The Jewish Approach to God: A Brief Introduction for Christians

by Neil Gillman

A window into the Jewish understanding of God throughout history and today―written especially for Christians. In Jewish Scripture―Christianity's foundation―God's presence is in nature, in history and in the range of human experience. Yet the Torah, Maimonides and 4,000 years of Jewish tradition all agree on one that God is beyond any form of human comprehension. How, then can Judaism be so crowded with descriptions and images of God? And what can they mean to the ways Christians understand their own faith? In this special book, Rabbi Neil Gillman guides you through these questions and the countless different ways the Jewish people have related to God, how each originated and what each may mean for you. Whether you are Christian, Muslim or even Jewish, this nuts-and-bolts introduction will both answer your questions―and stimulate new ones. A theologian who writes as a great teacher, Gillman addresses the key concepts at the heart of Judaism's approach to God. From Ein Sof (Infinity) to Shekhinah (Presence), Gillman helps you understand what the search for knowing God itself says about Jewish tradition and how you can use the fundamentals of Judaism to strengthen, explore and deepen your own spiritual foundations.

Genres: Religion, Judaism, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book that expounds a very liberal Jewish viewpoint. In this liberal Jewish view, Torah, or the Bible, is not the literal "word" of God, but rather the human understanding of God, written by our ancestors in a metaphorical form.

I was raised in the Reform Jewish religion, then, as an adult, became a born-again Christian so I went from a very liberal concept about God and religion to a very conservative view. In the past few years, I have been studying the Jewish religion and have come to appreciate many things about it that I did not learn while growing up in it.

One interesting statement from this book is the author's interpretation of the verse from the Shema - the phrase "On that day, the Lord will be One and His name shall be One". According to the author, "On that day", refers to the end of days, the age of the Messiah, and for the Lord to be One and His name to be One means that the entire world will acknowledge God.

I also found it interesting that the author refers to Jonah as the only successful prophet in the Bible. I had not thought of it that way before.

The author shares that in the Jewish religion, the Bible is not the final authority on doctrine, but rather tradition plays a large part as well. Judaism does not have creeds and no one has the final word - everything can be argued. When I left the Jewish religion years ago, that was one thing that I disliked about it. I felt that it made the religion pointless if there was not an "answer", and everything could be argued. I was thrilled, as a born again Christian to find that Christ is the answer to everything. Now, I am also appreciating the more Jewish view that God's ways are not our ways and we really cannot truely understand Him and, in my opinion, those who claim to know the exact answers and truth are, many times, deluded or deceived.

The author states that "Judaism is the only religion in which study is equivalent to worship." He shares that ha-satan, refered to in Job, means the satan, not "Satan" as a proper name and that the Jewish view of the satan is not the same as the Christian view in that in the Jewish view, the satan does not act independantly from God, but rather co-operates with God.

I find Gillman's understanding of what it means for Jews to be the "chosen people" refreshingly different. He explains that just as we might chose an apple from a bowl of mixed fruit , that does not mean that we might not chose a pear another day nor does it imply that the apple is superior to the pear and all of the other fruit. He states that "the doctrine of Israel as God's chosen people is Israel's self-perception, not God's own perception of Israel. No human being knows objectively what God wants, feels, or does. God transcends human understanding."

Rabbi Gillman presents the liberal Jewish view that the Bible is man's word, man's understanding of God and the world. He shows how some Christian viwes are based on those of the Jewish religion and how some Jewish beliefs are influenced from the Greek philosophy that also influences the Christian religion. For example, the concept of an immortal soul, which is one concept that some Jews believe, originated in Greek philosophy.

This is an interesting and insightful book.

[Jazzmin Vise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being raised as a Christian and questioning faith and religion in my teen and adult years, I never explored the world of Judaism. I liked a lot that the book explored a lot of different views and opinions from different rabbi and explored how influential religious figures have related to God. I also liked that the book explored different views of how Jews relate to Christianity and the story of Jesus. This book has really helped me connect with my faith in a higher power and made me realize that my religious views do more closely approach Judaism than Christianity. I also enjoyed how the book explains the line between culture and religion, because being Jewish isn’t just a religion, it’s a people. Overall, if you’re someone looking for a new viewpoint in how humans connect with God and the idea of God in different ways, it’s worth a read.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabbi Gillman personally did me a great service in writing this book. It definitely opened my eyes to certain perspectives of Scripture I had not previously thought of. I simply adore that. "The Jewish Approach" left me wanting to read more and study more. Most important, it made me realize it was okay to bring more of my emotional spectrum to Scripture. I mean to say, it is not only okay but desired to bring more of yourself than just logic when reading the Word. For me, that is important as I was part of a group who applied stern, uncaring logic to the Reading. Scripture says what it says and that's it. Rabbi Gillman makes the oh-so-important point that I, as a created being, CAN question God. I have a responsibility to. I can challenge Him. I may not be right in so doing, but God cares enough about us to allow us to grow in the fullest sense of the word, not as slaves but as intelligent beings. For me, this was shocking. Not many books I want to reread so soon after finishing but this is one of those books. Thank you, Rabbi Gillman. Thank you.

[Lis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I left this short book with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I did get a sense by the very end of what Gillman means by the differences between the Jewish and Christian (and occasionally Islamic) conceptions of god. He even backed it up with a lot of citations from both the primary texts and rabbinical and theological commentary. But the experience of reading it was vapid in a way I can't describe well but seen in chapter titles like GOD IS NICE followed by GOD IS NOT NICE, SOMETIMES. The author couldn't figure out if he was writing for a general reader, in which case (as other reviews state) there are some dry and somewhat impenetrable passages, or for someone with a more scholarly background unfamiliar with the more detailed aspects of the Jewish approach. Ultimately he tries for both and does neither well. I recommend if you're interested in the subject but only if you're prepared for the multiple personality feel of the text.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot, both about Jewish culture and about Christianity, by comparison. I would say this was a reform work, rather than Hassidic or Orthodox. My brother -in-law is Jewish, and it gave me a fresh perspective.

[Kelley]

Was dry and thick. Didn't get super far into the text. May attempt again at a later date.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book. From me it elicits various points of thought which are sincerely helpful when considering religion and/or spirituality.