Creation Requires Human Completion

עוד לענין הנ"ל דכתיב אשר ברא אלקים לעשות.

“Further regarding the above, it is written: ‘which God created to do.’”

The Sefat Emet introduces a new dimension to the earlier teaching by returning to the biblical phrase that connects creation with an ongoing task assigned to humanity.

פי' שכל הנברא בימי בראשית צריך תיקון כדאיתא במדרש שם ואיתא במד' ממלאכת עולמו שבת אבל לא שבת ממעשה הצדיקים כו' ע"ש.

“The meaning is that everything created during the days of Creation requires repair, as stated in the Midrash, and it also says there: God rested from the work of His world, but He did not rest from the deeds of the righteous…”

The Sefat Emet cites the Midrash to show that the world, though created, was intentionally left incomplete, awaiting human participation—especially the righteous—to perfect it.

והענין כנ"ל כי שלימות הבריאה הוא התחברות כח הנשמה בגוף וזה נוהג בכל הבריאה שיש בכ"ד בחי' נשמה וגוף וזה לא נשלם כי תלוי בעבודת האדם לכן נאמר אשר ברא לעשות פי' לתקן.

“And the matter, as explained above, is that the perfection of creation is the joining of the soul-force with the body; this applies to all creation, for everything has these two aspects—soul and body—and this is not complete because it depends on human work. Therefore it says ‘which He created to do,’ meaning to repair.”

The central teaching appears: true completion occurs only when the spiritual potential (‘soul’) is integrated into material existence (‘body’). Humanity’s task is to bring these dimensions together, fulfilling creation’s purpose through active repair.

וזה כוונת זוה"ק אשר תמצא כו' לעשות בכחך לתקן כנ"ל.

“And this is the intent of the Zohar: ‘that you shall find… to act with your strength, to repair,’ as above.”

The Sefat Emet brings support from the Zohar to reinforce that human initiative is essential; the power to repair rests specifically in human agency.

אך בש"ק יש זה השלימות אף בלי עבודת האדם לכן כי בו שבת כו'.

“But on Shabbat this completeness exists even without human effort; therefore, ‘for on it He rested…’”

Shabbat is described as a taste of creation’s completed state. On that day, the union of soul and body is granted from above, independent of human labor, revealing the world as it will be when all repair is fulfilled.

Summary: The Sefat Emet teaches that creation was intentionally left incomplete so that human beings could participate in its repair, uniting the spiritual and material dimensions. Shabbat, however, provides a momentary experience of the world in its perfected state, independent of human action.