G-d is one

The foundation of Jewish belief is that there is one G-d. This is declared in the Shema, the prayer said morning and evening, written inside the mezuzah on the doorpost and inside the tefillin:

Oneness carries more weight than simply "there is one rather than many". Jews understand it to mean that G-d is:

• Unique — there is nothing else in the same category as G-d.
• Indivisible — G-d is not made of parts and has no partners, rivals or offspring.
• The only one worthy of worship — which is why idolatry is the gravest sin, and why there are no images of G-d in a synagogue.

Merciful, just, creator, without a body

• G-d is merciful and just. These two are held together. G-d judges truly, so wrongdoing matters and cannot simply be ignored; but G-d also forgives those who genuinely repent. The Ten Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur only make sense if G-d is both: there would be no need to repent if G-d were not just, and no point in repenting if G-d were not merciful.
• G-d is the creator and sustainer of all things. G-d did not simply start the world and walk away. Jews bless G-d daily as the one who "renews the work of creation" — the world continues to exist because G-d continues to hold it in being.
• G-d has no body (incorporeal). G-d is not male or female, and cannot be pictured. Where scripture speaks of G-d's "hand" or "face", Jewish teachers understand this as human language stretched to describe what is beyond description.
• G-d is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipresent (everywhere at once).

The classic problem — and be ready to discuss it. If G-d is all-powerful, all-knowing and good, why is there suffering? Jewish responses include: human beings have real free will, and G-d does not override it; suffering may be beyond human understanding; and the proper Jewish response to suffering is action — to repair the damage rather than to explain it away. After the Shoah, some Jewish thinkers went further and questioned or reframed traditional claims about G-d's power. There is no single agreed answer, and the examiner does not expect one.

Three long words

What these beliefs actually change

The syllabus asks for the impact of these beliefs on the daily life of Jews. That is an AO1 question, and vague answers lose marks. Be concrete:

• Because G-d is one, the Shema is said twice a day, is fixed to the doorpost in the mezuzah, and is bound to the arm and head in the tefillin.
• Because G-d has no body, there are no statues or pictures of G-d anywhere in a synagogue, and Jewish art uses pattern, text and symbol instead.
• Because G-d is creator, a Jew says a blessing before eating — the food is not simply theirs to take — and treats the environment as something entrusted to them (see J6).
• Because G-d is just and merciful, Jews examine their conduct in the Ten Days of Awe, apologise to those they have wronged, and fast on Yom Kippur.
• Because G-d is omnipresent and omniscient, a Jew's behaviour when nobody is watching still matters — honesty in business is a religious duty, not just good manners.

Which belief is this?

Tap a statement, then tap the belief about G-d it best illustrates.

From belief to practice

The covenant with Abraham

A covenant (Hebrew brit) is a binding agreement with obligations on both sides. Judaism rests on two of them.

The first is made with Abraham (Genesis 17). Its terms:

• G-d promises land — the land of Canaan for Abraham's descendants.
• G-d promises offspring — Abraham, who is old and childless, will become the father of a great nation.
• G-d requires belief in the one G-d — Abraham is called to walk before G-d and to abandon the idols of his father's world.
• The sign of the covenant is circumcision — every male is to be circumcised, and Jews still perform Brit Milah on the eighth day (see J5). The sign is cut into the body itself: the covenant is not an idea you may put down.

Why Abraham matters: he is remembered as the first person to recognise the one G-d and to trust that G-d keeps promises. Jews call themselves the children of Abraham, and converts to Judaism are traditionally given the name "son/daughter of Abraham and Sarah" — they join the covenant family.

The sign in the flesh

The covenant with Moses

The second covenant is made at Mount Sinai, through Moses, after G-d has brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. It is a covenant of law.

• G-d gives the commandments to Moses, beginning with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) — duties towards G-d (one G-d, no idols, do not misuse G-d's name, keep Shabbat) and duties towards other people (honour parents; do not murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness or covet).
• G-d promises protection in return for obedience to the covenant. The people answer that they will do what G-d has said.
• Moses records the covenant in writing, so that the agreement is not merely remembered but preserved and passed on.

Notice the difference between the two covenants. Abraham's covenant creates a people and gives them a promise. The Sinai covenant gives that people a way of life — a legal and moral code. Together they answer the questions who are we? and how must we live?

