(Redirected from Thirteen Principles of Faith)
Although Jewish movements and religious leaders share a core of
monotheistic principles, Judaism has no formal statement of 'principles of faith' such as a
creed or
catechism that is recognized or accepted by all. In effect, the
Shema, a prayer that a religious Jew offers daily, through participation in services or use of phylacteries, is the only Jewish creed.
Judaism has no
pope or central religious authority that could formulate or issue a unified creed. The various "principles of faith" that have been enumerated carry no greater weight than that imparted to them by the fame and scholarship of their respective authors. Central authority in Judaism is not vested in any person or group but rather in Judaism's sacred writings, laws, and traditions. In nearly all its variations, Judaism affirms the existence and oneness of
God. Judaism stresses performance of deeds or commandments rather than adherence to a belief system.
Orthodox Judaism has stressed a number of core principles in its educational programs, most importantly a belief that there is a single,
omniscient and
transcendent God, who
created the universe, and continues to be concerned with its governance. Traditional Judaism maintains that God established a
covenant with the
Jewish people at
Mount Sinai, and revealed his laws and
commandments to them in the form of the
Torah. In
Rabbinic Judaism, the Torah comprises both the written Torah (
Pentateuch) and a tradition of oral law, much of it codified in later sacred writings.
Traditionally, the practice of Judaism has been devoted to the
study of Torah and observance of these laws and commandments. In normative Judaism, the Torah and hence Jewish law itself is unchanging, but interpretation of law is more open. It is considered a
mitzvah (commandment) to study and understand the law. Although Orthodox and traditional Jews continue to stress the divine origin of Torah, most rabbinical authorities have agreed that there is no halakhic obligation to adhere to any particular statement of principles of faith, other than a belief in the oneness of God.
Jewish principles of faith
There are a number of basic principles that were formulated by medieval rabbinic authorities. These principles were put forth as fundamental underpinnings inherent in the acceptance and practice of Judaism.
Monotheism
Judaism is based on a strict
unitarian monotheism. This doctrine expresses the belief in one ''indivisible''
God. The concept of multiple gods (
polytheism) and the concept of God taking multiple forms (for example
Trinity) are equally heretical in Judaism. The prayer par excellence in terms of defining God is the ''
Shema Yisrael'', originally appearing in the
Hebrew Bible: "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One", also translated as "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is unique/alone."
God is conceived of as eternal, the creator of the universe, and the source of morality. God has the power to intervene in the world. The term God thus corresponds to an actual ontological reality, and is not merely a projection of the human psyche.
Maimonides describes God in this fashion: "There is a Being, perfect in every possible way, who is the ultimate cause of all existence. All existence depends on God and is derived from God."
The
Hebrew Bible and classical
rabbinic literature affirm
theism and reject
deism. However, in the writings of medieval Jewish philosophers, perhaps influenced by neo-Aristotelian philosophy, one finds what can be termed limited
omniscience. [See
Gersonides "Views on omniscience"]
God is creator of the universe
According to the
Biblical account, the world was
created by God in six days. While many
Haredi Jews take this literally, many
Modern Orthodox,
Conservative and
Reform authorities feel that the six days should be interpreted as "stages" in the creation of the universe and the earth, and that Judaism would not be in contradiction to the scientific model that states that the universe is over 13 billion years old.
God is One
The idea of God as a
duality or
trinity is heretical - it is considered akin to
polytheism. "[God], the Cause of all, is one. This does not mean one as in one of a pair, nor one like a species (which encompasses many individuals), nor one as in an object that is made up of many elements, nor as a single simple object that is infinitely divisible. Rather, God is a unity unlike any other possible unity." This is referred to in the
Torah (
Deuteronomy 6:4): "Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one." (
Maimonides,
13 principles of faith Second Principle).
While Jews hold that such conceptions of God are incorrect, they generally are of the opinion that
non-Jews that hold such beliefs
are not held culpable.
''See also
Divine simplicity''.
God is all-powerful
Orthodox Jews believe in the omnipotent, omniscient God of the Bible - “Attribute to the Lord all glory and power” (
Psalms 29). Thus, most
rabbinic works present God as having the properties of
omnipotence,
omniscience and omnibenevolence (being all good). This is still the primary way that most Orthodox and many non-Orthodox Jews view God.
The issue of
theodicy was raised again, especially after the extreme horrors of
the Holocaust and several theological responses surfaced. These are discussed in a separate entry on
Holocaust theology. The central questions they address are whether and how God is all powerful and all good, given the existence of evil in the world, particularly the Holocaust.
God is personal
Most of classical Judaism views God as personal. We have a relationship with God, God has a relationship with us. Much of the
midrash, and many prayers in the
siddur portrays God as caring about humanity in much the same way that we care about God.
