Anthropomorphism

Question

Dear Rabbi,

Maimonides writes that God has no emotions. So, what does is mean when Judaism teaches that God created the universe with Love, or that God is in fact a Loving God?

Thank you

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    You are asking about the idea of anthropomorphism. This means that although God is not physical in any way, we still describe Him in human terms. Doing so helps us understand our relationship to Him in a way that humans can grasp.

    We are taught that, “The Torah speaks in the language of man.” Everything in the Torah is in fact a metaphor for a deeper spiritual idea. This includes all of the various ideas that appear in both the Oral Law as well as in the Written Law. The meaning and the justification for this is to help make our understanding of God more tangible in our lives.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team