The word “emunah” is a Hebrew word which is commonly translated into English as belief or faith. It’s important to note that Judaism however does not preach either, and yet Emunah is a foundational and very core mitzva right from the Torah, and is always the first Mitzva mentioned any list.
So if Judaism isn’t about belief or faith, then what is emunah, really?
Well the reason why emunah is hard to define and is mistranslated is because there isn’t really a word with the same meaning in English. Emunah is a nuanced concept and I’m here to explain it now.
And by answering the question ‘what is emunah?’ the purpose of this blog will also be explained since this blog is on emunah.
The kind of life that each individual lives is one that is a product of the choices that they make. These choices, whether the individual realises it or not are driven by a worldview. This worldview is shaped by ones knowledge and understanding of the world and how it works.
Well, emunah is when you know how the world works according to Judaism.
But emunah isn’t just the Jewish understanding of how the world works, it’s also the life that you live based on that understanding. It’s not enough to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk.
Note that emunah isn’t itself the worldview, that belongs to the Hebrew word hashkafa. The difference between them is that emunah is solid and factual and hashkafa is more philosophical and abstract. Emunah is really the core a Jewish life while hashkafa are the more particular, personalised details.
But here’s the thing about Emunah, you can’t live it if you don’t understand it. Like for example, a foundation of emunah is God has certain exceptions of us which he outlined through the mitzvot. If one says that they know that god is here for us, but that he doesn’t really mind if we all start stealing from each other, well now your god isn’t of the God of Judaism anymore, and the life that you live based on that is outside the scope of emunah.
The above example was very rudimentary, but the point is is that you can’t have emunah if you don’t know what Judaism says, and that’s what this blog is about.
I’ve heard it said that certain Rabbis try to engage secular Jews into intellectual conversation in such a manner:
“I don’t believe in God”
“What? You’re an orthodox Rabbi, how can you say you don’t believe in God”
“The same God that you say you don’t believe in, I don’t believe in him either”
A secular Jew isn’t in a position to reject Judaism if they don’t even know what they’re rejecting, and a Jew with some level of emunah still very much owes it to themselves to study emunah on a regular basis to make sure they are really serving God the way God intended, and this blog is for people in both of those camps