Harold Kushner, a Conservative
rabbi, writes that "God shows His love for us by reaching down to bridge the immense gap between Him and us. God shows His love for us by inviting us to enter into a Covenant (''brit'') with Him, and by sharing with us His Torah".
Hasidism seems to endorse this view to some degree.
On the other hand,
Maimonides and many other medieval Jewish philosophers rejected the idea of a personal God as incorrect. This may, however, simply be an emphatic form of the common Jewish view that God is unchanging, not describable and not anthropomorphic: see next section, and
negative theology.
The Nature of God
God is non-physical, non-
corporeal, and
eternal. A corollary belief is that God is utterly unlike man, and can in no way be considered
anthropomorphic. All statements in the
Hebrew Bible and in rabbinic literature which use anthropomorphism are held to be linguistic conceits or metaphors, as it would otherwise be impossible to talk about God at all. See
Divine simplicity;
Negative theology;
Tzimtzum.
To God alone may one offer prayer
Any belief that an intermediary between man and God could be used, whether necessary or even optional, has traditionally been considered heretical.
Maimonides writes that "God is the only one we may serve and praise....We may not act in this way toward anything beneath God, whether it be an angel, a star, or one of the elements.....There are no intermediaries between us and God. All our
prayers should be directed towards God; nothing else should even be considered."
Some rabbinic authorities disagreed with this view. Notably,
Nachmanides was of the opinion that it is permitted to ask the angels to beseech God on our behalf. This argument manifests notably in the
Selichot prayer called "Machnisay Rachamim", a request to the angels to intercede with God. Modern printed editions of the Selichot include this prayer.
Scripture
The
Tanakh and the
Talmud are the main holy books in Judaism. The
Tanakh contains the Torah (five books of Moses), the
prophets, and the Ketuvim ("writings"). Judaism's oral law is contained in the
Mishnah,
Tosefta, classical
midrashim, and the two
Talmuds.
Moses and the Torah
Orthodox and
Conservative Jews hold that the prophecy of
Moses is held to be true; he is held to be the chief of all prophets, even of those who came before and after him. This belief was expressed by
Maimonides, who wrote that "Moses was superior to all prophets, whether they preceded him or arose afterwards. Moses attained the highest possible human level. He perceived God to a degree surpassing every human that ever existed....God spoke to all other prophets through an intermediary. Moses alone did not need this; this is what the Torah means when God says "Mouth to mouth, I will speak to him."
However, this does not imply that the text of the Torah should be understood literally, as according to
Karaism. Rabbinic tradition maintains that God conveyed not only the words of the Torah, but the meaning of the Torah. God gave rules as to how the laws were to be understood and implemented, and these were passed down as an oral tradition. This oral law was passed down from generation to generation and ultimately written down almost 2,000 years later in the
Mishna and the two
Talmuds.
For
Reform Jews, the prophecy of Moses was not the highest degree of prophecy; rather it was the first in a long chain of progressive revelations in which mankind gradually began to understand the will of God better and better. As such, they maintain, that the laws of
Moses are no longer binding, and it is today's generation that must assess what God wants of them. (For examples see the works of
Rabbis
Gunther Plaut or
Eugene Borowitz). This principle is also rejected by most
Reconstructionist Jews, but for a different reason; most posit that
God is not a being with a will; thus they maintain that no will can be revealed.
The origin of the Torah
The
Torah is composed of 5 books called in English
Genesis,
Exodus,
Leviticus,
Numbers, and
Deuteronomy. They chronicle the history of the
Hebrews and also contain the commandments that Jews are to follow.
Rabbinic Judaism holds that the
Torah extant today is the same one that was given to Moses by God on
Mount Sinai.
Maimonides explains: "We do not know exactly how the Torah was transmitted to Moses. But when it was transmitted, Moses merely wrote it down like a secretary taking dictation....[Thus] every verse in the Torah is equally holy, as they all originate from God, and are all part of God's Torah, which is perfect, holy and true."
''
Haredi'' Jews generally believe that the Torah today is no different from what was received from God to Moses, with only the most minor of scribal errors. Many other
Orthodox Jews suggest that over the millennia, some scribal errors have crept into the Torah's text. They note that the
Masoretes (7th to 10th centuries) compared all known Torah variations in order to create a definitive text. Some
Modern Orthodox Jews hold that there are a number of places in the Torah where gaps are seen, and accept that part of the story in these places may have been edited out. However, all Orthodox Jews view the Written and Oral Torah as the same as Moses taught, for all practical purposes.
Accepting the findings of
biblical scholarship, archeological and linguistic research, most non-Orthodox Jews reject this principle. Instead, they may accept that the core of the Oral and Written Torah comes from Moses, but maintain that the Torah extant today has been edited together from several documents.
