ultimate perfection, and his perfectness stems from His own being. To say He needed something would imply He lacks something. But He lacks nothing. He is the essence of completeness.

Yet G-d decided that He would get pleasure when we do the mitzvot. So He "needs" us to do them, not because He's missing something if we don't, but because He chose to derive pleasure from our mitzvot. But that's His pure choice, not mandated by an essential need. Reply

Anonymous July 23, 2010

G-d's Needs? What do you mean when you say that G-d wants us to keep kosher not because it makes us "better" but because He needs Kosher, and He wants us to keep Shabbos because HE needs Shabbos?
I always understood the mitzvos as the connection between G-d and us because He is giving us the choice of being being creators of ourselve, like a craftsman that shapes a vessel to the best of his abilities according to the parameters demanded by G-d, the Master Craftsman. We are sort of apprentices who learn through the teachings of our Master Craftsman to 1st know the particular qualities of the material He gave us to work on: us. Then He gave us the tools, and the blueprint to follow. Like any worker we are expected to err along the way, sin. He created Teshuvah = awareness of flaws, mistakes, etc., and the will to correct them.
G-d created to the world to give pleasure. The ultimate pleasure comes from our involvement in G-d's Creation. What does G-d need really? Reply

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