SEARCH FOR MEANING P3.1 Flashcards
Ultimate reality
- Monotheism
- Creator of the world in its entirely
- Transcendent and immanent
- Lawgiver and just and merciful
Monotheism
- there is one ultimate reality, God.
- unity/singularity/oneness of God
- God is the God of all humanity
- A universal God.
- He is the rally cry and cornerstone of Jewish theology that there is only one
Sources:
The Shema → “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one”
The opening declaration of the Shema prayer which is recited 3 times a day, asserts a statement of Jewish identity. This ritual is a declaration of faith in the existence of God as it expresses the belief in monotheism
Creator of the world in its entirely
- universe was not accidental.
- brought into existence by the will of an all powerful God.
- Is the cause and power behind the universe in its entirety.
“In the beginning God created heaven and earth” Genesis 1:1
CREATOR:
- God pre-existed the world.
- Created it ex nihilo (from nothing), through divine fiat )
- His creation was intentional, through the power of speech and sheer will, made order from chaos, had purpose and meaning behind each part
Created something different on each day
PROVIDER
Continues to sustain and animate the universe with a continued relationship with his creation → maintains constant presence
Humanity was created last → humanity is the pinnacle → God created universe for humanity → humanity has a special relationship with God “in his image” Genesis 1:27
Transcendent and immanent
God exists apart of the world but equally a part of the world. While these two beliefs may be paradoxical, they are not in isolation from each other but rather coexist.
Transcendent
- Exists apart from this universe (distant)
- Not subject to the physical world/laws
- Transcends the universe
- Beyond time and space
- Incomparable, unique, power, monotheism, righteous/holy, preexisted, eternal, incorporeal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient
“Master of the universe” Adon Olam
Immanent
- A part of this world
- Involved / present in lives of his creation/humanity
- Intimate connection
- Approachable, caring, dwells, saviour, salvation, accessible, physical/spiritual, comfort, comapassote, nurturing, close and personal
“God is with me” Adon Olam
Lawgiver and just and merciful
God is the source and foundation of morality. He provides a single standard of morality for all of humanity.
Lawgiver
- Provides the source and foundation of morality through his laws. Through these laws he judges human behaviour and dictates the standards of righteousness
- God establishes a covenant for humanity to uphold being the 7 Noahide laws and an extra responsibility for the Jews, Sinaitic covenant (Torah given to the Jews)
God wants Jews to practise mitzvot, ethical conduct through these laws
“Lord is our judge, the lord is our lawgiver” Isaiah 33:22
Just and Merciful
- God is a strict judge of human behaviour
- He is also compassionate and responsive
- God has mercy and looks at his creation showing his care
- He will judge justly and fairly, he will punish mercifully.
- God rewards the righteousness (those that follow the laws) yet punishes the wicked
- His justice is tempered with mercy
“Who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth” Exodus 34:6
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Value
Humanity was created batzelem elokim, in the image of God, meaning human life is of high value and importance. Like God, humanity is sacred, holy, unique, one yet, “just a little less than divine,” (Psalm 8), highlighting that humanity is equal and endowed with a divine spark and infinite value
“If you destroy one life it is as if you destroy the entire world” Talmud
Status / responsibility
- The belief that humanity was created in the image of God and is considered the apex and pinnacle of God’s creation.
- Therefore humanity has the privilege of dominion and power over nature, but with that comes the responsibility to protect it and improve on God’s creation
“For my sake the world was created” Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5
Potential ability
Humanity has the potential and ability to take on God’s attributes, traits, characteristics. Like God, humans can be kind, benevolent, love, lust, merciful and continue the work of creation.
“Whether he is righteous or wicked is not in the hand of God, but he has entrusted it in the hand of man” Rashi
Free will
- God chose to create the universe and from his free will, humanity also has free will to choose between good and evil. - Gift given to us from God therefore, humanity has the intellect and the potential to differentiate right from wrong.
- Humanity has a conscience and can made decisions based on rationality and awareness, not just instinct and impulse
- Dual nature - born with two inclinations. Yetzer tov (good) and yetzer ra (evil)
- Good inclination - moral conscience, uphold God’s laws. Is the active/dynamic part of the soul, without it humanity would be devoid of vitality
- Evil inclination - basic human drives for property, pleasure, power and survival (not inherently good or bad). They are called evil because they may harm others if not controlled
- Humanity is more inclined towards good
“Everything is foreseen yet free will was created” Piriser Auut 3:16
Physical / spiritual
Physical “The Lord God formed man from the dust of the earth” G2:7
- Body, made from dust and clay
- Body is mortal and mute and returns to the dust
Spiritual “He blew into his nostrils the breath of life” G2:7
- Soul, made from the breath of God
- Divine spark, God’s spirit
- Soul animates and gives life to the body
- Immortal - soul is eternal
- Soul returns to God
Companionship
Natural for humanity to feel alone and need companionship - partnership, marriage, family
Human nature seeks connection
“It is not good for man to be alone” Genesis 2:18
Purpose of humanity
Imitate God, ethical monotheism, co-creator
Imitate God
- Through divine election, humanity has the role to emulate and imitate God (imitatio Dei - imitate God) and assume all his attributes and qualities
“To walk in all His ways” Deuteronomy 10:12
“refine the image of god within us” Theologyn David Ariel
Covenants
- Provide an ongoing responsibility to uphold divine revelation (God’s wills and laws) to provide a moral order and purpose.
