RSS
The Quest to Understand God Is the True Journey of Religion
“I am Ad’nai, your God, who took you out of Egypt” (Exodus 20:2).
One of the most difficult subjects to write about is God. There are seven different names for God in the Torah, and some people like to cite this as evidence that the early Israelites worshiped several gods. But it is just as possible to explain this by saying that God is multifaceted, and that we can relate to God, or God can engage with us, on a personal, national, or universal level.
As the great scholar Umberto Cassuto said, God has a generic name and a person-specific one. But whenever you ask people to explain what they mean by God, you will find that no two people can come up with the same description of what they believe. Belief is such a very hard term to define.
Thanks to Maimonides, the idea of “believing in God” has become deeply embedded in Jewish religious life. But what do we mean by belief?
The Hebrew word emuna means to agree; be certain about something; or to trust. A nurse is an a’omenet –someone you trust to look after your children. When Moses’ hands got tired during the battle of Amalek, Aron and Chur held them up. As we learned last week, the Torah says that his hands were emuna, strong until the sunset when the battle was won. It is a conviction. It is not a rational, theological proposition, but a question of faith.
This makes sense. You can command somebody to do something, to keep the Shabbat, honor your parents. But how do you command somebody to believe in God?
Belief is not an action. It is a thought process, and we know how difficult it is sometimes to control our thoughts.
Significantly, the first of the Ten Principles (העשרת הדיברות) does not say “You must, or you are commanded to believe in God.” The Hebrew words that are used are simply, “I am the Lord your God.” This is a statement of the fundamental principle of the Torah.
But then how do you engage with this idea? We humans are very different. Some of us engage through feeling and emotion, and some of us through rationality and logic. Some of us have sophisticated brains and others are less complicated. Some of us are attracted to music and art, others to practical things. But in every case, the Divine dimension is fundamental to Judaism. This spiritual dimension complements and adds to the physical.
The value of the Torah is precisely that it is more than just rational. There may be a rationale to a lot of the laws, but there are a lot of laws without rationale. All human moral systems so far have been shown in one way or another to come up short, partly because we humans have this capacity to convince ourselves of anything. A religion based in pure belief is different.
The challenge is for each one of us to find that relationship with God, whether it is rational or mystical, that suits our personalities and mindsets. Such a relationship is a very personal one. For some, it is inspirational, for others it is comfort. The idea of God, or an experience of God, is a quest. This is the true journey of religion. It can be taught. But it cannot be forced.
The author is a rabbi and writer, currently based in New York.
The post The Quest to Understand God Is the True Journey of Religion first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
RSS
Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
RSS
Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.