God in Judaism

In Judaism, people believe in one God. This God is the same God who helped Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and who guided the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. Jews think God gave them special rules to live by, called the Law of Moses, at Mount Sinai.

Jews believe God is all-powerful, everywhere, and knows everything. God made the whole world and everything in it. God has no body and cannot be shown in any picture. There are special names for God in Jewish tradition, like the Tetragrammaton and Elohim.

A wise Jewish teacher named Moses Maimonides taught that God is the one being who must exist and who created everything. Some Jews today see God as a powerful force rather than a person who lives somewhere else.

Names

Main article: Names of God in Judaism

Further information: Elohim, Yahweh, and Tetragrammaton

In Judaism, the name of God that is used most often in the Hebrew Bible is the Tetragrammaton. It is written as יהוה in Hebrew. Jews usually do not say this name aloud. Instead, they use the word HaShem, which means "the Name." When people pray, they often say Adonai, meaning "My Lord." This is shown in a well-known prayer called the Shema: "Hear O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is One." The true way to say the Tetragrammaton was lost a long time ago, but many scholars think it was once said as "Yahweh." In some strict views of Judaism, God is always spoken of using words that sound like they are about a man.

Godhead

Main article: Godhead in Judaism

In Judaism, the Godhead is the true nature or essence of God, hidden behind God's actions and qualities.

Some Jewish thinkers, like Maimonides, say we can know very little about the Godhead. They believe we can only say that God exists, and even that is hard to describe fully.

Other Jewish thinkers, using Kabbalah, talk about the Godhead as Ein Sof (אין סוף). This is the part of God that is beyond all of God's powers or ways of showing up in the world. They teach that the Godhead is deeply connected to all people, but we cannot fully understand it. It remains a mystery hidden in nothingness.

Properties which are attributed to God

In traditional Judaism, God is seen as the eternal creator of the universe and the source of morality. People believe God knows everything and has the power to do anything, though some thinkers have different views on this.

Judaism teaches that God is everywhere and has no physical form. Even though some old writings use male words to talk about God, Jewish belief does not give God a gender. Some modern thinkers also say God cannot be described as either male or female. The tradition also says God cannot be imagined or pictured, and making physical representations of God is not allowed.

Conceptions of God

Most traditional Jewish beliefs see God as a personal and national god, meaning that both individuals and the Jewish people have a special connection with God. Jewish teachings describe God as a loving and caring presence who listens and responds to people. This idea is shown in Jewish prayers and songs, which express a close, personal relationship with God.

Some modern Jewish thinkers have different views. They see God not as a person but as a force, nature, or an idea of morality. These ideas suggest that God is found in the world around us, in ethical actions, or in the processes of the universe itself. Some believe loving God means living a good and just life.