How Do I Know There’s a God?

Question

Hi Rabbi,

How do I know there is a God?

Thanks!

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    I personally find the strongest proof that there is one God who created the world, took the Jewish People out of Egyptian slavery and gave us the Torah at Mt. Sinai to be the proof from Maimonides. Look at the way in which the Torah was given to an entire nation “in person” (see Deuteronomy 5:4) – a Torah which teaches about the Creation along with everything necessary for life in this world and the next.

    The “Sinai experience” has been passed down to us from parent to child, from generation to generation. It is the same history and teachings that are transmitted yearly at the Passover Seder, and daily in Torah study halls throughout the world. This is the testimony of an entire people to the truth that they experienced thousands of years ago, that there is one God who created the world, people, gave us the Torah and is eternal.

    In any event, I cannot bring all the evidence in one limited essay. I suggest you read the following book: “Living Up to the Truth” by Rabbi D. Gottlieb (downloadable for free from the Ohr Somayach website www.ohr.edu. I also recommend that you read “Permission to Believe” by Lawrence Keleman and “Permission to Receive” by the same author.

    I also think that you might enjoy reading one of the classic books of Jewish philosophy called “The Kuzari” which is a book written almost a thousand years ago by Rabbi Yehudah HaLevy in the form of a dialogue between a Rabbi and a Gentile king. It is a theological debate between a Greek philosopher, a Christian, a Muslim and, finally, a Jew. It is truly fascinating! There is an excellent new translation (with footnotes) by Feldheim Press that should be easily available online.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team