Monotheism
Monotheism, the belief in the oneness of God, is a very important Jewish belief. It is the central message in the ShemaA prayer declaring Jewish faith that is said by many Jews twice a day. The Shema states that there is only one God. It is placed in the mezuzah case and tefillin. prayer.
God as the creator
Judaism teaches that God was the creator of the world and everything in it. This belief comes from Genesis. Some Jews will have a literal understanding of the accounts of creation. This means that they believe the accounts exactly as they are written, whereas others see it more as a story to explain what might have happened, but do not take it literally.
The belief is that the world must have a creator, as it is too complex to have come about by chance.
In the beginning God created heaven and earth.
The nature of God
Judaism teaches that God is everywhere, he is all-powerful and he is all-loving towards his creation. The following words are used to describe these characteristics:
- omnipresence - God is present everywhere
- omnipotence - God is all-powerful, and able to do all things that are consistent with God鈥檚 nature
- omnibenevolence - God wants only the best for his creation
Question
What is meant by omnibenevolence?
Omnibenevolence means all-loving. Judaism teaches that God loves all humans unconditionally and wants only the best for his creation.