The Law of God; Man's Natural State

The following are some amazing words from Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch in Igros Tzafun.

In the midst of a world which is full of God's glory, among the many creations of God's hands, among this vast assembly of servants of God, what is Man?

If all beings, large and small alike, are the creations of God, who perform their assigned tasks in their designated places in the framework intended for them and with the capabilities with wich they were endowed entirely in accordance with God's laws, and all these creations take only in order to be able to give, how can man then imagine that he was born solely in order to take, to be a receiver? How can he dream that his raison d'etre is to indulge in whatever physical delights come his way or else abstain and suffer? Does it make sense that there should be no ultimate purpose to life, no task to fulfill? Can it be that he was born merely to wallow in the sensual and fritter away his existence?

You too, human being, must submit to that Law to which all the forces of nature hearken, those without intelligence and will, You, however, must submit to it out of clear cognizance and your own volition.

Man is neither god nor servant to his universe, but rather a brother creature, a fellow servant of God who submits to His dictates together with them all. His is the right of primogeniture - he is the firstborn according to the nature of the scope of his task. The entire world was entrusted to him, and it is his obligation to oversee and support it according to God's will. It is his privilege to be able to fill and conquer the world, but this privilege is of Divine origin, for it is God Who has bestowed His power upon man. From this privilege however stems his responsibility to take for himself only that which was permitted to him and to utilize his possessions solely in accordance with Divine will, for ultimately, all his blessings emanate from the Lord.

Consequently, "good" is to be considered only that which is intended to accord with the will of God and the laws which He established for all creatures, and "bad" that which is in opposition to His desire. A person cannot possibly categorize something as good or bad according to what pleases or displeases him, whether his inclinations find them pleasant or not, depending on the dictates of his heart and not in accordance with Divine will. Man's mission in life is not the satisfaction of his desires, self aggrandizement, or submission to the dictates of his heart. It is incumbent upon him to uplift the entire world, including the demands of his physical nature and inclination, according to the desire of God, and to perceive them only as a means of achieving his task upon this earth.

However, with the gift of free choice he also acquires the capacity to stray from the path. It is incumbent upon man that he submit, of his own volition, to that very law to which all of creation adheres of necessity. Herein lies his mission in Life.