THE nature of God

God as one

• They believe that judaism is monotheistic meaning they only believe in one God

• God being one means that He is the only thing that should be praised as He alone has the power over all things

• God is everlasting and beyond something that humans can understand because of how great God is.

• God is a single, whole being that cannot be divided.

God as creator

• God is the One Creator of the entire Universe and He created it out of nothing just as He wanted it to be.

• “In the beginning God created Heavens and the Earth “

• God has a major effect and influence on the world and people’s place within it

• God expects loyalty from his people for giving them the gift that is earth and because he sustains the world in which they live.

God as Judge

For Jews, God is a God of Justice. This means that He is fair and treats everyone with equality. Humans may not fully understand God’s judgements, but we can be sure that He takes no pleasure in judging people wrongly or unfairly.

The Jewish scriptures state; “You are not a God that has pleasure in wickedness” (Psalms)

The messiah

) This means the ‘anointed one’. Jews believe that their Messiah will be chosen by G_d to put an end to evil in the world

Covenant

An agreement, contract or promise given to the Jews by God. For example, the covenant of Moses

Abrahamic covenent

Abraham is seen as the ‘father’ of Judaism because before him, people worshipped many gods, not the one God. Because of Abraham’s purity, God called out to him, commanding him to leave his homeland behind for a new life. Abraham accepted this and took his wife, Sarah, with him.

The Abrahamic Covenant is the covenant made between God and Abraham. God wanted the Jews to live their lives in such a way as to show the world that God actually was the one and only all-powerful God, whom people should follow and worship.

God promises to:

 Make of Abraham a ‘great nation’; guide Abraham

 Make Abraham fruitful (give him lots of descendants/children)

 Give Abraham and his descendants a land to call their own. This is known as the Promised Land (the land of milk and honey). “ I will give as an everlasting possession to you”

Pikuach nefesh

Pikuach Nefesh is the belief that, when life is involved, all Sabbath laws or mitzvot may be overruled to protect the health of an individual.#

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness”

Talmud B Yoma 84b “One must…save a life on the Sabbath… He need not obtain permission.”

According to Jewish teaching, human beings are the highpoint of God’s creation. The Book of Genesis says that God did not simply will humans into being, but that he made them himself, breathed life into them and created them in his own image and likeness.

“When i formed you in the womb, i knew you”

Because of pikuach nefesh, every Jewish person has a duty to save a person’s life if they can, even if doing so means that another mitzvah will be broken.

This idea of sanctity of life means that no actions should be taken to speed up a person’s natural death. Any act of euthanasia or murder is not allowed. This is made clear in the Sanhedrin:

Jews believe that they have a duty to make the most of the gift of human life. A person doesn’t have to be dying for a Jew to try to save them - this can be a preventative act.