God In The Jewish Tradition - Essay Example

God In The Jewish Tradition In all religions the question of the nature of God is the most controversial. What role does he play? Is there a God? What kind of personality does he have? For many religions, the nature of God is a serious question that continues to be hotly debated, sometimes even leading to the division of churches into deeply divided factions. The role of God in the Jewish tradition is no less controversial than it is in Christian traditions. Just as in the Christian traditions, this debate has led to the development of different orders of the religion including Hasidic Judaism, Rabbinic Judaism, and Humanistic Judaism. These different orders reflect the differing views individuals have regarding their interpretation of God and the message he left for humans to follow. Since the concept of God can only really exist within the individual mind of the believer, these different approaches to the interpretation of God can only ever be guidelines. However, it is helpful to understand how people of the Jewish faith perceive God in order to understand the basics of how they conceptualize the nature of God and their fear of Him. Clearly, the meaning of God is one that is uniquely personal to each and every person. Only the individual can decide what God means to them which is based to a great degree on the individuals values and personal beliefs. The role that God plays in that individuals life and religion will be strongly based on these subjective assessments, but it will also be strongly influenced by the teachings of the synagogue, the rabbi, and the traditions that the individual experienced as they grew. In many tales of the Jewish faith, it was God who helped keep the Israelites alive throughout all their various persecutions through history, creating a type of human-like heroic identity. It was God who led them out of Israel and slavery and it was God who spoke to them through burning bushes and from mountaintops while they wandered in the desert, giving them help and direction. Mordecai Kaplan, known as the father of Reconstructionism, who pushed this type of identification of God. In his writings, he said that God chose the Jews and determined to help them with their success (Kaplan, 1937). However, Kaplan was not necessarily suggesting that God was a personality. Instead, he was attempting to say that God was something greater than this. He said, “God is neither a being nor a philosophical abstraction. God is a creative force in the universe. He was an inspiration for the Jews and the voice that gave with both hands" (1937). Even here, though, God seems to be a greater than normal personality, something physically present but invisible. Other writers have instead suggested that it was not God who contributed to the success of the Jews, but the genius of the people as it was expressed and acted upon by the Jewish people themselves, suggesting that God is not a physical entity or identity, but is instead a sort of overpowering metaphorical idea. Jews have always thrived on social responsibility and on a creative energy that is unique to them. Felix Adler, Kaplan’s teacher, made the point that when we talk to God we speak metaphorically (Adler, 1880). When mentioning the great power that is God, he said, people never say things that are literally true but are instead metaphors attempting to describe what theyre feeling or struggling with -- using God as a means of explaining something larger than anything they can comprehend without such metaphors. Some say that the world being so vast and beautiful and full of meaning is what gave birth to the idea of God. The idea that there is someone out there who created everything humans admire and enjoy is comforting and gives people someone to thank. To some, God is an individual, like a person, but to many others, God is merely a power that exists high above and has power over all. Throughout the Bible and Jewish history, different individuals have had their arguments and disagreements with and about God. Although God is the almighty power above, not everyone always agrees regarding His messages and intentions which causes problems. With each section of the Bible, new problems arise. One of the biggest and most well known arguments is an argument between God and Abraham over the fate of the people Sodom and Gomorrah, which takes places in Genesis. In the argument, Abraham tests God on his morals and whether he will choose between right and wrong. Although it is presumed God shares our same morals, it remains a question whether they really exist or if they should match our own. God is expected to abide by universal moral and moral nature, but it is impossible for humans to judge what they dont understand (Laytner 3-5). In the Genesis story, Abraham forces God to acknowledge He is not really always as moral and right as he presents Himself to be before all the people. This argument could prove that God is not the almighty power above that He makes Himself out to be and that He occasionally needs the guidance of a human voice. It also questions whether all of Gods deeds are made in good faith and therefore are truly just or whether people just choose to believe that everything God does is morally right (Laytner 3-5). Abraham’s argument with God marked the first time someone of the Jewish people questioned God and what he stood for and believed was right. The Torah depicts Abraham as a man of faith, practicing what he felt was his right to question God and his actions. Also, his relationship with God is revealed to have more depth due to Abrahams willingness to stand up to Him. Questioning God seems to be an important feature of the Jewish faith since Moses also questions God. During the Exodus, the Israelites opposed Gods will until they finally cried out for Him and their cries rose up and reached Him. Moses questioning of God reflects Israel’s loss of belief in God. Moses questions Gods lack of appearance and the faith that he has shown Him. But this is how many people feel, not just the Israelites so long ago. People who cant see God will question whether he exists or not. They will wonder whether his powers really exist (Laytner 5-9). Within this story, God provides Moses with proofs of his power which Moses can use to educate his fellow Israelites regarding Gods actual existence. The story shows God is good and gracious