The short answer
The Shema's declaration of divine unity: that the one God is the source of all, not one among many gods. Interpretations of what 'one' means have varied across Jewish philosophy, from absolute simplicity to relational understandings.
Why people ask this
This is the core theological claim of Judaism; understanding it explains both the tradition's monotheism and the room in it for interpretation.
Key terms
- Shema
- The declaration of God's oneness, the central Jewish prayer.
Jewish perspectives
- Maimonides framed God as absolute, indivisible unity.
- Other Jewish thinkers (e.g. Halevi, Hasidic masters) describe a more relational, encountered God.
Scholarly & historical context
The Shema is biblical; philosophical elaboration of 'one' developed across the medieval period.
What is agreed upon
God is one — the affirmation of Jewish monotheism.
Where the disagreement begins
What 'one' precisely means and how we speak about God.
Practical consequences
You can affirm the Shema while holding questions about what it means; the tradition makes room for that.
Original sources
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