Yearning and restraint as creation's purpose

במדרש איש כו' כי יפליא שוקיו עמודי שש זה העולם שנשתוקק הקב"ה לבראותו שנאמר ועלי תשוקתו כו' ויכלו לשון תאוה.

In the Midrash: "A man… when he sets apart" — "his thighs are pillars of marble" — this refers to the world, which Hashem desired to create, as it says "and his desire is upon me…" — and "they were completed (vayechulu)" is a term of yearning.

The Sefas Emes opens by reading the Midrash and the pasuk to mean that the very creation of the world flows from Hashem's desire (teshukah), and even the word vayechulu hints at a deep yearning rather than mere completion.

כדכתיב נכספה כו' כלתה נפשי כו'.

As it is written: "My soul longs… my soul yearns (kaltah)…" (Tehillim 84:3).

The same root that means "completed" also means "longing," tying the completion of creation to the soul's craving for Hashem.

פי' עוה"ז הוא המדריגה התחתונה ונק' שוקיו אבל הכל עומד ע"ז המדריגה התחתונה.

The explanation: this world is the lowest level, and it is called "his thighs," yet everything stands upon this lowest level.

Just as the legs are the lowest part of the body but bear the whole person, so olam hazeh is the lowest rung of existence yet it is the foundation that supports the entire purpose of creation.

והכל לזכותן של ישראל.

And all of it is for the merit of Bnei Yisrael.

The entire structure of the lower world exists in order to give Bnei Yisrael the opportunity to earn merit through their avodah.

כמ"ש ועלי תשוקתו פי' אותו התשוקה שנשתוקק לברוא העולם הי' כדי להוציא מכח אל הפועל זכותן של ישראל.

As it says "and upon me is his desire" — meaning, that very desire with which Hashem yearned to create the world was in order to bring the merit of Bnei Yisrael from potential into actuality.

Hashem's longing to create was specifically so that the latent merit of Bnei Yisrael could be realized in deed within this lowest world.

והיינו דכתיב בראשית בשביל ישראל שנק' ראשית.

This is the meaning of "Bereishis (In the beginning)" — for the sake of Yisrael, who are called "reishis (first)."

The world was created "for the sake of the beginning," and Bnei Yisrael are that beginning — the reason and goal of creation.

פי' כי בנ"י הם משתוקקין אל הקב"ה ומניחין כל הבלי עוה"ז.

The explanation: that Bnei Yisrael yearn toward Hashem and cast aside all the vanities of this world.

The essence of Yisrael being "reishis" is their inner yearning for Hashem, which leads them to let go of the empty distractions of olam hazeh.

וזה הי' המכוון בבריאת העולם להיות לפניו ית' נחת רוח בזה שמבטלין הבל עולם עבור קדושת שמו ית'.

And this was the intent in the creation of the world: that there be nachas ruach (satisfaction) before Him, when they nullify the vanity of the world for the sake of the holiness of His Name.

The bittul (self-nullification) of worldly emptiness for the sake of Hashem's honor is the very nachas ruach that creation was meant to produce.

לכן כתיב בש"ק ויכולו כו' שזה הי' עיקר תכלית שמים וארץ זאת התשוקה לבטל כל המעשים אליו ית'.

Therefore it is written regarding Shabbos Kodesh "vayechulu (and they were completed)…" — for this is the essential purpose of heaven and earth: this yearning to nullify all of one's deeds to Him.

Shabbos, with its language of "completion/yearning," expresses the final purpose of creation — directing all of one's actions back toward Hashem in bittul.

וכמ"ש שמעי בת וראי כו' ושכחי עמך כו' ויתאו המלך יפיך כו' כמ"ש במד' לך לך ליפותך בעולם שהשי"ת ברא הכל כדי שיבואו בנ"י וישליכו כל זה ויתדבקו בו ית' שיהי' עדות על שבחן של בנ"י.

As it says "Hear, O daughter, and see… and forget your people… and the King will desire your beauty…" (Tehillim 45:11-12) — as the Midrash explains on "Lech lecha (Go forth)," "to beautify you in the world" — that Hashem created everything so that Bnei Yisrael would come and cast all of this away and cleave to Him, which serves as testimony to the praise of Bnei Yisrael.

The pasuk's call to "forget your people" is read as Bnei Yisrael forsaking worldly attachments; their willingness to let go and cling to Hashem is itself the testimony to their greatness, the very "beauty" that Hashem desires.

ויתאו כו' כי הוא אדוניך.

"And He will desire… for He is your Master."

Hashem's desire for Yisrael is rooted in the fact that He is their Master, and their recognition of His sovereignty is what draws His desire.

פי' כי השי"ת אדון כל ובמה נוכל לעבוד אותו רק ע"י שנמצא יצה"ר והבלי עולם בזאת נוכל למצוא מקום לעשות לו נחת רוח.

The explanation: Hashem is the Master of all, and how can we serve Him? Only because there exists a yetzer hara and worldly vanities — through this we are able to find a place to give Him nachas ruach.

It is precisely the existence of the yetzer hara and worldly temptations that gives us the arena in which to choose Hashem and thereby bring Him satisfaction; without challenge there would be no avodah.

ולכן הנזיר שפורש עצמו מתאות העולם זוכה לקדושה יותר מכהן גדול.

Therefore the nazir, who separates himself from worldly desires, merits a holiness greater than that of the Kohen Gadol.

Because kedushah is earned specifically by overcoming desire, one who actively withdraws from worldly cravings can reach a holiness surpassing even the inborn sanctity of the Kohen Gadol.

ואמרו חז"ל במקום שאתה מוצא גדר ערוה אתה מוצא קדושה.

And Chazal said: in a place where you find a fence against immorality (geder ervah), there you find holiness.

Kedushah is generated precisely where a person builds a boundary against forbidden desire — restraint itself produces sanctity.

והוא כלל לכל אדם כפי מה שעושה לעצמו גדר ערוה כך זוכה לקדושה.

And this is a rule for every person: according to the measure in which he makes for himself a fence against immorality, so does he merit holiness.

This principle applies to everyone — one's level of kedushah corresponds directly to the boundaries of self-restraint one establishes.

וז"ש בנזיר ששבחו שמעון הצדיק שפחז עליו יצרו וגבר עליו ע"י קבלת נזירות לכן זכה לקדושה עליונה שזה הי' עיקר רצונו ית' בעולם:

And this is what is said regarding the nazir whom Shimon HaTzaddik praised — whose yetzer surged upon him and he overpowered it by accepting nezirus — therefore he merited a lofty holiness, for this is the essential ratzon Hashem (will of Hashem) in the world.

The famous nazir whom Shimon HaTzaddik praised exemplifies the whole idea: by mastering a flaring yetzer hara through his vow, he reached supreme kedushah, which is exactly the purpose for which the world, with all its temptations, was created.

Summary: Hashem desired to create this lowest world specifically so that Bnei Yisrael, by nullifying its vanities and yearning for Him, could realize their merit and give Him nachas ruach. The very existence of the yetzer hara and worldly desire is the arena of avodah, and one who builds fences of restraint — like the nazir — attains the highest holiness, which is the ultimate purpose of creation.