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Why did God create a world where His presence is hidden (olam hasheker)? God sacrificed His obvious presence to maximize reward for the righteous and rehabilitation for the wicked. From our perspective, we must declare that if given the choice, we would prefer God's glory be manifest even at our own expense.
This shiur continues Rabbi Zweig's profound analysis of why God created a world that appears to be an olam hasheker (false world) rather than olam haemes (true world), where His presence would be obvious. The fundamental question is not the classical theodicy problem of why bad things happen to good people - we know that answer. Rather, the question is how God could sacrifice His own honor by creating a world where He remains hidden. The answer provided is that God deliberately chose to hide His presence in order to create maximum benefit for humanity. In a hidden world, God can provide greater rewards for the righteous in Olam Haba and more effective rehabilitation for the wicked. This represents a divine act of self-sacrifice - God gave up having His glory manifest in creation for the sake of His children's ultimate benefit.
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Why didn't Noach daven for his generation while Avrohom advocated for Sedom? Noach viewed each person as an independent island responsible only for their own teshuvah. Avrohom understood that all humanity is interconnected through shared perspective and values, making prayer for others both possible and necessary.