in abundance, considering that He was able to forgive the Israelites for doubting his existence and for worshiping a statue rather than Gods leading voice (Laytner 5-9). But it seems harsh for God to punish the Israelites for choosing to believe in a statue instead of an abstract concept that has never been proven. A statue is an object which doesn’t move and is always there, proving it exists simply by its presence. Although it may not portray the same powers as God claims to have, the statue is still an existing object the people can believe in. One of the many issues people have today continues to be a questioning of whether God really does exist. For many, God seems to be only in their heads and religious texts and never actually manifests Himself in the real world. Many Jews lost faith in God during the period of the Holocaust. To this day, no one really understands the contemporary response the Jewish people gave in connection to the mass death. The holocaust only intensified an already bad relationship between Judaism and the modern cultural trend its been following. Much of the questioning of God not existing due to His absence during the holocaust comes from the shock and trauma experienced by those individuals who survived the camps (Braiterman 5-12). No one can ever explain Gods ways through speculation, meaning no one can ever justify why He did or did not step in and do something about the millions of people killed during this period in history. In this case regarding the holocaust, it can only be speculated as to why God did not step in and stop this but to the people who endured suffering and loss, there was no God powerful enough to stop the atrocities going on. People have argued that the holocaust is just another tragic event in Jewish history, but to the people who endured the horror, this does not answer the question of why God did not answer their calls and prayers in their greatest time of need. The concentration camps and Auschwitz especially represented a point of no return for modern Jewish people. At this time, they were still being prosecuted for their religion and beliefs and there was no one, not even God the higher power above, that could or would step in and stop all of it. (Braiterman 5-12). This perceived failure on the part of God led many to stop believing while the creation of the new Israel following the war caused many others, mostly younger, to have their beliefs reaffirmed. God has a connection with the land of Israel and the Jewish peoples future. Although some people in the Jewish religion no longer believe in God as a conscious entity, others still do (Hartman 3-11). Every Passover, a prayer is said thanking Him and praising Him as their ruler and creator watching over them. Throughout the existence of the Jewish faith, God has been there, leading Israelites through the desert and giving them guidance when needed. What this suggests is that the people have always been on “a quest for God” so to speak. During the identity crisis, Israel faced Zionists and looked to the Bible for help and reassurance and found God there (Hartman 3-11). Jews have long been presented as the chosen people of the Book. God has been presented as the primary power and decision-maker of the book due to his high and ever-present existence. Zionists turned to the Bible in order to restore Jewish understanding (Hartman 3-11). However, it hasnt been as effective a tool for everyone until it comes time to consider the nature of death (Syme & Sonsino 3-14). In Judaism, death is regarded as an inevitable part of life. Numerous Rabbis of the Jewish faith state “those born are destined to die.” Judaism believes that one person cannot live a meaningful life forever. Immortality plays a large role in Judaism and God plays a large role in immortality. The issue of immortality plays a big role early on in the Hebrew Bible and causes problems between God and the first humans. Humanity has always probed the mysteries of death, which contradicts one of Gods beliefs and the beliefs of many people. For many, God is the gate keeper of heaven. When people die and go to heaven, they enter the realm of God, but people who achieve immortality will never enter the gates of heaven (Syme & Sonsino 3-14). This shows that the Israelites had various ideas and beliefs regarding the hereafter. Many believed there was an understanding of life after death. The idea that God is found on earth made the Israelites want to sanctify their lives on earth. Israelites believed the body and soul were one. By Israelites following Gods ten commandments, they believed their days on earth would be lengthened. Every sense of Judaism can lead to the belief or disbelief in God. People have said, “God is great, God is good” and for many this is true. But for many people and religions, God is really who the individual makes Him out to be in their minds. Religions such as Judaism are wise enough to realize this and therefore doesn’t dictate a specific concept regarding the nature of God as being universal to everyone, yet they seek to provide some guidance and possible means of thinking about who or what God might be. God can take on many forms, sexes, and meanings because at the end of the day God is really something that lives in people’s heads whether he is real or not. An individuals belief in God can be real, but this understanding could be very different from the characterization given Him in the Bible or Torah or even through another believer of God, even if that other individual is a leader of the faith. Judaism recognizes that no one can decide what or who God is and what He can and cant do. God will live on in peoples minds by whatever form they believe He comes in. Works Cited Adler, Felix. Creed and Deed: A series of discourses. New York: Putnams Sons, 1880. Print. Braiterman, Zachary J. God After Auschwitz: Tradition and Change in Post-Holocaust Jewish Thought. New Jersey: Princeton UP, 1998. Print. Hartman, David. A Heart of Many Rooms: Celebrating the Many Voices Within Judaism. Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 1999. Print. Kaplan, Mordecai. The Meaning of God in Modern Jewish Religion. Michigan: Wayne State UP, 1937; 1994. Print. Laytner, Anson. Arguing with God: A Jewish Tradition. Maryland: Aronson, 1998. Print. Syme, Daniel and Rifat Sonsino. Finding God: Ten Jewish Responses. Maryland: Aronson, 1993. Print. Read More