In this article, I will look at how Jews regard God, how we feel about God and the reasons for our ‘special’ relationship with Him. It explains why Jews are obliged to behave in a certain way and live our lives in accordance with God’s wishes, to the very best of our ability.
The Jewish Concept of God.
- God is the Supreme Being- He is the source of all existence, eternal, beyond time, omnipresent, all-knowing and all-powerful.
- God is Unique – there are no other gods but Him. (Reference to the first Commandment)
- God has no body – He is neither male or female – most Jews believe in a spirit or force. However we generally refer to Him or Our Father which enables us to feel a personal connection ie: we are His children.
- God cares for all people who communicate with Him through prayer and worship ie: God is accessible and interested in each of us as an individual.
He judges us and is fair and also forgiving and merciful.
It is interesting that there are two seemingly incompatible sides of God which co-exist. One is of an all-powerful God who is quite beyond human ability to understand or imagine and the other idea is of a personal God who is right here with us caring about us as a parent does their child.
In practical terms because God is the cornerstone of our faith, we bring Him into every aspect of our lives.
This could be through prayer, ritual, worship and also through the symbolism that we use around us in our homes, in our Synagogues and even on our clothes and with our bodies.
We are forbidden to make images of God according to the second of the Ten Commandments so we use symbolism instead. (See Symbols of Judaism)
A Covenant Relationship
The word Covenant is defined as a promise, an agreement or a contract.
Jews believe that we have a Covenant relationship with God- in exchange for God ‘choosing’ (see below) the Jewish people to set a good example in the world, Jews keep His laws and seek to bring Holiness into every aspect of our lives and the world.
The concept of the Covenant between God and the Jewish people has elements of a ‘deal’ but it also involves feelings such as trust, loyalty and love.
There is actually more than one covenant.
The first was with Adam in the Creation story found at the beginning of the book of Genesis in the Torah.
The Covenant story begins with the creation of humans and God’s plans for humanity- what humanity had power over, what people were expected to do and a commandment to begin the guardianship of God’s work.
The second Covenant was with Noah. After the flood, God promised never to send another one and gave Noah what we call the Noachide Code, a list of 7 rules to be followed. As a sign of this Covenant, He ‘set a rainbow in the clouds.’
The third Covenant was made between God and Abraham, the first Jew, whereby God asked Abraham to leave his home with his family and set out on a long journey to the Promised Land which God would then give to him and his descendants. In return for this and as a sign of this Covenant, God requires all male Jews to be circumcised on the eighth day of life.
All Jews are ‘children of Abraham’ and therefore bound by this Covenant.
However, the most significant Covenant is the one that God made with Moses and the Jewish people. This took place at Mount Sinai after the Exodus from Egypt and during the time of wandering in the desert on the way to the Promised Land.
God had freed the Jews from slavery in Egypt and so He renewed the original Covenant with Abraham and gave the Jews the Ten Commandments. Many Jews believe that He then also gave the other 603 commandments in the Torah, known as the ‘Revelation’.
The Jews, a nation by now, were to ‘repay’ God’s mercy in freeing them by living as an example of how God wanted all people to live.
I mentioned above that God ‘chose’ the Jews to be His people. This is a difficult idea, both for a Jew and a non-Jew. However the concept of the ‘Chosen People’ is not meant to be divisive or a badge of superiority and separation. Quite the contrary: Jewish ‘chosenness’ is a humble call to action and responsibility. Jews are chosen much as one may say to a child: “The room needs cleaning, and I choose YOU to do the work; YOU are my ‘chosen’ child.” In this way, all people are chosen for something. Jews specifically have been chosen to, or have chosen to, be an example of holiness and ethical behaviour – to be of service to others by following God’s Laws so that the world may be a better place.
I love this saying: How odd of God to chose the Jews, it wasn’t odd, the Jews chose God!
Summary
Because Jews have made a deal with God to keep His laws, following them is an act of worship. These laws, found in the Torah, are known as Ethical Laws. They are designed to guide our everyday behaviour in matters of morality, relationships, hospitality, charity and purity. Some examples of these behaviours are speaking the truth, being fair, treating others with kindness, being humble, being charitable, refraining from negative speech, promoting peace and looking after God’s world as its guardians.
We try to bring holiness into everything we do because this pleases and honours God. Our whole lives therefore become an act of appreciation and worship.
Judaism is a faith of action. We believe people should not be judged by the intellectual and theoretical content of their beliefs but by the way they live their faith and by how much they contribute to the overall holiness of the world.