Conservative Jews tend to believe that much of the Oral law is divinely inspired, while
Reform and
Reconstructionist Jews tend to view all of the Oral law as an entirely human creation. Traditionally, the Reform movement held that Jews were obliged to obey the ethical but not the ritual commandments of Scripture, although today many Reform Jews have adopted many traditional ritual practices. For more details see
Richard Elliot Friedman's "Who Wrote the Bible?" and the entry on the
documentary hypothesis.
The words of the prophets are true
The Nevi'im the books of the Prophets, are considered divine and true. This does not imply that the books of the
prophets are always read literally. Jewish tradition has always held that prophets used metaphors and analogies. There exists a wide range of commentaries explaining and elucidating those verses consisting of metaphor.
Reward and punishment
The mainstream Jewish view is that
God will reward those who observe His commandments and punish those who intentionally transgress them. Examples of rewards and punishments are described throughout the Bible, and throughout classical rabbinic literature. See
Free will In Jewish thought. The common understanding of this principle is accepted by most Orthodox and Conservative and many Reform Jews; it is generally rejected by the Reconstructionists.
The Bible contains references to 'Sheol' lit. ''gloom'', as the common destination of the dead, which may be compared with the Hades or underworld of ancient religions. In later tradition this is interpreted either as Hell or as a literary expression for death or the grave in general.
According to
aggadic passages in the
Talmud, God judges who has followed His commandments and who does not and to what extent. Those who do not "pass the test" go to a purifying place (sometimes referred to as ''Gehinnom'', i.e. Hell, but more analogous to the Christian
Purgatory) to "learn their lesson". There is, however, for the most part, no eternal damnation. The vast majority of souls can only go to that reforming place for a limited amount of time (less than one year). Certain categories are spoken of as having "no part in the world to come", but this appears to mean annihilation rather than an eternity of torment.
Philosophical rationalists such as Maimonides believed that God did not actually mete out rewards and punishments as such. In this view, these were beliefs that were necessary for the masses to believe in order to maintain a structured society and to encourage the observance of Judaism. However, once one learned Torah properly, one could then learn the higher truths. In this view, the nature of the reward is that if a person perfected his intellect to the highest degree, then the part of his intellect that connected to God - the
active intellect - would be immortalized and enjoy the "Glory of the Presence" for all eternity. The punishment would simply be that this would not happen; no part of one's intellect would be immortalized with God. See
Divine Providence in Jewish thought.
The
Kabbalah (mystical tradition in Judaism) contains further elaborations, though many Jews do not consider these authoritative. For example it admits the possibility of
reincarnation, which is generally rejected by non-mystical Jewish theologians and philosophers. It also believes in a triple soul, of which the lowest level (''nefesh'' or animal life) dissolves into the elements, the middle layer (''ruach'' or intellect) goes to ''Gan Eden'' (Paradise) while the highest level (''neshamah'' or spirit) seeks union with God.
Judaism has always considered "Tikkun Olam" (or Perfecting the world) as a fundamental reason for God's creating the world. Therefore, the concept of "life after death" in the Jewish view, while considered the eventual eternal reward or punishment for all, is not encouraged as the sole motivating factor in performance of Judaism. Indeed it is held that one can attain closeness to God even in this world through moral and spiritual perfection.
Israel chosen for a purpose
God chose the Jewish people to be in a unique covenant with God; the description of this covenant is the
Torah itself. Contrary to popular belief, Jewish people do not simply say that "God chose the Jews." This claim, by itself, exists nowhere in the
Tanakh (the Jewish Bible). Such a claim could imply that God loves only the Jewish people, that only Jews can be close to God, and that only Jews can have a heavenly reward. The actual claim made is that the Jews were chosen for a specific mission, a duty: to be a light unto the nations, and to have a covenant with God as described in the
Torah.
Reconstructionist Judaism rejects also this variant of chosenness as morally defunct.
Rabbi Lord
Immanuel Jakobovits, former Chief Rabbi of the United Synagogue of
Great Britain, describes the mainstream Jewish view on this issue: "Yes, I do believe that the
chosen people concept as affirmed by Judaism in its holy writ, its prayers, and its millennial tradition. In fact, I believe that every people—and indeed, in a more limited way, every individual—is "chosen" or destined for some distinct purpose in advancing the designs of Providence. Only, some fulfill their mission and others do not. Maybe the Greeks were chosen for their unique contributions to art and philosophy, the Romans for their pioneering services in law and government, the British for bringing parliamentary rule into the world, and the Americans for piloting democracy in a pluralistic society. The Jews were chosen by God to be 'peculiar unto Me' as the pioneers of religion and morality; that was and is their national purpose."
More on this topic is available in the entry on
Jewish views of religious pluralism.
