"What Do Jews Believe?"

Paper Summary:

This paper explores the abiding elements of Jewish belief, including the origins of the major ethical, ritual and theological aspects of Judaism, as described in David Ariel's book "What Do Jews Believe?" This paper discusses how various Jewish sects have vigorously searched for a better understanding of God as well as the influence of Kabbalah in Judaism. This paper also examines the differences between orthodox, Hassidic and conservative Judaism.

From the Paper:

"It is intriguing how the various Jewish sects vigorously have searched, with their intellects and their souls, for a better understanding of God. The difficult question Ariel tackles is the seeming duality of God's nature, His nearness and distance from the world and humanity or "(His)transcendence and immanence." In rabbinic Judaism, God is regarded as "different from and above the world, on one hand, and closely involved and concerned with the world and its inhabitants, on the other. This paradoxical information of God's simultaneous transcendence and immanence is central to understanding rabbinic conception of God." The rabbis believe that they as "designated disciples" are able to be the interpreters of the divine."

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