There are three conflicting answers I heard as to why we were created: 1) True closeness to G-d is the ultimate pleasure, and since G-d is the ultimate good, He wants us to experience the incomparable pleasure of being close to Him; 2) to spread loving kindness by emulating Him; and 3) to sanctify G-d’s name. Can you please clarify this?
That’s a wonderful question!
I will surrender to an old and well-established Jewish habit by answering a question with a question. How do your three answers conflict?
Your first answer is our ultimate purpose, as described in the ethical work, Mesillas Yesharim (written by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto). But he says there that we experience this in the world to come. As much as we may try, we cannot truly have the ultimate pleasure of true closeness to G-d in this world.
When a person emulates G-d, he or she will of course rectify the world through loving kindness among other things, and his or her behavior will sanctify G-d’s name. Emulating G-d is how we draw close to Him, which is your first answer. So really, your three answers don’t conflict, do they?
You might read the first chapter of Mesillas Yesharim where he talks about this in detail. If you find the Hebrew difficult, it has been translated several times.
Best of luck in your studies and service of G-d,
Yaakov Menken