JUDAISM, AND GOD'S QUALITY Flashcards
DO JEWS BELIEVE IN GOD
YES
• Jews believe that there is one God (monotheism)
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WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF GOD
God is all knowing (omniscient)
• God is all powerful (omnipotent)
• God exists always (omnipresent)
WHAT DO THEY BELIEVE IN GOD
- Jews believe that the non-physical nature of God makes it difficult to describe him.
- The name of God is so holy that it should not be spoken aloud or written. Some Jews use “Hashem” (the name), “the Almighty” or write G-D instead to show their respect.
WHAT IS SHEMA
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Shema –the main Jewish declaration of faith
God as Lawgiver
Jews believe that God gave his Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. These laws and duties are recorded in the Torah and Jews are expected to keep them.
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Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement
Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement is the holiest day of the year. On this day Jews confess their sins and try to make up for the things they have done wrong.
Rosh Hashanah
t Rosh Hashanah it is believed God will judge every person.
The Talmud describes how God brings out scales to weigh the deeds (mitzvot) of each person.
God of mercy
God is a God of mercy humans can try to make up for any bad deeds and ask for forgiveness.
God as judge
Judaism teaches that God will judge each person’s actions. God is a just or fair judge. He will always be merciful.
God of mercy EVIDENCE
God judges how each Jew follows the laws. The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-15) that God gave to Moses are the basis of how a just society should work.
EVIDENCE FOR GOD AS CREATOR
Genesis 1: 27 God [thus] created man with His image. In the image of God, He created him, male and female He created them.
. The Torah, which is the Jewish scriptures, shows the characteristics of God.
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WHERE DOES IT SHOW GODS CHARACTERISCS
The Torah, which is the Jewish scriptures, shows the characteristics of God.
WHAT JOBS DO GOD HAVE
Jews believe God is Creator, Law-giver and Judge.
God as One
The belief that there is only One God is at the core of Judaism. God is whole, complete and perfect. There is no division in God. Jews would reject the idea of Trinity that Christians have.
THE SHEMA PRAYER
The Shema is the most important prayer for Jews and it affirms the belief that there is only one God.
EVIDENCE FOR GOD IS ONE
The first paragraph declares a belief in the one God and in his ruling over all creation.
‘Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.’ Deuteronomy 6:4
WHEN DO JEWS DO THE SHEMA PRAYER
This idea is so important it is recited daily by Jews. Many Jews will say the Shema during their prayers in the morning and the evening. God is the only being to whom Jews should offer prayer.
God as creator
For Jews the world is too wonderful and complex to have happened by chance.
Celebrating God as the creator is an important part of Judaism.
WHEN DOES IT MENTION THAT GD CREATED THE WORLD
The first chapter of the book of Genesis records how God made the world:
REFORM JEWS
Others believe the details are not meant to be taken literally. The most important thing to understand from the creation story is that God is responsible for the creation of everything that exists.
ORTHODOX JEWS
Some Jews believe that every detail of the creation as told in the Torah is true, that God literally created the world in six days.
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EVIDENCE FOR GOD AS CREATOR TORAH
Genesis 1: 3-5
3 God said, ‘There shall be light,’ and light came into existence. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God divided between the light and the darkness. 5 God named the light ‘Day,’ and the darkness He named ‘Night.’ It was evening and it was morning, one day.
THE UNIVERSE
Everything in the universe was created by God. God is the creator.
MANKIND CREATION
Genesis 1: 27 God [thus] created man with His image. In the image of God, He created him, male and female He created them.
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