Key Idea: Judaism has few formal statements of belief, because the emphasis is on obedience to the Torah rather than subscribing to a set of beliefs — yet key beliefs are important. Both halves. Quoting only the first makes Judaism look indifferent to doctrine, which it is not.
Tested as
- Statements of belief, and the importance of creeds
- Eschatology and the Messianic Age
- Authority: which mitzvot bind, and who decides
Watch for
- Concluding that beliefs do not matter in Judaism
- Presenting election as a claim of superiority
- Supplying a theological resolution to the Holocaust question
Use
- Shema, Maimonides' thirteen principles, the Yigdal
- Olam Ha-Ba, Mashiach, tikkun olam
- Kedushah, teshuvah, Shekhinah
| Belief | What the guide says |
|---|---|
| Oneness of God | Expressed in the Shema — Deuteronomy 6: 4–9; 11: 13–21; Numbers 15: 37–41 |
| Holiness and election | God's holiness, and his choosing the children of Israel to be a holy people, keeping the covenant by obeying the Torah |
| Love and justice | The love of God and the human response; the justice of God as King and Creator |
| Creation | Jews hold God to be the sole creator, giving free will and requiring cooperation for a world of peace and justice |
| Eschatology | Olam Ha-Ba, a fundamentally new age after the Messianic Age; Orthodox Jews expect an individual Mashiach, a human being anointed by God |
| A creed of a kind | Maimonides' thirteen principles, expressed in the Yigdal in the synagogue service |
Important: The guide lists it under statements of belief as a challenge — "challenges to this faith posed by the death of six million Jews in the Holocaust". So it belongs in an answer as a question Jewish thinkers put to their own tradition about the justice of God, the covenant and election. Jewish responses differ profoundly. Report the question, report that the responses differ, and supply no resolution.
Discuss the Jewish belief in the election of Israel.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Examine the relationship between free will and God's purposes in Jewish teaching.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Why does Judaism have few formal statements of belief? Because the emphasis is on obedience to the Torah rather than subscribing to a set of beliefs. The guide immediately adds that key beliefs are nonetheless important.
What is Olam Ha-Ba? A fundamentally new age, coming after the Messianic Age of peace and justice. Judaism emphasizes observance in this life rather than elaborating the hereafter.
What do Orthodox Jews believe about the Mashiach? That an individual Messiah, a human being anointed by God, will usher in the Messianic Age — human rather than divine, which distinguishes it from Christian usage.
What is tikkun olam? The reparation of the universe — listed by the guide under cosmology, because on Jewish teaching the world is unfinished and human cooperation completes it.
Exam tips
- Quote both halves: few formal statements, yet key beliefs are important.
- Election means obligation and vocation. Conversion being discouraged is the evidence.
- The Yigdal sings a creed weekly. It complicates the headline, and few candidates have it.
- On the Holocaust, report the question and that Jewish answers differ. Supply none.