Q&A: Meaning
Meaning
Question
Hello, Rabbi. I read articles of yours in which you said that God has withdrawn from our world and does not intervene in what happens in it except very rarely, and you said that this is even for the better, because He basically already trusts us to know how to live in the world even without Him. And what we are left with is basically only our Torah, which lays down for us the laws He wants us to observe. According to that claim, it must be that this world has meaning for a person to live in on his own without God. My problem with this is that, unlike most of the world, I do not find meaning in this world. I do not find any interest in what the world has to offer me, and if, according to your claim, there is no particular spirituality here in the world, such as closeness to God, then why would He have created me this way?
Answer
I think the conclusion you drew from my words is incorrect. The meaning of life is connected to God and the Torah, but it does not require His active involvement in the world. He only tells us what to do in order to give life and the world meaning. Closeness to God is not expressed through interaction with Him, but through drawing closer to Him.
By the way, the question of whether He is involved or not is a factual question, and therefore you should form a position on it regardless of the implications it may have for you (whether or not it makes the world/life meaningful). Moreover, if in fact He is not involved, that has nothing to do with what I say or what you feel. If a sense of closeness is important to you, then hold on to it. Actual closeness is a question of fact.