Is there one God or two?

Posted on Feb 14, 2015 | 0 comments

Question submitted to “Ask the Rabbi” by:

Name: Thomas Reinhold

City: WinterHaven, Florida

Full Question:

“I am seeking the original writing of the word of God. I believe there is one God – the God of Abraham, Jacob and Issaac, but  what most preachers teach is that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one.
Help me to understand so I may be bold when I speak the word of God.
Thank you.”

Rabbi Tully Bryks responds:

According to the most basic principles of Jewish faith, there is only one G-d. So when it comes to challenges like suffering, we cannot escape the question of “why do bad things happen to good people” by simply blaming it on nature or on the devil. That would imply that there is more than one power or deity competing for control. Judaism cannot accept a duality of powers or a trinity. And while we do acknowledge the existence of a devil (referred to as the Satan),  Kabbalisitc sources explain that the Satan is merely a servant of G-d, carrying out the bidding of the one and only, all-powerful, all-knowing and infinite G-d. For instance, in His infinite wisdom, G-d will sometimes see a need to send a challenge our way and He will sometimes appoint the Satan as His trusted emissary to carry out these types of missions.

At the same time, understanding the “word of G-d” is not a simple task. In order to understand the written texts of the Torah, which contain the actual words of G-d, we need to access the elucidations, instructions and details that G-d provided. These essential components are contained in thousands of volumes of works. Like any other quest for knowledge, you may want to start at the beginning. One such option would be the Artscroll Stone Edition of the Chumash, which contains the original text of the Torah as given at Mount Sinai, a lucid translation plus a basic commentary to help bring the text to life.

May you find the direction and the inspiration you are looking for!