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The creator of the universe.

Dictionaries define "Judaism" as The monotheistic religion of the Jews, since the founding principle of Judaism was and is the belief in One God. This was the teaching which was spread by Abraham, and has continued since then. From Judaism, belief in One God has spread through the Western world.

In Judaism:

God is One. The concept of a dualism (as in Zoroastrianism), an independent Satan, multiple gods (polytheism; paganism) or a trinity of three in one, are all unimaginable in Judaism. Also, any belief that an intermediary between humanity and God should be used, whether as necessary or even optional, is considered heretical.God is non-physical, indivisible and incomparable. Jewish tradition teaches that God is beyond human comprehension; and that it is only God's revealed deeds, as He interacts with mankind and the world, that we can begin to grasp. His names indicate His attributes and the ways in which He relates to us.

God is omniscient (He is aware of everything), and infinitely wise.
God created the universe and all existence, including time and space, in a deliberate, purposeful act of benevolent Creation.

God is the mover of everything. No molecule can move without the energy and direction with which God imbues it.


God is eternal; and His ways are also eternal. He is not capricious, forgetful or fickle.
God is just. He rewards good and punishes evil - whether in this world or in the afterlife.

God is ethical and moral; and He expects us to imitate His ways.


The God of Israel is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is the guide of history, who delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.

God is the source of law, who gave the Torah to the Israelites at Mount Sinai.

God is immanent and personal, meaning that he relates to humanity and hears our prayers. This is the basis of the Psalms and our siddur (prayerbook).


The names of God:

  • יהוה - the Eternal (see below)
  • Adonai - the Lord
  • Elohim - God
  • Shaddai - the Almighty
  • El - a name indicating the power of God
  • Tzevaot - Lord of hosts
  • Yah (or Jah) - this is a lesser form of God's name יהוה

  • Note:

    God's name in the Torah is יהוה (in Hebrew, not in English). Other names which refer to God (such as Elohim) are more generic (referring to God's power) and can in certain contexts refer to such authorities as judges (Exodus ch.21-22).
    Over the course of the exile, the exact pronunciation of יהוה has been lost. (The usual transliterations, Jehovah or Yahweh, are inaccurate renditions based on a misunderstanding of the the way it is printed in such vocalized texts as Hebrew prayerbooks and printed Tanakhs.)
    The name יהוה is not pronounceable for us, due to to a religious prohibition for Jews (Mishna, Sanhedrin ch.11), and also to the fact that the way in which it would be pronounced is today not known. While the Temple in Jerusalem still stood, only the Kohen Gadol would pronounce this name of God and only one day a year. The remainder of the time, less explicit names of God, including Adonai or Elohim, were used; and that is what we do today also, in prayers, blessings and Torah-reading. In daily conversation in English, we use English words (God, or the idiomatic "Hashem," which refers to God but is not an actual name).

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10y ago

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