Monday, July 9, 2012

Faith in World Religions--Judaism


      


     Faith itself is not a religious concept in Judaism. Although Judaism does recognize the positive value of Emunah (generally translated as faith, trust in God) and the negative status of the Apikorus (heretic), faith is not as stressed or as central as it is in other religions, especially as it is in the faith-possessed Christendom.

      It could be a necessary means for being a practicing religious Jew, but the emphasis is placed on practice rather than on faith itself. Very rarely does it relate to any teaching that must be believed. Classical Judaism does not require one to explicitly identify God (a key tenet of faith in Christianity), but rather to honour the idea of God.

     In the Jewish scriptures trust in God - Emunah - refers to how God acts toward his people and how they are to respond to him; it is rooted in the everlasting covenant established in the Torah, notably Deuteronomy 7:9 (The Torah - A Modern Commentary; Union of American Hebrew Congregations, NY 1981 by W. G. Plaut)

    "Know, therefore, that only the LORD your God is God, the steadfast God who keeps His gracious covenant to the thousandth generation of those who love Him and keep His commandments"

     A traditional example of Emunah as seen in the Jewish annals is found in the person of Abraham. On a number of occasions, Abraham both accepts statements from God that seem impossible and offers obedient actions in response to direction from God to do things that seem implausible (see Genesis 12-15).

     "The Talmud describes how a thief also believes in God: On the brink of his forced entry, as he is about to risk his life—and the life of his victim—he cries out with all sincerity, 'God help me!' The thief has faith that there is a God who hears his cries, yet it escapes him that this G‑d may be able to provide for him without requiring that he abrogate God’s will by stealing from others. For emunah to affect him in this way he needs study and contemplation."(Wikipedia.com)

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