The fact that man is created “in the image of God” is the basis of the Torah. The main character of “the image", is the complete freedom that we find in man by virtue of which he possess free will. And if there were no free will, there would be no place for Torah, as Maimonides writes in The Laws of Repentance. If so, then free will is the basis of the Torah from a practical perspective. If so, then the knowledge that man is "made in the image of God" comes to teach; that the complete perfect freedom will must exist in the true and perfect Being, may His name be blessed (Hashem), This is the intellectual basis of the entire Torah upon which all actions rest.
A person whose heart is truly a human heart and who understands the glory of freedom, who sees with his mind’s eye the entire system of the human progress [toward] perfection is actually only in order that a person should achieve complete freedom, will not find in himself any doubt that it is completely impossible that this supreme aspect of perfection [i.e., the progress toward perfection] could be missing from [only] One Whose existence is necessary, though obliged by the conditions of obligatory perfection.
This is the depth of the truth in the Torah and its teachings, that everything is attributed to the Will of God. And one who walks in the way of God draws out that Divine favor. It is not like the way of philosophy, which uncovers deterministic laws throughout entirety of existence, and desires to attribute some aspect of constraint on God, may He be blessed. By doing this they take away the luster of the world and its glory.
It is possible understanding the ascribing of all actions to the Will of God in two ways, one superior to the other. The first way is the viewpoint [that God] is necessary, that without [God], there is no place for any true ethical perfection. The second way of understanding that ascription is that it is a mere, refined viewpoint, without which an ethical world remains possible.
Maimonides already wrote that the reason that the [concept of the] eternity of matter is in opposition to the entire Torah is not merely because it goes against the teaching of Scripture. If the entire focus of the Torah could co-exist with the notion of the eternity of matter, it would have been possible to reinterpret the verses by way of imagery, just like we have done with the anthropomorphism apparent in the text of the Torah taken literally, especially if there were some compelling proof . However, the fundamental idea that contradicts the whole Torah is that the eternity of matter is connected to determinism, and with determinism, there is no place for [Divine] omnipotence, nor for miracles, nor for reward and punishment.
However, all of this only follows from the narrow concept of eternity of matter that was held by Aristotle - that the world and everything in it that we see before us has always existed, has not deviated and will not deviate from its nature, all as predetermined by the Supreme Intellect. However, according to new research, it is well-known that it is foolishness to say that the world, with everything in it, has been this way forever. The changes that have taken place in Creation are tremendous.
With this, we are able to expand the notion of the eternity of matter. We can say that the Divine Intellect compels spiritual and physical existence, with all of their components, and all of their details, no matter how close or distant they are, to bring the entirety of existence, natural, emotional, and intellectual, including human intellect and will, with all of man's ideas, traits, and tendencies, to the ultimate perfection. Now since for this perfected state to obtain, there would have to be some influence from the Divine Intellect, a divine light of prophecy, and orderly workings of Providence, [such "that He pays a man according to his actions, and provides for him according to his conduct” (Job 34:11)] and an orderly move toward perfection, as divinely arranged, through one nation, which is most prepared [for this mission], and to draw along with it many and varying circumstances which, together, will all act upon that nation such that they manifest the proper relationship to all of humanity and reality. As a result of this, Higher Intellect would require a notion of reward and punishment, which perfects the human spirit, and as well as all of those things that strengthen or weaken the spirit of this nation.
With this [conceptual] expansion, nothing in the notion of the eternity of matter contradicts the Torah. Nevertheless, the depth of intellectual perfection requires us to ascribe everything to [Divine] free will, for it is impossible that the loftiest aspect of the notion of perfection, graspable to anyone of sound mind who [attempts to] grasp it, should missing from the Truly Perfect One, whose necessary perfection necessitates His Being. The necessity of [God's] perfection is the same as the necessity of His existence, and from Whom emanates all perfection and all existence.
Know, that even the foundation of prayer and all of its details, such as the precedence of one prayer over another, and the added importance of the prayers of the righteous, do not require negate the concept of determinism, when taken in its full breadth. That is, we would say that the Divine Intellect, (or, “God, may He be blessed”, as you wish), would necessitate, from the standpoint of its perfect existence, that part of the ongoing perfection of all existence would be the ongoing perfection of the human soul, which, with all of its freedom, would actively yearn with all of its strength only for that which is good and upright. Therefore, it is impossible that all of the means that perfect toward this goal would not be ready and prepared. Therefore, causation is composed in such a manner, that prayer which takes part in refining the spirit, should yield fruit. Now, since the refinement of the spirit is that it yearn for perfection with all the heart and all the soul, and since prayer does have affect - and the prayer of upright even more powerfully draws souls toward the good and the upright - therefore, the Divine Wisdom would require that this dispensation exist with all of its details, down to the very subtlest.
Indeed, one who views in truth the greatness of perfection will recognize that it is appropriate that perfect free will should exist most appropriately in the true, perfect One. Then, his prayer will be a most natural function, and with the knowledge that all of the details that are changing are not part of God per se, but rather they are related to [His] ever-changing creation, [such a person] will know how to draw forth favor from God, and walk in His paths wholeheartedly, and the qualities of trust and faithful love of God will be drawn forth from the nature of the pure soul, prepared to shine forth with the light of truth.