Judaism: Belief in God

• The following concerns beliefs according to Judaism.

Belief in God/Ultimate Reality

• Belief in God underpins all Jewish beliefs.
• The Jewish God is eternal, everlasting, timeless, has no biography, and precedes creation.
• God is incorporeal.
• God is transcendent, beyond everyday human experience.
• The highest heavens belong to God, but the earth is given to mankind (Psalm 115:16).
• God stands above and apart from creation.
• God is personal and immanent, intimately involved with humanity.
• God exists within the universe and human life, acting as man's helper and savior.
• The tension between God's transcendence and immanence is resolved through pan-en-theism.
• Central to Judaism is the belief in God's oneness and unity; Judaism is a monotheistic tradition.
• Deuteronomy 6:4 states, "Hear O Israel, the lord our God, the lord is one."
• God is righteous, possessing moral will.
• Psalm 11:7 states, "For the lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds."
• The most basic affirmation of Judaism is the existence of God, according to Goldberg and Raynor.
• Moses Maimonides stated that "the foundation of all foundations and the pillar of wisdom is the knowledge that there exists a primary being."
• Judaism rejects paganism, polytheism, dualism, and Deism.
• The Jewish God is inscrutable and providential.
• The Jewish God is omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, and omnimerciful.
• God's qualities include the 13 Attributes of mercy (Exodus 34:6-7).
• Due to the limitations of human language, God is described anthropomorphically.
• God is a God of revelation, either personally or through theophany (Divine self-manifestation).
• God is a covenantal God, universal in scope.
• God is a Creator God.
• Creatio ex nihilo refers to something created from nothing by divine command.
• God is loving as well as punitive.

Nature of Humanity

• Humans are the pinnacle of divine creation on the sixth day (Genesis 1:27), created "in the image of God" (Heb. Betzelem Elo-him).
• Humans possess divine attributes and are required to emulate God (Imitatio Dei).
• Psalms 8:5 states that God crowned humans with honor and glory.
• Humans are a little less than divine (8:6).
• Because humans are endowed with a spark of the divine (Heb. Nitzotz Elo-Him), they have the capacity to make moral decisions.
• All humans are endowed by God with dignity (Heb. Kevod Habriot) and are therefore equal.
• Talmud Tractate Sanhedrin 37a states that whoever destroys a life is considered to have destroyed an entire world, and whoever saves a life is as if he saved an entire world.
• The King of Kings stamps every man with the seal of Adam, therefore every man must say 'for my sake the world was created' (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5).
• Judaism holds that humans are not immortal.
• The soul is immortal and animates man (Genesis 2:7).
• God bestows humans with free will to express his good inclination (Yetzer Hatov) or his evil inclination (Yetzer Hara).
• Maimonides states that if one desires to turn towards the good way and be righteous he has the power to do so, aligning with Rabbi Akiva's statement in The Ethics of The Father 3:15 that everything is foreseen by God, but the right to choose is given to man.
• Without free will, man does not become accountable for his actions.
• Human life is inherently sacred due to divine creation.
• The soul is eternal, ends up in the world to come, and is therefore everlasting.

Purpose of Humanity

• To behave morally, ethically, responsibly.
• Man is given dominion over creation and responsibility to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over every living thing (Genesis 1:28).
• The purpose of humanity is to populate the earth.
• Man is to be God's co-creator and partner in the ongoing process of creation.
• Man becomes God's trustee, steward, guardian, and caretaker.
• Psalm 8:6 reinforces man's dominion over the works of God's Hands.
• Humans are entrusted with sustaining and improving the world.
• Man's purpose is to till and to tend the world created by God (Gen 2:15).
• This is the concept of trusteeship and stewardship.
• Humans have a moral and ethical responsibility to emulate God's attributes (justice, ethics, compassion, and mercy).
• All humans have a requirement to observe the universal, ethical laws found in the Seven Noachide Commandments.
• By following these commandments, man will be rewarded in the world to come.
• Because man is endowed with God's attributes, man must use these attributes responsibly, leading to peace, justice, and spiritual fulfillment.
• Man's purpose involves repenting for self-improvement to do what God requires and to perform Godly deeds.
• Humans are required to take personal and social responsibility, encapsulated in the concepts of Tikkun Atzmi (to improve oneself), Tikkun Adam (to improve mankind), and Tikkun Olam (to improve the world), ultimately to bring about universal peace, divine redemption, dignity for all, and how to do so by fulfilling the universal commandments.

