The Question of G-d

The Question of G-d

The Nature of G-d

• G-d is seen as omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere at all times).
• Considered transcendent, beyond human comprehension, yet also immanent, intimately involved in the world.
• Jewish view of G-d is monotheistic, belief in one G-d.

G-d and Ethics

• G-d is seen as the source of moral commandments in the Torah, providing an ethical framework for life.
• G-d’s will is understood to be communicated to mankind through divine revelation, for example with the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

Covenant with G-d

• G-d made a promise or covenant with the Jewish people, first with Abraham and then with Moses. This forms the backbone of Jewish identity.
• Jewish people see themselves as G-d’s chosen people, with a responsibility to live according to G-d’s laws in the Torah in return for G-d’s protection and care.

Faith and Practice

• Practice of Jewish rituals is seen as a way of building a relationship with G-d.
• Prayer in Judaism is directed exclusively to G-d, with a strong emphasis on communal prayer in a synagogue.

Problem of Evil

• G-d is seen as fundamentally good, raising the question of why evil exists in the world.
• Many Jewish thinkers believe that evil exists as a result of human free will and is a necessary part of moral and spiritual growth.

Theodicy

• Theodicy is the act of trying to reconcile the belief in a just G-d with the existence of evil and suffering in the world.
• Jewish understanding of theodicy is influenced by the history of suffering, particularly the Holocaust. Some Jewish responses maintain faith in G-d while others question G-d’s justice or even his existence.