Judaism Principal Beliefs

Question 1

belief in one god

Answer 1

• God occupies the prime position in Jewish theological thought.
• God is holy/unique – this means He is totally separate from humanity

Question 2

attributes of god

Answer 2

- one 
→ there can be no other god(s).
- eternal
→ God has always existed and will always exist
- omnipresent 
→ God is everywhere
- omnipotent 
→ God is all-powerful
- omniscient 
→  God is all-knowing; and not fully knowable, even when He reveals Himself

Question 3

divinely-inspired moral law

Answer 3

• God gave the world a code of ethics contained in the Torah to guide the faithful in their search for order and harmony.
• The Torah contains a list of commandments/mitzvot which give guidance for what is right and wrong

Question 4

613 mitzvot

Answer 4

→ cover all aspects of life
→ 248 positive mitzvot
→ 365 negative mitzvot

Question 5

moral law in orthodox judaism

Answer 5

the moral code laid down by God is complete and non-evolving in its application to all situations for the past, present and future

Question 6

moral law in conservative judaism

Answer 6

the Written Torah is open to some re-interpretation in light of changing circumstances as the text does not represent the literal word of God.

Question 7

moral law in progressive judaism

Answer 7

place greater emphasis on the broad principles established in the moral to guide ethical decision making in new situations.

Question 8

covenant

Answer 8

a series of agreements recorded in the Hebrew Bible between God and the people of Israel
→ lies at the heart of the Jewish religion as it is the living expression of the relationship between God and the people of Israel.

Question 9

key theme covenantal relationship

Answer 9

→ notion of exile and restoration.
→ theme is reflected in the contours of Jewish history, where the people are blessed when they are faithful and suffer the consequences when they are unfaithful.

Question 10

moral law and the covenant importance

Answer 10

• observance of the mitzvot is important as it is the primary means to keep the requirements of the Sinai covenant.
• all aspects of life must reflect divine ideals.
• Jews believe that it is their duty to uphold their part of the Covenant