The messianic age
There will be a
Jewish Messiah known as ''
Mashiach'', a king who will rule the Jewish people independently and according to Jewish law. The Jewish vision of Messianic times has little to do with the
Christian definition of this term. Jewish views of the Messiah as derived from the
Davidic line, the Messianic era, and the afterlife are discussed in the entry on
Jewish eschatology.
The soul is pure at birth
Humans are born morally pure; Judaism has no concept analogous to
original sin. Judaism affirms that people are born with a ''yetzer ha-tov'' (יצר הטוב), a tendency to do good, and with a ''yetzer hara'' (יצר הרע), a tendency to do evil. Thus, human beings have
free will and can choose the path in life that they will take. The rabbis even recognize a positive value to the ''yetzer ha-ra'': without the ''yetzer ha-ra'' there would be no civilization or other fruits of human labor. The implication is that ''yetzer ha-tov'' and ''yetzer ha-ra'' are best understood not only as moral categories of good and evil but as the inherent conflict within man between selfless and selfish orientations.
Judaism recognizes two classes of "
sin": offenses against other people, and offenses against God. Offenses against God may be understood as violation of a contract (the
covenant between God and the
Children of Israel). (''See
Jewish views of sin''.)
A classical rabbinic work, ''Avoth de-Rabbi Natan'', states: "One time, when Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was walking in
Jerusalem with Rabbi Yehosua, they arrived at where the
Temple in Jerusalem now stood in ruins. "Woe to us," cried Rabbi Yehosua, "for this house where
atonement was made for Israel's sins now lies in ruins!" Answered Rabban Yochanan, "We have another, equally important source of atonement, the practice of ''gemiluth '' (loving kindness), as it is stated: "I desire loving kindness and not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6). Also, the Babylonian
Talmud teaches that "Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Eleazar both explain that as long as the Temple stood, the altar atoned for Israel, but now, one's table atones [when the poor are invited as guests]" (Talmud, tractate Berachoth 55a). Similarly, the liturgy of the Days of Awe (the High Holy Days; i.e.
Rosh HaShanah and
Yom Kippur) states that
prayer,
repentance and ''
tzedakah'' atone for sin.
History and development
A number of formulations of Jewish beliefs have appeared, and there is some dispute over how many basic principles there are. Rabbi
Joseph Albo, for instance, in ''Sefer Ha-Ikkarim'' counts three principles of faith, while
Maimonides lists thirteen. While some later rabbis have attempted to reconcile the differences, claiming that Maimonides' principles are covered by Albo's much shorter list, alternate lists provided by other medieval rabbinic authorities seem to indicate a some level of
tolerance for varying theological perspectives.
No formal text canonized
The prime reason why no one text was formalized as "the" Jewish principles of belief is the lack of an authoritative sanction from a supreme ecclesiastical body. This is why no one formulation of Jewish principles of faith is recognized as universally binding force.
Though to a certain extent incorporated in the
liturgy and utilized for purposes of instruction, these formulations of the cardinal tenets of Judaism carried no greater weight than that imparted to them by the fame and scholarship of their respective authors. None of them had a character analogous to that given in the Church to its three great formulas (the
Apostles' Creed, the
Nicene or Constantinopolitan, and the
Athanasian), or even to the Kalimat As-Shahadat of the
Muslims. None of the many summaries from the pens of Jewish
philosophers and
rabbis has been invested with similar importance.
Gaining converts
Originally, nationality and religion were the same. Birth, not profession, admitted a person to a religio-national fellowship. As long as internal dissention or external attack did not necessitate for purposes of defense the formulation of specific doctrines, the thought of fixing the contents of the religious consciousness did not insinuate itself into the mind of even the most faithful. Missionary or proselytizing religions are driven to the definite declaration of their teachings. The admission of the neophyte hinges upon the profession and the acceptance of his part of the belief, and that there may be no uncertainty about what is essential and what non-essential, it is incumbent on the proper authorities to determine and promulgate the cardinal tenets in a form that will facilitate repetition and memorizing, and the same necessity arises when the Church or religious fellowship is torn by internal heresies. Under the necessity of combatting heresies of various degrees of perilousness and of stubborn insistence, the Church and Islam, were forced to define and officially limit their respective theological concepts.
Both of these provocations to creed-building were less intense in Judaism.
The proselytizing zeal, though during certain periods more active than at others, was neutralized, partly by disinclination and partly by force of circumstances. Righteousness, according to Jewish belief, was not conditioned of the acceptance of the Jewish religion. And the righteous among the nations that carried into practice the seven fundamental laws of the covenant with
Noah and his descendants were declared to be participants in the felicity of the hereafter. This interpretation of the status of non-Jews precluded the development of a missionary attitude. Moreover, the regulations for the reception of proselytes, as developed in course of time, prove the eminently practical, that is, the non-creedal character of Judaism. Compliance with certain rites - immersion in a mikveh (ritual bath), brit milah (circumcision), and the acceptance of the mitzvot (Commandments of Torah) as binding - is the test of the would-be convert's faith. He or she is instructed in the main points of
Jewish law, while the profession of faith demanded is limited to the acknowledgment of the unity of
God and the rejection of idolatry.
