Jewish faith revolves around the fact that God is all-powerful, and that God is with everyone of Jewish faith in some way. Judaism is a religion that believes in monotheism, and that the covenant between the Jewish and God must be maintained. People of Jewish faith believe that every person of Israel has a covenant with God. This covenant first started when God asked Abraham to move to the land of Canaan to prove his loyalty. In return, God had promised Abraham that he would be blessed with many descendants, and that all of his people would be God’s chosen people. It is believed that this covenant must be maintained by showing loyalty to God.

In the Torah Abraham is told by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on top of a mountain, to show his loyalty. Abraham proceeded to do what God had asked of him, but when he had reached the top of the mountain, an angel of God came down and told him to sacrifice a ram instead. This part of the torah shows that you should show your loyalty and trust in God, because in the end God always has a plan. In return for Abraham’s loyalty and his venture to Canaan, God created the covenant with the Hebrews. A quote from The Sacrifice of Abraham, Genesis 22:16-17 “By myself I have sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” This quote proves that in Jewish faith it is believed that loyalty is expected from God. Because Abraham proved his loyalty, God had rewarded him in return.

Another example of why loyalty is expected of people of Jewish faith, can be found in Genesis, in the story of Adam and Eve. In this chapter God creates Adam and places him in the Garden of Eden. God tells Adam that he may eat from every tree in the garden, except for the tree of knowledge, because if he did it would kill him. Soon after, God created all other animals, and left it to Adam to name them. Soon after God created animals, God created a woman named Eve, to serve as a companion for Adam. One day a serpent created by God spoke to Eve and convinced her to eat from the tree of knowledge, and despite what God had said, she had convinced Adam to eat from the tree as well. According to Genesis 3:15, it states, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” This quote states that because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were to be punished. Unlike the story of the sacrifice of Isaac, where God had rewarded him, this story demonstrates the belief that only those who are loyal to God are rewarded.

Another core belief of Judaism is ethical monotheism, which is the belief that there is only one God. Jewish faith is based off of the Torah and the Talmud, each stating that only one God exists 1. An example of the importance of ethical monotheism can be found in the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments is a list of rules written by God himself, stating what rules people of Jewish faith are expected to follow in order to show loyalty to God. The first rule states “You shall have no other gods before Me.” This commandment shows that if one is to be of the Jewish faith it is expected, by God, that he be the only God that is worshipped. This belief alone is called monotheism, but in Judaism they believe in ethical monotheism. The basis of ethical monotheism is the belief in one God, but also the belief that God has morals and principles that are expected to be followed, for the greater good of the religion.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. https://study.com/academy/lesson/monotheism-in-judaism-definition-history-quiz.html