Example: against adultery, robbering, eating live fish
Ethical monotheism
- The recognition of one powerful God as the source of all ethics.
- Humanity is required to uphold all of His laws and ethical principles. Jews were given the added responsibility of the Sinaitic covenant. By acting in a Godly manner, humanity moves closer to achieving Tikkun Olam and Tikkun Adam (spiritual reparations/transformations of the self and the world).
- By applying the values of an ethical God to create a just and compassionate world, humanity is readying the world for messianic redemption and tikkun olam by creating a perfect, peaceful, harmony, utopia world.
- Jews must live up to this gift of divine revelation by ensuring the universal convent is kept and the extra responsibility of keeping the commandments.
The acts of mitzvot bring the spiritual and physical world together
Transmit a universal message of morality and justice to the world by influencing mankind
“I made for you a people’s covenant, for a light to the nations” Isaiah 42:6
Co creator
- God created humankind in his image - the universe was created with moral flaws. God is partners with humanity and humanity needs to continue the creation process.
- For Jews, this means that partnership exists through Torah - must finish what God did not. This will lead to Tikkun Olam, spiritual/physical transformation of the world
“Gods partners in the work of creation” Rashi
- Humanity has the ability to continue the work of creation. Not only nature but also through science and technology.
Dominion over the world - “Fill the earth and master it… rule over living things” Genesis 1:28
To utilise the world
Responsibility - stewardship “garden of eden to till it and tend it” Genesis 2:15
Look after land and cultivate it → work and guard it
Care and work the land, don’t abuse power over it or exploit it
Procreate
- “Be fruitful and multiply” Genesis 1:28
Have a family, partnership
Theodicy
A justification (explanation) for the existence of suffering in the presence of a just and benevolent God
How can one explain suffering in the presence of a benevolent God?
- Rabbis and scholars have expressed various theodicies to reconcile God’s existence with suffering and despite many being contradictory of each other, no one theodicy overrides the other
Beliefs of suffering
- Divine retribution
- Inscrutable (impossible to understand) divine mystery,
-Consequence of hester panim - the hiding of God’s face - Test of faith / probationary suffering
Suffering is a consequence of divine retribution
- God is the lawgiver and therefore suffering is a punishment from God as a consequence for sin and wrongdoing.
- Through the exercise of justice, God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked
“There is no suffering without iniquity” - Talmud Shabbat 55a
Covenant - national suffering.
- Suffering as a consequence of not abiding by the covenant. - God shows justice tempered with mercy and therefore doom and destruction if people continue to sin, but hope and restoration if people repent and follow God’s ways
- But what about the righteous who suffer? - personal.
- The righteous will be compensated for suffering in the world to come (olam haba) and the wicked will be condemned to eternal punishment
Suffering is an inscrutable (impossible to understand) divine mystery
- God is transcendent - we don’t understand his actions.
- His ways are beyond human comprehension, beyond human calculations and considerations. One can never penetrate the mysteries of God’s moral government.
- “It is not in our power to explain why the righteous suffer or why the wicked are at ease” - Ethics of the Fathers Pirkei Avot 4:15
- Suffering is not meant to be understood, there is meaning in God’s plan
- According to Rashi, God does not want us to understand His reasons because He wants us to act on instinct.
Suffering in a consequence of hester panim - the hiding of God’s face
- God hides to give meaning to human choices. Humanity was created with free will and therefore God doesn’t interfere with evil and suffering
- Paradoxically affirms God’s existence when He is withdrawn → he has to allow for evil and suffering because otherwise there won’t be free will.
- Suffering is a consequence of human freedom
“Why do You hide Your face?” - Psalm 44:25
“A world without suffering is a world without free will” - Rabbi James Kennard
Suffering is a test of faith / probationary suffering
- God puts the righteous to the test to demonstrate how firm their faith in Him is.
- The wicked are not put to this test because they would fail. It is a trial to establish the steadfastness of faith.
- For example, God ordered Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac; however, just before he was going to sacrifice his son, the Torah states (Genesis 22:12) “Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son…from me.“
Afterlife
Judaism is a life affirming tradition and places a high value on life
“I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life” Deuteronomy 30:19
A primary concern of Orthodox Judaism is to live an earthly and ethical life according to the Torah. Life is a gift from God, it is a finite time and therefore it should be lived to the fullest. We should constantly be improving ourselves, improving our relationships with God and with others. The meaning of life is to live a life of meaning.
