Core Beliefs Of The Jewish Religious Tradition
In the Jewish religious tradition, the fundamental beliefs of monotheism and creation are expressed through aspects of the tradition. According to the Jewish religious tradition, God is omnipotent and all knowing. He is the ultimate creator. God created the universe from nothing, a void, a deep (Creatio ex nihilo) -Gen 1:2, He willed the earth and it was so. He created light and darkness, heaven and earth, land and sea, vegetation and finally the pinnacle of all creation, man. -Gen 1. Through aspects such as myths and narratives, sacred texts, rituals, symbols and codes of behaviour, these beliefs are not only expressed, but provide people with a deeper meaning, understanding, and a stronger sense of identity.
Belief in God is the quintessential core belief of Judaism. Without a belief in God, all actions taken in life are meaningless. When God created man -Gen 1:28, He bestowed onto man the obligation to "fill the earth and subdue it. He gave man dominion over the world, and in accordance, the responsibility to take care and look after it. The Jewish religious tradition is based on faith and demonstrating faith through action. The prayer "here oh Israel, the Lord is God the lord is one" is found repeatedly in sacred texts. Without the belief in God, these duties and actions become hollow. The Jewish religious tradition holds that God is everything and all. He is transcendent, but without bodily form; mystical not tangible. God is the ultimate protector, without Him there would be chaos. There is no biography of God in any scriptures. For Judaism, God's existence is infinite. God is omnipresent, omni benevolent, and above all, God is good. God created man in his own image (imitatio dei) -Gen 1:26. This can be interpreted in different ways. The first is the notion that man is physically like God, and the second is that man possesses many of God's divine characteristics. As man possesses a moral and ethical conscience, this suggests...
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