"The purpose of a mitzvah is ultimately to elevate the entire world"

"Everything in the world is connected to everything else.

Every detail is intermeshed with other details.

Every action has an ongoing ripple effect.

When a person changes just one particular, he improves the entire world.

When he elevates the power of his animal soul, he elevates all of reality to a higher plane.

The purpose of a mitzvah is ultimately to elevate the entire world, to completely change the central meaning of existence in general."

--Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

From Understanding the Tanya by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz