Mankind's Existence: God's "Need"

 

And God (Elohim) said to Noah and to his sons with him, saying. … "And I will establish My covenant with you, and never again will all flesh be cut off by the flood waters, and there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth."                   Genesis 9:8,11

            It should be noted that the verse uses the name "Elohim," which denotes the Divine attribute of strict justice (midat hadin), indicating that God's promise to never destroy the entire world flows from the attribute of justice, not from the attribute of mercy.

            We may suggest that the existence of mankind serves God's "needs." God's angels are His yes men, having no choice but to fulfill the Divine dictates. When God decided to create the world, He chose to create man, the pinnacle of creation, as a creature who will be able to do His will out of free choice rather than of necessity. The risk God took in creating man was that he could choose to ignore the Divine will. As such, the attribute of justice indeed requires the continued existence of the world.

            Perhaps the above is the intention of Rabbi Shmuel bar Mata's comment:

From the first day on which God created the world, He wished to dwell among His creatures in the lower world.                                        Pesikta Rabbati 7