Judah ha-Levi (''
Kuzari'' 1:115) puts the whole matter very strikingly when he says:
:We are not putting on an equality with us a person entering our religion through confession alone. We require deeds, including in that term self-restraint, purity, study of the Law, circumcision, and the performance of other duties demanded by the
Torah.
For the preparation of the convert, therefore, no other method of instruction was employed than for the training of one born a Jew. The aim of teaching was to convey a knowledge of
halakha (Jewish law), obedience to which manifested the acceptance of the underlying religious principles; namely, the existence of
God and the holiness of
Israel as the people of God's covenant.
Is dogma inherent in mitzvot?
The controversy whether the practice of
mitzvot in
Judaism is inherently connected to Judaism's dogma, has been discussed by many scholars.
Moses Mendelssohn, in his "Jerusalem," defended the non-dogmatic nature of the practice of Judaism. Rather, he asserted, the dogma and beliefs of Judaism, although revealed by God in Judaism, consist of universal truths applicable to all mankind. Rabbi
Judah Low ben Bezalel (''Maharal''), among others, took the opposite side. Underlying the practice of the Law was assuredly the recognition of certain fundamental principles, he asserted, culminating in the belief in God and revelation, and likewise in the doctrine of divine justice.
The first to make the attempt to formulate Jewish principles of faith was
Philo of
Alexandria. He enumerated five articles: God is and rules; God is one; the world was created by God; Creation is one, and God's providence rules Creation.
Belief in the Oral Law
Many rabbis were drawn into controversies with both Jews and non-Jews, and had to fortify their faith against the attacks of contemporaneous philosophy as well as against rising Christianity. The
Mishnah (Tractate Sanhedrin xi. 1) excludes from the world to come the
Epicureans and those who deny belief in resurrection or in the divine origin of the
Torah.
Rabbi Akiva would also regard as heretical the readers of Sefarim Hetsonim - certain extraneous writings that were not canonized - as well such persons that would heal through whispered formulas of magic. Abba Saul designated as under suspicion of infidelity those that pronounce the ineffable name of God. By implication, the contrary doctrine may be regarded as orthodox. On the other hand, Akiva himself declares that the command to love one's neighbor the fundamental the principle of the Torah; while Ben Asa assigns this distinction to the Biblical verse, "This is the book of the generations of man".
The definition of
Hillel the Elder in his interview with a would-be convert (Talmud, tractate Shabbat 31a), embodies in the golden rule the one fundamental article of faith. A teacher of the
3rd century, Rabbi Simlai, traces the development of Jewish religious principles from
Moses with his
613 mitzvot of prohibition and injunction, through David, who, according to this rabbi, enumerates eleven; through
Isaiah, with six;
Micah, with three; to
Habakkuk who simply but impressively sums up all religious faith in the single phrase, "The pious lives in his faith" (Talmud, Mak., toward end). As Jewish law enjoins that one should prefer death to an act of
idolatry, incest, unchastity, or murder, the inference is plain that the corresponding positive principles were held to be fundamental articles of Judaism.
Belief during the Medieval era
Detailed constructions of articles of faith did not find favor in Judaism before the medieval era, when Jews were forced to defend their faith from both Islamic and Christian inquisitions, disputations and polemics. The necessity of defending their religion against the attacks of other philosophies induced many Jewish leaders to define and formulate their beliefs.
Saadia Gaon's "Emunot ve-Deot" is an exposition of the main tenets of
Judaism. They are listed as : The world was created by God; God is one and incorporeal; belief in
revelation (including the divine origin of tradition; man is called to righteousness and endowed with all necessary qualities of mind and soul to avoid
sin; belief in reward and punishment; the
soul is created pure; after death it leaves the body; belief in
resurrection;
Messianic expectation, retribution, and final judgment.
Judah Halevi endeavored, in his
Kuzari to determine the fundamentals of Judaism on another basis. He rejects all appeal to speculative reason, repudiating the method of the Motekallamin. The miracles and traditions are, in their natural character, both the source and the evidence of the true faith. In this view, speculative reason is considered fallible due to the inherent impossibility of objectivity in investigations with moral implications.
