Ask The Rabbi

Ask The Rabbi

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Who is G-d and what does He want from me?

People around here think God is a man. I hear you’s are the only one’s who actually believe in God. I also read it’s incredibly hard to join a Jewish community. Any tips for living as a gentile?



Who is G-d and what does He want from me?

Shalom and thank you for your question. I did not understand exactly what you meant by the statement that we (Jews) are the only ones who believe in G-d, but it is true that our belief is different from many other kinds of belief.


Jews do not believe in any kind of partnership for G-d. The main ‘logo’, if you will, of Judaism, is the ‘Shema Yisroel’ prayer, which is perhaps the most well-known of all Jewish prayers. (Deuteronomy 6:4) “Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d the L-rd is One.” Commentaries of the Oral Law and of Kabbalistic teaching – the inner dimension of Judaism, explain that this unity means not only that “There are no other G-ds”, but that the entire world,  universe, cosmos…is all a part of G-d. It is the external expression of His Divine Will and Wisdom. G-d created and recreates the world constantly in order to “have a dwelling place” here as the Sages of the Talmud teach us. Since everything comes from G-d- He is above any definition of male or female. The reason G-d is referred to as He is just for general purposes. In Hebrew, the language of the Bible, the Divine Presence is a feminine term. Different aspects of G-d manifest in different ways and thus have different names. All humanity and the rest of creation are only a part of G-d, who is not defined or limited by any gender.


The Midrash – part of the Oral Law handed down through the generations since Moses received it from G-d, teaches that the Patrarch Abraham discovered the Creator at the age of three. He had been hidden in a cave because the astrologers of King Nimrod had predicted that a child would be born who would challenge the belief of the people in the King as a deity. Nimrod thus had baby boys who were born at that point put to death, but Abraham’s father, being a member of the court, knew early enough about the decree in order to save Abraham by hiding him. His mother looked after him and perhaps even stayed with him in the cave. At the age of three he emerged and saw the wondrous sun by day and thought that it must be the Creator. When the sun set and was replaced by the moon, Abraham thought that the moon must be the Creator. When the cycle repeated itself Abraham realized that neither the sun, the moon, nor the wind or the river, were G-d. In fact, he realized, G-d created everything. Monotheism was born, and Abraham then began to teach people to acknowledge and to believe in the One true G-d.


The second part of your question relates to how you can serve G-d as a gentile.


The Bible relates that when Noah left the ark, G-d gave him seven special laws for himself, his family, and all of mankind. The Seven Noahide Laws include not taking G-d’s Name in vain, (not blaspheming or cursing G-d, not using the name of G-d needlessly as an expression of speech…) not committing idolatry or adultery, not eating a part of an animal which is not completely dead, not committing incest, and setting up courts of justice. There are are more parts of these laws and i cannot detail them here, but you can look them up on Chabad.org.


These laws provide a basic structure of morality, and for someone like you who is sincerely looking for that, it’s the way to go!


Wishing you much success materially and spiritually. When everyone seeks the best way to live and serve G-d, as you are doing, the aim of Creation will be fulfilled and the true and complete Redemption will arrive!


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