In this week’s Torah reading we have the verse that may be the closest that Judaism comes to articulating a creed. Synagogue goers know this verse and the paragraph that follows as “The Shema”. It is recited in our evening and our morning prayers.
“Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is One”. (Deuteronomy 6:4).
“Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad“
A recent Harris poll asked Americans if they were absolutely certain that G-d exists. 76% of Protestants and 64% of Catholics replied that they were certain of G-d’s existence. 93% of Protestant evangelicals replied that they were absolutely certain that God exists. But among the Jews in this nationwide survey, only 30% replied that they were absolutely certain that God exists!
American Rabbi, Harold Shulweis of blessed memory, (z”l) divided the Jewish world into three parts. Rabbi Shulweis said that they prayed in different ways.
The traditional Jew prays “Shma Yisrael Adonai Elohenu Adonai Ehad.”
The atheist prays: “Shma Yisrael I deny Eloheinu I deny Ehad.”
The agnostic recites: “Shma Yisrael I dunno Eloheinu I dunno Ehad.”
The fact that 30% of Jews say that they have an absolute certainty that there is a God, begs another question — what is it that people mean when they say “God”? Rabbi Neil Gillman z”l of the Jewish Theological Seminary once said, “When someone says they cannot believe in God, I ask them to describe the God that they cannot believe in. Most of the time I can’t believe in that God either.” Perhaps more people would believe in the certainty of God if they could describe a God they actually could believe in.
How would YOU describe a God you can believe in?
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Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph 
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