Maimonides' 13 principles of faith
Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, better known as
Maimonides or "The Rambam" (1135-1204 CE), lived at a time when both Christianity and Islam were developing active theologies. Jewish scholars were often asked to attest to their faith by their counterparts in other religions. The Rambam's 13 principles of faith were formulated in his commentary on the
Mishnah (tractace Sanhedrin, chapter 10). They were one of several efforts by Jewish theologians in the Middle Ages to create such a list. By the time of Maimonides, centers of Jewish learning and law were dispersed geographically. Judaism no longer had a central authority that might bestow official approval on his principles of faith.
Maimonides' 13 principles were controversial when first proposed, evoking criticism by
Crescas and
Joseph Albo. They evoked criticism as minimizing acceptance of the entire Torah (Rabbi S. of Montpelier, Yad Rama, Y. Alfacher, Rosh Amanah). The 13 principles were ignored by much of the Jewish community for the next few centuries. (''Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought'',
Menachem Kellner). Over time two poetic restatements of these principles (''Ani Ma'amin'' and ''Yigdal'') became canonized in the
Jewish prayerbook. Eventually, Maimonides' 13 principles of faith became the mostly widely accepted statement of belief.
# I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, is the Creator and Guide of everything that has been created; He alone has made, does make, and will make all things.
# I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, is One, and that there is no unity in any manner like His, and that He alone is our God, who was, and is, and will be.
# I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, is not a body, and that He is free from all the properties of matter, and that there can be no (physical) comparison to Him whatsoever.
# I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, is the first and the last.
# I believe with perfect faith that to the Creator, blessed be His Name, and to Him alone, it is right to pray, and that it is not right to pray to any being besides Him.
# I believe with perfect faith that all the words of the prophets are true.
# I believe with perfect faith that the prophecy of Moses, our teacher, peace be upon him, was true, and that he was the chief of the prophets, both of those who preceded him and of those who followed him.
# I believe with perfect faith that the entire Torah that is now in our possession is the same that was given to Moses, our teacher, peace be upon him.
# I believe with perfect faith that this Torah will not be exchanged, and that there will never be any other Torah from the Creator, blessed be His name.
# I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His name, knows all the deeds of human beings, and all their thoughts, as it says: "Who fashioned the hearts of them all, Who comprehends all their actions." (
Psalms 33:15)
# I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, rewards those that keep His commandments and punishes those that transgress them.
# I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah; and even though he may tarry, nonetheless I wait every day for his coming.
# I believe with perfect faith that there will be a revival of the dead at the time when it shall please the Creator, blessed be His name, and His mention shall be exalted for ever and ever.
Importantly, Maimonides, while enumerating the above, added the following caveat "There is no difference between [the Biblical statement] 'his wife was Mehithabel' [Genesis 10,6] on the one hand [i.e. an "unimportant" verse], and 'Hear, O Israel' on the other [i.e. an "important" verse]... anyone who denies even such verses thereby denies God and shows contempt for his teachings more than any other skeptic, because he holds that the Torah can be divided into essential and non-essential parts..." The uniqueness of the thirteen fundamental beliefs was that even a rejection out of ignorance placed one outside Judaism, whereas the rejection of the rest of Torah must be a conscious act to stamp one as an unbeliever. Others, such as Rabbi Joseph Albo and the Raavad, criticized Maimonides' list as containing items that, while true, in their opinion did not place those who rejected them out of ignorance in the category of heretic. Many others criticized any such formulation as minimizing acceptance of the entire Torah (see above). As noted however, neither Maimonides nor his contemporaries viewed these principles as encompassing all of Jewish belief, but rather as the core theological underpinnings of the acceptance of Judaism.
Several Orthodox scholars write that the popular Orthodox understanding of these principles are not at all what Maimonides held to be true. See books noted below by Marc Shapiro and Menachem Kellner.
In the last two centuries, some segments of the Orthodox Jewish community have demanded acceptance of Maimonides' principles. Others have rejected this view, stressing the centrality of deeds, of performance of commandments, as the basis of normative Judaism.
Principles of faith after Maimonides
The successors of
Maimonides, from the thirteenth to the fifteeneth century —
Nahmanides,
Abba Mari ben Moses,
Simon ben Zemah Duran,
Joseph Albo,
Isaac Arama, and
Joseph Jaabez — narrowed his thirteen articles to three core beliefs: Belief in God; in Creation (or revelation); and in
providence (or retribution).
Others, like Crescas and David ben Samuel Estella, spoke of seven fundamental articles, laying stress on free-will. On the other hand, David ben Yom-Tob ibn Bilia, in his "Yesodot ha- Maskil" (Fundamentals of the Thinking Man), adds to the thirteen of Maimonides thirteen of his own — a number which a contemporary of Albo also chose for his fundamentals; while Jedaiah Penini, in the last chapter of his "Behinat ha-Dat," enumerated no less than thirty-five cardinal principles.
