Emunah is a Hebrew word that essentially means faith. We use it here as a way to express the basic creeds of Netzarim Judaism. In essence, this is our expression of faith.
The Positive Expressions of our Faith
- We have faith that there is only one G-d, that He is the Creator of all things, that He is unique, a perfect unity, that there is no other like Him, and that He is without form and incarnation.
- We have faith that G-d is eternal, unchanging, uncreated, without beginning or end; that he is omniscient, omnipresent, perfect in His justice, and the ultimate arbiter of reward and punishment.
- We have faith that it is to G-d alone that we offer our worship and to whom we pray; to worship or pray to any other person, being, or false god is an abomination.
- We have faith that from the beginning of His creation G-d chose Israel to be His eternal witness to the people of the world, that Israel is forever called to be a light unto the nations; and that the covenant between G-d and His chosen people can never be broken.
- We have faith in the divine origin of the Torah, in its immutable message, and its centrality to Judaism; while Torah is a gift to Israel, its message in universal.
- We have faith that Torah (the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible) is our only written source of Divine authority; the oral writings, as gathered into the Talmud, is not a binding or authoritative source; however we are free to find inspiration in any of the Jewish historical writings and take from them that which helps us, provided it is consistent with Torah.
- We have faith that G-d has chosen to speak through His gift of prophecy, that He has chosen certain people throughout history to carry His message and to speak His words; the greatest of these prophets was Moses.
- We have faith in G-d’s plan for the future: in a coming messianic age, and in eternal life.
The Negative Expressions of our Faith
- We deny that the G-d of Israel is one among many, that He is only the G-d of Israel, or that there are any other gods.
- We deny that G-d is a trinity or has any form other than perfect unity.
- We deny that G-d changes, that His plan for Israel, or for the world, would change.
Our Guiding Principles
- The Primacy of Conscience, driven by faith in, and knowledge of, Torah, is the final decisor in Jewish life. As freedom of will is a gift of G-d, we believe that ultimately each Jew is responsible for themselves and their own halachic decisions in daily life.