Knowing God
Contemporary Jews often find meaning in Judaism's family and communal orientation, its beautiful rituals, its enriching culture, its sense of ethnic rootedness, and its moral values. For the classical Jewish tradition, however, all of these features of Judaism depend on a belief in God. Since many modern Jews do not know what to make of that belief, it is often ignored. They may be inspired by Judaism's high regard for education and its passion for justice, but their belief in God rests on...
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Contemporary Jews often find meaning in Judaism's family and communal orientation, its beautiful rituals, its enriching culture, its sense of ethnic rootedness, and its moral values. For the classical Jewish tradition, however, all of these features of Judaism depend on a belief in God. Since many modern Jews do not know what to make of that belief, it is often ignored. They may be inspired by Judaism's high regard for education and its passion for justice, but their belief in God rests on childhood images of the Almighty. They are often embarrassed and uneasy, for they sense that their attachment to Judaism may be based upon intellectual quicksand. Motivated by just such feelings, Rabbi Elliot Dorff probes what we as adults can know about God through human reason, human and Divine words, and human and Divine action. Without assuming a background in philosophy, he skillfully takes us through some of the major philosophical options and conundrums in using each of these sources of knowledge about God and the images of God that result. With remarkable clarity and inspiring honesty, Rabbi Dorff's exploration results in a vibrant Jewish faith, one that takes due regard for both the emotional and intellectual sides of our being. Dorff's own personal quest, artfully woven throughout this spiritually uplifting volume, aids the reader to make his or her own Judaism emotionally satisfying and intellectually sound. The result is a Judaism that can be for the modern reader what it is for the author: the product of a love of God _with all one's heart, with all one's soul, and with all one's might._
PrefaceAcknowledgment1A Personal Quest1Seeking an Honest, Integrated FaithThe Traditional StanceThe Modern Reality of Jewish BeliefMy Own Growth into Religious BeliefEpistemological MooringsGod in Contemplation versus God in Action and Prayer2Using Reason to Know God17Knowing God as One Knows an ObjectDiscerning Patterns in Experience: Knowledge through Nonhypothetical DiscoveryAppropriate Methods to Know a Personal God3Knowing God through Human Action43Methodology: How Action Affords Theological KnowledgeContent: Two Examples of What We Learn of God through Action - Duties to Parents and Observance of the SabbathThe Role of Law in Effectuating PrinciplesThe Truth Value and Wisdom of These Theological Claims4Knowing God through Words of the Divine: Revelation91Understanding RevelationExperiencing Revelation5Knowing God through Divine Action129The Related Problem of EvilFusing Conceptions of GodDifferentiating the Two Definitions of GodGod's Justice and GoodnessTruth at the Price of Consistency and Fantasy6Knowing God through Human Words: Prayer149Experiencing God through PrayerThe Philosophical Problems and Promise of Prayer7Our Images of God209Anthropomorphism as a Form of IdolatryImages, Creeds, and SymbolsThe Functions of Images in WorshipHow Images MeanThe Truth of ImagesThe Authority of ImagesA Sample Case: Feminine Images for GodGood and Bad ImagesEpilogue249Endnotes253Index289