In the fourteenth century
Asher ben Jehiel of Toledo raised his voice against the Maimonidean articles of faith, declaring them to be only temporary, and suggested that another be added to recognize that the Exile is a punishment for the sins of Israel. Isaac Abravanel, his "Rosh Amanah," took the same attitude towards Maimonides' creed. While defending Maimonides against Hasdai and Albo, he refused to accept dogmatic articles for Judaism, criticizing any formulation as minimizing acceptance of all
613 mitzvot.
The Enlightenment
In the late
18th century Europe was swept by a group of intellectual, social and political movements, together known as
The Enlightenment. These movements promoted scientific thinking, free thought, and allowed people to question previously unshaken religious dogmas. Like Christianity, Judaism developed several responses to this unprecedented phenomenon. One response saw the enlightenment as positive, while another saw it as negative. The enlightenment meant equality and freedom for many Jews in many countries, so it was felt that it should be warmly welcomed.
Scientific study of religious texts would allow people to study the history of Judaism. Some Jews felt that Judaism should accept modern secular thought and change in response to these ideas. Others, however, believed that the divine nature of Judaism precluded changing any fundamental beliefs.
Those denominations accepting outside influence on the practice of Judaism are known as
Conservative and
Reform Judaism. The Jews who did not accept any fundamental changes in rabbinic Judaism became known as
Orthodox. The entry on
Relationships between Jewish religious movements discusses in more detail how and why the enlightenment led to the development of the modern Jewish denominations.
Holocaust theology
Because of the magnitude of
the Holocaust, many people have re-examined the classical theological views on God's goodness and actions in the world. Some question whether people can still have any faith after the Holocaust. Some theological responses to these questions are explored in
Holocaust theology.
Principles of faith in Modern Judaism
Dogma in Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism considers itself to be in direct continuity with historical rabbinic Judaism. Therefore, as above, it accepts philosophic speculation and statements of dogma only to the extent that they exist within, and are compatible with, the system of written and oral Torah.
Due to this, there is no one official statement of principles. Rather, all formulations by accepted early Torah leaders are considered to have possible validity. Additionally, as a matter of practice Orthodox Judaism lays stress on the performance of the actual commandments. Dogma is considered to be the self-understood underpinning of the practice of the Mitzvot.
Dogma in Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism developed in Europe and the United States in the late 1800s, as Jews reacted to the changes brought about by the enlightenment and emancipation. In many ways it was a reaction to what were seen as the excesses of the
Reform movement. For much of the movement's history, Conservative Judaism deliberately avoided publishing systematic explications of theology and belief; this was a conscious attempt to hold together a wide coalition. This concern became a non-issue after the left-wing of the movement seceded in 1968 to form the Reconstructionist movement, and after the right-wing seceded in 1985 to form the Union for Traditional Judaism.
In 1988, the Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism finally issued an official statement of belief, "Emet Ve-Emunah: Statement of Principles of Conservative Judaism". It noted that a Jew must hold certain beliefs. However, the Conservative rabbinate also notes that the Jewish community never developed any one binding
catechism. Thus, Emet Ve-Emunah affirms belief in God and in God's revelation of Torah to the Jews; however it also affirms the legitimacy of multiple interpretations of these issues. Atheism, Trinitarian views of God, and polytheism are all ruled out. All forms of relativism, and also of literalism and
fundamentalism are also rejected. It teaches that
Jewish law is both still valid and indispensable, but also holds to a more open and flexible view of how law has and should develop than the Orthodox view.
Dogma in Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism has had a number of official platforms, but in contrast to rabbinic Judaism, rejects the view that Jews must have any specific beliefs. The first Reform Jewish platform was the 1885 Declaration of Principles, the Pittsburgh Platform. The next platform was in 1937, "The Guiding Principles of Reform Judaism". The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) rewrote its principles in 1976 with its "Centenary Perspective" and rewrote them again in the 1999 "A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism" (3 pages). While original drafts of the 1999 statement called for Reform Jews to consider re-adopting some traditional practices on a voluntary basis, later drafts removed most of these suggestions. The final version is thus similar to the 1976 statement. According to CCAR, personal autonomy still has precedence over these platforms; lay people need not accept all, or even any, of the beliefs stated in these platforms.
Reform
Rabbi W.
Gunther Plaut writes "there is no such thing as a Jewish theological principle, policy, or doctrine." This is because Reform Judaism affirms "the fundamental principle of Liberalism: that the individual will approach this body of mitzvot and minhagim in the spirit of freedom and choice. Traditionally Israel started with harut, the commandment engraved upon the Tablets, which then became freedom. The Reform Jew starts with herut, the freedom to decide what will be harut - engraved upon the personal Tablets of his life." [Bernard Martin, Ed., Contemporary Reform Jewish Thought, Quadrangle Books 1968.]
Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) President Rabbi Simeon J. Maslin wrote a pamphlet about Reform Judaism, entitled "What We Believe...What We Do...". It states that "if anyone were to attempt to answer these two questions authoritatively for all Reform Jews, that person's answers would have to be false. Why? Because one of the guiding principles of Reform Judaism is the autonomy of the individual. A Reform Jew has the right to decide whether to subscribe to this particular belief or to that particular practice."
Dogma in Reconstructionist Judaism
Reconstructionist Judaism is an American denomination that has a naturalist theology; this theology is a variant of the naturalism of
John Dewey. Dewey's naturalism combined atheist beliefs with religious terminology in order to construct a religiously satisfying philosophy for those who had lost faith in traditional religion. Reconstructionism denies that
God is either personal or supernatural. Rather, God is said to be the sum of all natural processes that allow man to become self-fulfilled. Rabbi
Mordecai Kaplan wrote that "to believe in God means to take for granted that it is man's destiny to rise above the brute and to eliminate all forms of violence and exploitation from human society."
Most Reconstructionist Jews reject theism, and instead define themselves as naturalists or humanists. These views have been criticized on the grounds that they are actually atheism, which has only been made palatable to Jews by rewriting the dictionary. A significant minority of Reconstructionists have refused to accept Kaplan's theology, and instead affirm a theistic view of God.
As in Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism holds that personal autonomy has precedence over Jewish law and theology. It does not ask that its adherents hold to any particular beliefs, nor does it ask that
halakha be accepted as normative. In 1986, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA) and the Federation of Reconstructionist Congregations (FRC) passed the official "Platform on Reconstructionism" (2 pages). It is not a mandatory statement of principles, but rather a consensus of current beliefs. [FRC Newsletter, Sept. 1986, pages D, E.] Major points of the platform state that:
★ Judaism is the result of natural human development. There is no such thing as divine intervention.
★ Judaism is an evolving religious civilization.
★ Zionism and aliyah (immigration to
Israel) are encouraged.
★ The laity can make decisions, not just rabbis.
★ The Torah was not inspired by God; it only comes from the social and historical development of Jewish people.
★ All classical views of God are rejected. God is redefined as the sum of natural powers or processes that allows mankind to gain self-fulfillment and moral improvement.
★ The idea that God
chose the Jewish people for any purpose, in any way, is "morally untenable", because anyone who has such beliefs "implies the superiority of the elect community and the rejection of others". This puts Reconstructionist Jews at odds with all other Jews, as it seems to accuse all other Jews of being racist. Jews outside of the Reconstructionist movement strenuously reject this charge.
References
★ Blech, Benjamin '''Understanding Judaism': The Basics of Deed and Creed''
Jason Aronson; 1992, ISBN 0-87668-291-3.
★
Boteach, Shmuel ''Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge: Basic Concepts of Hasidic Thought'' Jason Aronson; 1995. Paperback. ISBN 0-87668-557-2
★ Dorff, Elliot N. and Louis E. Newman (eds.) ''Contemporary Jewish Theology: A Reader'' Oxford Univ Press; 1998. ISBN 0-19-511467-1.
★ Dorff, Elliot N. ''Conservative Judaism: Our Ancestors to Our Descendants'' (Revised edition) United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, 1996
★ ''Platform on Reconstructionism'' FRC Newsletter, Sept. 1986
★ Fox, Marvin ''Interpreting Maimonides'', Univ. of Chicago Press. 1990
★ Robert Gordis (Ed.) ''Emet Ve-Emunah: Statement of Principles of Conservative Judaism'' JTS, Rabbinical Assembly, and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, 1988
★
Julius Guttmann, ''Philosophies of Judaism'' Translated by David Silverman, JPS, 1964
★ ''Maimonides' Principles: The Fundamentals of Jewish Faith'', in "The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology, Volume I", Mesorah Publications 1994
★
Kaplan, Mordecai M. ''Judaism as a Civilization'' Reconstructionist Press, New York. 1935.
Jewish Publication Society; 1994
★ ''Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought'', Menachem Kellner, Oxford University Press, 1986
★ Maslin, Simeon J., Melvin Merians and Alexander M. Schindler, ''What We Believe...What We Do...: A Pocket Guide for Reform Jews'' UAHC Press, 1998
★ ''Maimonides Thirteen Principles: The Last Word in Jewish Theology?'' Marc. B. Shapiro, ''The Torah U-Maddah Journal'', Vol. 4, 1993, Yeshiva University
★ Shapiro, Marc ''The Limits of Orthodox Theology: Maimonidies' Thirteen Principles Reappraised'' The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization; 2004, ISBN 1-874774-90-0.
External links
★
What We Believe - Essays on the fundamental principles of faith from
Chabad.org
★
Rambam In Russian - Fundamental principles of Jewish faith in Russian
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