Jewish Beliefs Flashcards
(42 cards)
Key Jewish beliefs about God
God exists
God is one
God is eternal
God is both just and merciful
Creator of everything
bodiless
neither male or female
omniscient
omnipresent
omnipresent
holy and perfect
How do Jewish people view God?
—> God’s existence is accepted almost without question
—> The existence of the universe is sufficient proof of God
The Shema
—> important Jewish prepare that derives from passages in Deuteronomy and Numbers
—> many Orthodox Jews cover their eyes with their right hand
Why Orthodox Jews cover their eyes while praying the Shema?
—> aids concentration
God is unity
—> single whole indivisible entity
—> cannot be divided into parts or described by attributes
God is just and merciful
—> fair and compassionate
Avinu Malkeinu
—> our father and king
—> we are all God’s children
God is incorporeal
—> God has no body
Orthodox Jews
Jews that believe God have the complete Torah to Moses and therefore live according to the Jewish laws and traditions
Reform Jews
—> Jews who believe the Torah was inspired by God and was developed through their history
—> therefore laws may be changed or adapted as modern life changes
Orthodox Jews on Creation story
—> literal truth
—> happened 6000 years ago
Reform Jews on the Creation Story
—> accept evolutionary theory may be correct and that the universe is much older but God made it all happen
—> God is the creator but the story of Genesis is not literal
Heredi Jews on the Creation Story
Orthodox Jews read the creation story in Genesis literally, which means that they believe that God created the world and everything exactly as the story describes
God the Creator
—> created the world ex nihilo
—> world is proof of a designe r
How does the belief in God as the creator impact action ?
Jews remember it every week between sunset on Friday and night time on Saturday during the observance of Shabbat
Isaiah 45:6-7
I am the Lord and there is no other. I form light and create darkness. I make well-being and create calamity. I am the Lord who does all these things
Evil in the World — Satan
—> not considered as a power in its own right
—>All things are created by God
—>any reference to Satan he is seen as the equivalent of a tempter
God the Sustainer
—> provide sufficient resources to feed and provide for all species
—>any lack of resources is simply unequal distribution, as a result of free will
—> created humans with a job to do. those who follow Jewish teaching and help to distribute resources fairly and are fulfilling God’s plan for the world
How does belief in God as creator impact Jewish actions ?
—> Sabbath
—> worship God alone
—> Tikkun Olam
—> Follow mitzvoth
—> find own purpose
The Mitzvot
—> a commandment
—> God have 613 to the Jews
—> To help Jews use their free will correctly, God has provided these mitzvoth that he expects them to obey
—> this why he is lawgiver - gives laws that each individual is freely able to observe
God as a Judge
—> judges how well people follow his mitzvot and rewards and punishes them
—> only possible as they have free will
what is a covenant ?
—> God made them with Noah, Abraham and Moses
—> agreement designed to allow both parties to benefit
—> believe their relationship with God is like an agreement, with Jews doing what God asks of them, as God’s special people
Covenant key quote
“now Isreal, what does your Lord yout God require of you ?
To keep the Lord’s commandment and his statuses”
Two main times when God’s judgement happens
Rosh Hashanah
After death