The Relationship Between God and Mankind

• God is active in history, a universal and immanent God who cares for humanity.
• The relationship is strong, ongoing, and dynamic.
• Man is beholden to God for his life, God having breathed the breath of life into his nostrils (Genesis 2:7).
• The intimate relationship between man and his Maker is predicated on man being created in God's image (Heb. B'tzelem Elo-kim; Genesis 1:27).
• The concept of imitatio dei underscores the relationship between God and humans, emphasizing that man is endowed with Godlike qualities and is required to emulate God's moral character, his benevolence, mercy, just conduct, and compassion.
• Man has a privileged position in the divinely created world as God's co-creator and partner in the ongoing creation of the universe.
• Man's task within the relationship is to fulfill God's will, which strengthens the relationship.
• The relationship is mutual and reciprocal, but is not equal.
• Humans are subordinate to God.
• God needs humanity to continue and to perfect creation.
• Humans are not commanded to believe in God but they are commanded to obey God.
• Belief in God is axiomatic (self-evident).
• Humanity is required to adhere to the laws of the universal covenant between God and humanity, known as the Seven Noachide Commandments (Gen 9:1-17).

The Relationship Between Humans

• The foundation of human relationships in Judaism is that all humans are created in God's image and because all humans have characteristics of God, they have to treat each other with respect, dignity, and equally.
• Protecting human dignity (Heb. Kevod HaBeriyot) is critical in Torah law because of the sanctity of human life.
• Saving a life is considered a supreme divine commandment: "He who saves one life saves the world" (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5).
• A fundamental Jewish principle is to do no harm to others.
• Rabbi Hillel stated, "That which is hateful unto you, do not unto others."
• Because humans are created in God's image (Imago dei), they are expected to emulate divine attributes (imitatio dei).
• Humans are not solitary creatures; they need companionship.
• Genesis 2:18 states, "It is not good for man to live alone."
• A significant divine commandment in the Torah is to "Love thy neighbor as thyself" (Leviticus 19:18).
• At least 5 of the Decalogue/Ten Commandments deal with man's relationship with his fellow man (Deut 5, Exodus 20).
• Judaism condemns disparaging speech (Heb. Lashon Hara), which can cause harm to others.
• Maimonides, in his Mishneh Torah (10:7-14), outlines the laws of charity, highlighting the importance of helping others.
• Rabbi Hillel says "Do not unto others as thou wouldst not others do unto you"
• Netziv stated, "Mitzvot (Divine commandments) between man and his fellow man are a vehicle to spiritual communion."
• The divine foundation of impersonal relationships is emphasized in the Ethics of the Fathers: "The world rests on three things: on the Torah, on worship, and the performance of good deeds" (1:2).
• The Ethics of the Fathers states, "Meet every person with graciousness" (1:15).
• The Ethics of the Fathers states, "Let your friend's honor be as dear to you as your own" (2:15).
• These principles, along with the Seven Noahide Laws and the Decalogue, provide the ethical and legal foundation for relationships between humans, ensuring a society based on justice, mercy, and divine moral responsibility.

The Relationship Between Humans and the Rest of the Natural World

• Man was given dominion/mastery over the environment (Genesis 1:28).
• Man receives divine instruction "To till and to tend" the environment (Genesis 2:15).
• As God's co-partner, man is given power and sovereignty over the natural world which has been divinely created.
• Man, like God, has to have compassion and justice.
• Man has to subdue nature through the process of creation from pre-existing matter (Heb. Yetzirah)
• Genesis 2:15 mentions that God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to tend and to keep it.
• Man is a worker and someone to guard the earth (Heb. Le-ovda Ule-shomrah).
• Ecclesiastes Rabba (7:13) states, "My works have been created for your sake. Take care not to spoil or destroy my world, for if you do their will be no one to repair it after you."
• God is the true owner of the universe, and humans are God's trustee, steward, guardian, and caretaker of the divinely created world.
• The land also requires particular consideration; hence the biblical law of Shmitah (Lev 25) where the land lies fallow (uncultivated) to replenish itself.
• According to the laws of not destroying (Bal Tashchit), even in times of war one has to protect the environment.
• Jewish law emphasizes respect for the animal world over which man was given dominion.
• This is reflected in the divine commandment (Heb. Mitzvah) to ensure the ethical treatment of animals (Heb. Tza'ar ba'alei chayim).
• The divine commandment includes the Jewish laws of shechita, which are the Jewish religious and humane method of slaughtering permitted (kosher) animals and poultry for food.
• Shabbat is an acknowledgment of the beauty of the natural world which God created.
• Judaism acknowledges the intimate relationship which humanity enjoys with the natural environment through the annual Jewish festival of Tu Bishvat, which is an ecological festival, which falls on the 15 day of the Hebrew month of Shvat, which acknowledges the wonders and the beauty of the natural world.

