The Talmud (Bava Batra 10a) recounts a story that occurred around the year 200 CE, during a philosophical exchange between a Roman general named Turnusrufus and the sage Rabbi Akiva. The story goes like this (it should be noted that the historical context was that of a Land of Israel conquered and ruled by the Romans):
This is the question that Turnusrufus the wicked asked Rabbi Akiva: If your God loves the poor, why doesn't He sustain them? Rabbi Akiva answered: So that we may be saved through them from the judgment of purgatory.
Turnusrufus said: Quite the contrary! This very behavior leads you to purgatory. I'll give you an example: A king of flesh and blood was angry with his servant and locked him in prison, ordering that he be given neither food nor drink. A man came and gave him food and drink, and when the king heard about it, wasn't he angry with him? And you are called servants of God, as it is written, "For the Jewish people are my servants.".
Rabbi Akiva said to him: I will give you an example of a king of flesh and blood who became angry with his son and locked him in prison, ordering that he be given neither food nor drink. A man came and gave him food and drink, and when the king found out, did he not send him a gift? And we are called children of God, as it is written, "You are children to the Lord your God.""
He answered [Turnusrufus]: You are called children and servants; when you do God's will, you are called children; when you do not do God's will, you are called servants; and now you do not observe God's will!.
Rabbi Akiva answered him: It is written: "Will you not give of your bread to the hungry, and bring the needy poor into your house? When you see the naked, will you cover him, and will you not hide your own flesh?" When is "bring the needy poor into your house" fulfilled? In this time! And the verse says, "Will you not give of your bread to the hungry?".
While the story has dozens of points to discuss, simply to understand the exchange, Rabbi Akiva is saying that the Jewish people are afflicted under Roman rule and, as the verse connects the afflicted with those who give bread to the hungry, it follows that either way (even though we are like servants of God and not like children because of our behavior) we must give Tzedakah.
However, from a deeper perspective, what Rabbi Akiva answered to Turnusrufus is that by being "children of God," the Jewish people have an additional soul different from the rest of human beings (in the words of Hasidism, "a portion of God on high literally") and therefore we have a special ability to modify God's creation (such as providing sustenance to the poor who were created poor by God Himself!).
In simpler terms, God created a universe and established that there would be a Jewish people to change it, to add His revelation to it, to introduce the awareness of God's existence, omnipresence, and absolute power into the most inhospitable places and situations, making a world that is seemingly separate from God into a dwelling place for God.
Therefore, the very fact that we have this capacity to change the world indicates that it is our task, since God does not create anything (not even human capabilities) in vain. It is simply a matter of understanding and learning to live with our Judaism, which is not merely a Judaism of words and superficial principles, but a Judaism of action and active, proactive involvement in the community in particular and in the entire universe in general.