The Nature of God and the Messiah Flashcards
Describe Jewish Beliefs About the Nature of God as One
-Jews believe that there is one God who is responsible for everything. This view is expressed in the Shema, “The Lord is one.”
-God is an indivisible entity who cannot be described by attributes and the only being who should be worshipped.
-God is unique and therefore the Almighty and worthy of praise.
-Jews show this belief by not having statues of any living creatures in synagogues.
-Some Jews believe the name of God is so special that anything with God’s name must be buried if no longer used.
Explain how are Jews Influenced by the Belief in God as One
-Jews will be influenced to write Ha Shem or G-d and not the name of God.
-This is because there is one God so He is worthy of the ultimate respect.
Describe Jewish Beliefs About the Nature of God as Creator
-Some Jews believe God created the world out of nothing, “The Earth was astonishingly empty… and God said let there be light and there was light.”
-However there are different interpretations in Judaism of how literal the Genesis accounts should be read.
-Many Jews also believe God created the world exactly how he wanted because the world is too wonderful and complex to have happened by chance.
-God has also made mankind in His image, setting humanity apart from the rest of creation. Therefore, as creator, only God can give and take life.
-Each week, Jews may also observe Shabbat as a celebration of creation.
Explain how are Jews Influenced by the Belief in God as Creator
-Jews will be influenced to take care of creation as it is a gift from God.
-For example, Jews will celebrate Mitzvah day, a day in which Jews work to care for the environment.
-This belief is also held in the celebration of Tu Bishvat- The new year of the tees.
Describe Jewish Beliefs About the Nature of God as Judge
-Jews believe that God constantly judges people’s behaviour.
He judges the actions of every Jew and non-Jew.
-By keeping the laws, Jews believe they form a relationship with God.
-Psalm 7:11 sates, “God is a righteous judge,” showing Jews that God judges fairly and justly.
-Jews also believe when the Messiah arrives, God will judge the nations on for their persecution of Israel and judge the Jews for their observation of the Torah.
-During the Ten Days of Return, Jews will atone for their sins in preparation of Yom Kippur when God judges them on their actions from the previous year.
Explain how are Jews Influenced by the Belief in God as Judge
-Jews will be influenced to follow all 613 mitzvot.
-This is because they believe God judges them on how well they follow the duties of the Torah so will strictly adhere to religious practices.
Describe Jewish Beliefs About the Nature of God as Law Giver
-Jews believe God directly gave Moses the Torah (which literally means ‘law’) on Mt Sinai.
-In the Torah God gave Moses the 613 mitzvot, including the ten commandments to live by.
-The laws given by God are instructions on how to live a good life such as, “Honour your father and mother.”
-These laws cover all areas of life such as dietary restrictions and how to worship God.
-By following God’s laws, Jews are fulfilling what God wants and forming a relationship with Him. God gave laws to help people exercise their free will in the correct way.
Explain how Jews are Influenced by Belief in God as Law Giver
-Orthodox Jews will be influenced to try to observe the duties in the Torah throughout their lives.
-Reform Jews on the other hand may amend some of the mitzvot for the modern day.
-However, all Jews may keep the ten commandments as they are central to Jewish belief and practice as they are believed to have been given to Moses from God directly.
-“The Torah was given to Moses by God”- Maimonides 13 Principles of Faith
Describe how Jewish Beliefs About God as One are Shown in the Shema
-The belief about God as One is shown in the Shema. This is seen in the opening line, “The Lord is one.”
-This shows Jews that God is an indivisible entity so they will accept His unity. As a result, they believe God cannot be divided into parts or described by attributes.
-This teaches Jews not to worship any other God but to devote themselves fully to Him detailed further in the Shema, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Explain how Jews are Influenced by Belief in God as One, Shown in the Shema
-Jews will be influenced to keep the mezuzah in their homes and wear the tefillin during prayer as these contain the Shema.
-However, a mezuzah will not be kept in the bathroom in order to give respect to God. This is important because God is one so is worthy of all praise.
-Moreover, Jews are commanded in the Shema to love God with all their heart. Therefore, they will write God as G-D to avoid blasphemy and give their full respect to the one God.
Describe how Jewish Beliefs About God as Judge and Law Giver are Shown in the Shema
-The belief about God as law giver and judge are shown in the Shema.
-This is seen in the line , “If you faithfully obey the commandments, I am giving you… I will send rain… I will provide grass… you will eat and be satisfied.”
-This teaches Jews that by following His commandments, God will provide for them. This shows Jews that they should follow the laws given by God.
-They are also warned that if they don’t follow God’s laws, “The Lord’s anger will burn against you, and He will shut up the heavens.”
-Therefore, Jews will follow the laws so that they can be rewarded.
Explain how Jews are Influenced by Belief in God as Judge and Law Giver, Shown in the Shema
-Jews will be influenced to try to always follow all 613 mitzvot.
-Jews believe God will judge on how they have obeyed His commandments so may work to always complete the mitzvot so that they are rewarded.
-Therefore, Jews will follow Kosher laws and the restrictions on Shabbat.
Describe Jewish Beliefs About the Shekinah
-The Shekinah is the divine presence of God on Earth.
-This is seen in the Torah when God guides the Israelites through the desert, “the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them.”
-Some Jews believe the Shekinah to be a spiritual inner peace whereas others believe it to be a physical presence.
-When the two candles are lit on Shabbat, some Jews see this as welcoming the Shekinah into the home.
-The Talmud also states that the Shekinah is present when a Minyan is gathered, “Whenever ten are gathered for prayer, the Shekinah rests.”
Explain how Jews are Influenced by Belief in the Shekinah
-Jews will be influenced to go on pilgrimage to the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
-This is because the physical presence of God is believed to have never left the temple so is still present at the Western Wall today.
-“The glory of the Lord filled the Temple” - Chronicles
-Hence, Jews will visit in order to experience the Shekinah.
Describe Reform Jewish Beliefs About the Messiah
-Reform Jews believe it is not the Messiah who is important, but the Messianic Age of peace.
-In scripture, there are a number of passages which talk about a time of peace such as in the Micah, “Nation will not take up sword against nation.”
-Therefore, Reform Jews believe that it is not important to focus on the coming of the Messiah but to look towards a better society.
-In turn, they believe it is their actions that will bring about the Messianic Age prophesised in scripture rather than an actual being called the Messiah.
-As a result, Reform Jews will live a good life and help others to try to bring about the age of peace as the Messiah is not important in the modern day.
