Some, particularly those who've distanced themselves from the yoke of Torah and mitzvot (commandments), argue that God created the universe and then, essentially, walked away. We're just too insignificant, too messy, for the Creator to bother with. Seems logical, right? But is it?
Rabbi Yehuda Leib Ashlag, known as Baal HaSulam (Master of the Ladder), a towering figure in 20th-century Kabbalah and commentator on the Zohar, challenges this very notion in his "Introduction to Zohar." He suggests this "hands-off" approach might make sense if we had created ourselves. If we were responsible for all the "distasteful and defective aspects" of our own nature, then maybe. But we didn’t.
According to Baal HaSulam, we believe that God, the most perfect of beings, is the craftsman who created and designed our bodies – with all of their positive and, yes, defective traits. So, can a truly perfect builder produce something inherently flawed? He argues no. A flawed product reflects on the maker. Think about it: You wouldn't blame a tattered garment for its poor quality; you'd blame the unskilled tailor who made it.
The Talmud, in Taanit 20a, illustrates this beautifully with a story. Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, encounters a man of striking ugliness. Instead of a respectful greeting, Rabbi Elazar insults him, exclaiming, "Worthless [reika] person, how ugly is that man. Are all the people of your city as ugly as you?" Ouch.
The man's response? He tells Rabbi Elazar to go and tell the Craftsman Who made him: "How ugly is the vessel you made!" In that moment, Rabbi Elazar realizes the gravity of his sin. He understands that judging the man’s appearance is, in essence, judging the Creator. Overcome with remorse, he dismounts his donkey, prostrates himself before the man, and begs forgiveness.
It's a powerful story, isn’t it? It’s a reminder that what we see as flaws, imperfections, or even ugliness, are not accidents. They are part of a creation crafted by a perfect being. To denigrate them is to denigrate the Creator. As Baal HaSulam suggests, every product, every person, "attests to the nature of its maker." Maybe instead of questioning God's involvement because of the world's imperfections, we should see those imperfections as a reflection, however distorted, of the Divine. And maybe, just maybe, that changes how we see ourselves, and each other.