The Meaning of Suffering

• The Jewish tradition seeks to find meaning/answers in a world that Judaism holds was created by a benevolent, righteous, immanent, just, and merciful God.
• "Why do the righteous suffer, and why do the wicked prosper" (Talmud Tractate Berachot 7A).
• Judaism applies the concept of theodicy in an attempt to explain human suffering.
• The Oxford dictionary definition of theodicy is the justification of God.
• It is an attempt to justify or vindicate a righteous, omnipotent, merciful, and compassionate God in the light of human pain and suffering.
• The existence of suffering in a world created by an immanent, omnipotent, and compassionate God is an enigma and a conundrum (an insoluble problem).
• If the Jews are God's elect/chosen people, why should his elect suffer?
• If God is just, compassionate, and merciful, surely he wouldn’t allow his creations to suffer?
• If God is omnipotent, then he could prevent suffering.
• The Ethics of the Fathers states, "The tribulations of the righteous and the reward of the wicked" (Pirkei Avot 4:19).
• Judaism attempts to unravel the existence of human suffering in a world created by God through several theodicies
• One theodicy is that of divine retribution – Suffering that serves as a punishment for past sins.
• Examples include the punishment of Adam and Eve (Gen 3), Caine killing his brother (Gen 4).
• The concept of retributive suffering, based on the idea of divine retributive justice, is encapsulated in a phrase from the central prayer (Amida) of the Jewish festive liturgy- mipnei chata'einu (because of one's sins).
• Another theodicy is probationary suffering, where suffering tests the depth of one's faith in God.
• An example is the Akeida - the would-be suffering of Isaac (Genesis 22).
• Suffering is also deemed to be an inscrutable divine mystery, beyond human understanding (revelational suffering).
• Isaiah 55:8 states, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways".
• Hastarat (Hester) Panim involves God hiding his face and withdrawing from history.
• Generally refers to the concealment of Divine Providence, but not to its absence.
• "Why do you hide your face?"
• When God hides his face, humans abuse their divinely given free will.
• This is the theology of deus absconditus, the notion that God hides his face.
• The idea of the deus absconditus (Heb. E-l Hanistar) appears in Jewish mystical (Kabbalist) writings and is known as divine self-contraction (Heb. Tzimtzum).
• Psalm 44 asks, "Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgottest our affliction and our oppression?"
• Theodicy of vicarious suffering/ sacrificial suffering is suffering undertaken for the good of another.
• It is the suffering of a righteous person to save others.
• Talmud Tractate Shabbat 33B states, "When there are righteous in a generation, the righteous are punished for the sins of that generation."
• Isaiah 53, commonly known as the "suffering servant chapter", is held by Judaism to encapsulate the theodicy of vicarious suffering.
• Judaism maintains that Israel is the suffering servant of God and suffers on behalf of other nations.
• The theodicy of Yissurei Ahavah - Suffering is in order to show love for God (martyrdom).
• Messianic suffering is suffering as a prelude to the coming of the Messiah.
• Eschatological suffering is suffering in this world for reward in the world to come.

Death

• Judaism focuses on the here-and-now, not on the hereafter; Judaism is a life-affirming tradition and does not focus on death.
• God, the creator, bestowed life upon humankind.
• According to the Mishna, death is a 'prozdor' an ante-chamber from life to the world to come (Heb. Olam Haba).
• Rabbi Earl Grollman stated that Judaism does not ignore the mystery of death but is primarily concerned with the miracle of life.
• "God breathed the breath of life into man."
• Judaism holds that life is sacred and that humans owe their life to their creator.
• Life is seen to be a sacred gift.
• Saving a life (Heb. Pikuach Nefesh) overrides all other divine commandments other than the so-called three cardinal sins (Murder, idolatry and sexual immorality).
• The Torah states: "Choose life" (Deut 30:19).
• Judaism is realistic, it accepts death.
• Death is not a tragedy, it is a part of the life cycle.
• Because Judaism is conscious of death, its members live life to the maximum.
• Death entered the world as a consequence of sin.
• God is the author or the architect of both life and death, he is the true judge (Heb. Dayan Emet), and as such he judges the length of one's days
• There is a prayer recited at a Jewish funeral called Tzidduk Hadin, which affirms that the divine judgement is righteous and perfect.
• The soul (Heb. Neshamah) is held to be eternal and immortal and returns to God for judgement.
• The last principle of the 13 principles deals with the resurrection of the death and the coming of the Messiah (Maimonides).
• The Torah only makes veiled references to the afterlife because there is no way of knowing what is on the other side.
• The eternal soul passes from physical death through a process eventually reaching the netherworld (Sheol) where it is purified.
• From there it goes through a process called the transmigration of souls (Heb. Gilgul Haneshamot).
• Afterwards, it goes to the world-to-come (Heb. Olam Haba) and it enters a spiritual utopia into a union with God.
• There is a concept of resurrection (Heb. Techiyat Hametim).