Derech Hashem

Derech HaShem (The "Way of the Name") is a philosophical text written around 1736 by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto.

These topics include the purpose of creation, the Creator, human responsibility, the spiritual realms, providence, Israel and the nations, astrology, the human soul, theurgy, prophecy, the study of Torah, prayer, and the function of mitzvah observance.

One of its core assertions is that man was created for the purpose of earning closeness to the creator by struggling against evil inclinations.

[1] Presented from a Kabbalistic perspective, yet presupposing no prior knowledge and without the use of Kabbalistic terminology, this work provides a foundation for understanding the worldview and ideas found in the throughout Jewish works on these topics.

The book is organized into four main sections: the general basis of all existence, God's Divine Providence and interface with Creation, prophecy and the Human soul, and practical religious observance.