DEUT1678 When we concentrate our thoughts on the majesty of the Creator, May He be exalted, on His omnipotence, wisdom, and wealth, and then turn to the weakness and deficiency of man, his imperfection, dire need, and dependence on that which supplies his wants; when we reflect on the abounding favors and kindness which the Creator, May He be exalted, has showered upon him, and how He created him, as He did, with inherent limitations -- man is dependent on and in need of that which secures his welfare, and he can attain it only by a great effort on his part -- this [too] deriving from the Creator's mercy on him, so that he come to know himself, reflect on all his affairs, and devote himself in every respect to the service of God, and so receive for it the reward of the World-to-Come, for which he was created, as we have explained in the Second Gate of this book; [when we consider all this, we realize] how much a man owes service, reference, praise, thanks, and constant glorification to the Creator, make He be exalted, in light of what men owe one another in the way of praise and gratitude, as we have explained. Is there a fool who -- having reflected on and contemplated this matter, and being willing to admit the truth to himself -- would deny that man owes all of this to the Creator, May He be exalted? Surely the sleeper will awake, and the negligent one will be roused; the ignorant will discern, and the intelligent will grasp the reality of the obligation to assume the service of God, given the clarity of the proofs, the prominence of the evidence, and the veracity of the arguments! As the prophet, peace be upon him, said concerning those who neglected to consider the assumption of the service of God, May He be exalted: “Is this how you repay God, you foolish and unwise people?” (Devarim 32:6). The obligation to assume the service of God -- incumbent on human beings in view of the bounties He continually bestows on them -- has thus been demonstrated.