What 'the chosen people' does and does not mean

Because of these covenants, Jews describe themselves as G-d's chosen people. This is one of the most misunderstood ideas in the whole syllabus, so get it right.

Different Jewish views on the idea itself:

• Orthodox: chosenness is a real, G-d-given status, carrying the obligation of the 613 mitzvot. It is a fact about what G-d has done, not a claim about Jewish superiority.
• Reform: many prefer to speak of a vocation or mission — the Jewish people took on a task of bearing witness to ethical monotheism — and are uneasy with any wording that sounds like superiority.
• Some modern Jewish thinkers (notably in Reconstructionist Judaism) have rejected the language of chosenness altogether and rewritten prayers that use it.

Impact on daily life: keeping the mitzvot, circumcision, Shabbat, kashrut, and the sense of belonging to a people whose story runs from Abraham to now.

Chosen for what?

The Torah as authority and as moral guide

Torah means teaching or instruction — not "law" in a narrow sense. In its strictest meaning it is the five books of Moses, handwritten on the scroll in the Ark.

• A source of authority. The Torah contains the mitzvot, the commandments. Tradition counts 613 of them — and this is why the tzitzit on the tallit are linked to the number 613: the fringes are meant to remind the wearer of the whole law.
• A source of moral principles. The mitzvot come in two kinds:
  • Positive mitzvot — things a Jew should do. In the Ten Commandments: keep Shabbat holy; honour your father and your mother.
  • Negative mitzvot — things a Jew should not do. In the Ten Commandments: do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not covet; do not make idols.

Exam skill: if you are asked for examples of positive and negative mitzvot, take them from the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) or the Noahide laws — those are the two sources the syllabus names.

Is the Torah revelation from G-d?

The syllabus asks for different ways in which Jews understand and interpret the Torah. This is where Orthodox and Reform Judaism differ most sharply, and where good answers earn their marks.

• Orthodox Judaism: Torah min haShamayim — Torah from Heaven. The Torah was revealed by G-d to Moses at Sinai and is divine in every word. Because its author is G-d, it cannot be edited or set aside; it can only be interpreted, and interpretation must follow the chain of rabbinic tradition. The mitzvot are binding on all Jews for all time.
• Reform and Liberal Judaism: the Torah is divinely inspired but was written down by human beings in a particular time and culture. Revelation is progressive — it continues, and human understanding of G-d's will deepens. So its ethical teaching is binding, while ritual laws may be reinterpreted or not observed, and the individual Jew has a real say (informed choice). This is the reasoning behind egalitarian worship and women rabbis.
• Masorti / Conservative Judaism: takes a middle path — Jewish law is binding, but it has always developed historically and may legitimately continue to develop.

Both sides are arguing seriously about the same question: if the Torah is from G-d, may it change? An Orthodox Jew says no, because G-d does not change. A Reform Jew says the words came through human hands and human understanding grows. Show the examiner you understand the reasoning, not just the labels.

Two readings of one scroll

The Noahide laws: a moral code for everyone

The Noahide laws are seven basic laws which Jewish tradition holds are binding on all humanity, not only on Jews. They are traditionally derived by the rabbis from G-d's covenant with Noah after the flood (Genesis 9), which is made with every living thing on earth.

• Do not worship idols · do not blaspheme · do not murder
• Do not steal · do not commit sexual immorality · do not eat flesh torn from a living animal
• Establish courts of justice

Why this matters for the exam. The Noahide laws show that Judaism is not a religion that claims only Jews can be righteous. A non-Jew who keeps these laws is considered righteous and has a share in the world to come. This is exactly why Judaism does not seek converts: you do not have to become Jewish to be good. It is also why the Jewish idea of chosenness is about extra duties for Jews, not about excluding everyone else.

Key terms in J2

Tap a term on the left, then its meaning on the right.

Laws for the world

"For a Jew, the covenant matters more than beliefs about G-d's nature." Discuss.

Reaching a judgement: the strongest answers show that the two are inseparable — the covenant only has force because of who G-d is, and beliefs about G-d only become visible through the covenant. Then commit to a view and justify it. A conclusion that simply says "both are important" without a reason scores poorly.

The big ideas to know

You have now covered every bullet of J2 Beliefs and scriptures. Press Finish to see your score.