“The Jewish quest of meaning was rooted in their understanding of God” (Smith 272).   God is a very supreme spirit.  He is to be given reverence and unreserved devotion.  Following the Law is also a fundamental part of Orthodox Judaism.  Breaking the Law and sinning is seen as a moral weakness in humans (Smith 281).  They do not believe in the original sin of humans (Halverson 125).  The Orthodox Jews believe very strongly that they have kept with the “right” teachings of the Torah, and other Jews have strayed off from this teaching.  They are very rigid and strict about keeping the Law of Moses as interpreted by the rabbis.  Repentance, prayer and God’s mercy are the hope of their salvation (Halverson 126).

The Orthodox Jewish view of God is of a one God who is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and eternal.  The World Religions Index described the Orthodox understanding of God as a tension between a God who is near and a God who is remote and far off.  “God is seen as continually active in a creative way, constantly working in the world to offer men the opportunity to fulfill their obligations toward Him and toward fellow men.”  (World Religions Index)  God revealed himself and his will through the Torah on Sinai.  God wants people to observe these laws.  Orthodox Jews place high demands on believers to follow these commandments.  They also view God as merciful.  Repenting and praying to God is how to maintain the relationship with God. 

Orthodox Judaism teaches of the one true God who created the heaven and the earth.  When God was creating he was reviewing ‘everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good’” (Smith 278).  A basic teaching of Judaism it that “the material world is considered on the whole ‘very good’ (Genesis 1:31), and man has a unique responsibility to order it according to God's purposes” (World Religions Index).  Judaism “affirms the world’s goodness” (Smith 276).  Thus the importance of material aspects and how they are used in the life of a Jewish person is very important. Orthodox Judaism does not acknowledge the fall of man and original sin as a consequence of the fall. 
(MJ 2/01)

Sources Used:

Halverson, D.C. ed.  The Compact Guide to World Religions. Bethany House Publishers: Minneapolis, MN. 1996.

 Beaver, R.P., Bergman, J., Langley, M.S., et al. Eds. Eerdmans’ Handbook to The World’s Religions. William B. Eerdamans Publishing Company: Grand Rapids, MI.  1982.

 Smith, H. The World’s Religions. Harper Collins: San Francisco. 1991. 

Valleskey, D.J.  We Believe – Therefore We Speak. Northwestern Publishing House: Milwaukee, WI. 1997.

 World Religions Index  (22 February, 01) (http://wri.leaderu.com/wri-table2/judaism.html#God).

 Return to Human Condition charts