Question

 
Greetings and blessings, Rabbi. 
I wanted to ask you a question that touches on the place of the human being in the world. We know that a Jew is entirely a servant of God, subordinating his whole being, and even his inner morality, to Him. My question is: what place does the human being have in the world? Judaism shows again and again that a person has no value in and of himself, but only in his standing before God — “You distinguished man from the beginning and recognized him to stand before You.” Even the greatest choice in a person’s life, having children, he is obligated to do, with no regard for his personal desire. Every pleasurable activity, such as flying abroad and listening to music, which are in principle halakhically forbidden, is justified with “it is good to give the soul rest in order to serve God,” and similar justifications are heard in other areas as well. It seems that other things (human well-being, art, pleasure) have no value unless they help in the service of God. A person is completely a servant. Is it really the case that a human being has no value apart from God? Is it really true that “this is the whole of man”? This is a question I struggle with, and I think it does not come from a Western individualistic place that says “I’m the most important,” but from a deeper place.