What is Monotheism?

In our opening video, we talked about the reason the Am Levadad (Jewish People) exists, and the reason that our Patriarch Avraham was chosen. We said that we have a mission to bring blessings to all humanity, and that this blessing is ultimately nothing more than one simple, but powerfully great idea: monotheism. 

Several rabbinic sources interpret the command to Avraham to “be a blessing” in ways that are similar to our explanation. For example, commenting on the phrase “all the nations of the earth are blessed through [Avraham]” (Bereishit 18:18), Midrash Lekach Tov says, “because he teaches them the proper way to live, and helps them understand that there is a single ruler of the world.”  And Rashi (Bereishit 12:5) records a tradition that, even before setting out for Canaan, Avraham and his wife Sarah engaged in a type of proselytizing, with Avraham teaching the men about God while Sarah taught the women.

Also, Maimonides writes in his Guide of the Perplexed (III:29) that because Avraham spread monotheistic beliefs even though this meant experiencing ridicule and persecution (see below), he thereby earned people’s respect to the point that even some who are not his actual descendants claim him as their ancestor. This comment probably refers to the Muslims, most of whom are not Avraham’s biological offspring but nevertheless consider themselves his spiritual children, in recognition of his role in bringing monotheism to the world.

In this video, we will talk about what monotheism is, and why it means a lot more than simply believing in only one God.

To start with, let’s realize that back in Avraham’s time, almost all people were polytheists, meaning that they worshipped multiple gods. They also often made images and statues of these gods to place in their temples. So, Avraham’s message was actually quite revolutionary.

Interestingly, the Torah gives us no explanation for how Avraham learned about monotheism, and why he was chosen to initiate the Am Levadad. The Sages of the Talmud and Midrashim fill in the gap by depicting Avraham going through a process of philosophical exploration and inquiry and even attempting to engage in idolatrous worship, but ultimately realizing that this was futile and meaningless. 

Here are some of these sources, translated from Hayim Nahman Bialik’s 1903 anthology Sefer HaAggadah (Part One, pp. 24-25):

[Young Avraham] thought to himself, “Who created the heaven and the earth, and me?” He first thought it was the sun, so he prayed all day to the sun. But in the evening, the sun set in the west, and the moon rose in the east. When he saw the moon surrounded by the stars, he said, “This must be the one that created the heaven and the earth and me, and these stars are his officers and servants.” So, he stood all night and prayed to the moon. But in the morning, the moon set in the west, and the sun rose again in the east. Then Avraham said, “Neither of these has any strength. There is a Master over them all. It is to Him that I will pray and to Him that I will bow.” 


In Avraham’s father’s house, they would manufacture idols and sell them in the marketplace. 

One time, Avraham was sent with a box of gods to sell in the market. A man came by and asked, “Do you have a god to sell me?” Avraham asked him “Which god would you like to buy?” The man responded, “I am strong, so sell me a god who is strong like I am.” Avraham took the idol that stood above all the others, and said, “Pay the price and take this one….” When the man was about to leave, Avraham asked him, “How old are you?” The man responded, “I am seventy years old.” Avraham said to him, “Woe unto a person who is seventy years old and bows to this object that was made today!”  (When he heard this) the man immediately threw the god back into Avraham’s box, took his money back, and left….

Avraham’s brothers said to their father, Terah, “This Avraham is not able to sell gods!  Let’s make him the priest.”  Avraham asked, “What does a priest do?” They told him, “He stands in front of the gods and serves them, offers sacrifices to them, gives them food and drink.” So they made him the priest. 
Avraham placed food and drink before the gods, and said to them: “Come and eat, come and drink, so that you will be kind to the humans.” But not a single one of them came to eat or drink anything. Immediately, Avraham responded, “They have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see. They have ears, but they cannot hear; they have noses, but they cannot smell. They have hands, but they cannot touch; they have feet, but they cannot walk.” (Psalms 115:5-7)

The Midrash also records traditions about him smashing idols and otherwise challenging his father, community, and entire society regarding their beliefs – and even being sentenced to death for heresy, only to be miraculously saved.

As we said, contrary to these pagan beliefs, Avraham began to spread the revolutionary idea called monotheism. This belief – as it is usually understood in Jewish philosophy – states that there is only one God who is:

• Omnipotent, meaning all-powerful
• Omniscient, meaning all-knowing
• Eternal, meaning He always has and always will exist (He is beyond time)
• Infinite (and therefore also not material or physical, existing outside of space just as He exists outside of time), and
• The uncreated creator and ruler of the entire universe – meaning that He not only knows but also ultimately controls everything that happens – at least when He chooses to intervene.

And again, as we have explained, the Am Levadad exists for the purpose of spreading this message; this is why Avraham was chosen.

But we need to ask: what's so important about this idea?

But we need to ask: what’s so important about this idea?  It may be interesting and instructive, and it may be true – but why must an entire nation be created just to spread a philosophical position?

Before we address that question, we need to also speak about another belief that wasn’t around in Avraham’s time, but is rather prevalent today: Atheism – the belief that there is no God at all.

So let’s compare all three of these philosophies. When I discuss this with my students, I often write the terms on the board this way:

• Atheism = 0 gods
• Monotheism = 1 God
• Polytheism = 2 or more gods

And then I ask the students this question: Let’s say I would ask you to take these three philosophies, and put them into two categories. Take two of them that are somewhat similar to each other, and put them together, and the one which is different from the other two is the outlier. What do those groups look like? Which two are together, and which is the outlier?

Most of the time, the response is that monotheists and polytheists are similar – since they both acknowledge the existence of gods or higher powers (arguing only about how many there are); they are both theists (monotheists and polytheists). But atheism, which completely denies the existence of any higher power, is the outlier.

At first glance, that response seems to make a lot of sense. But, as counterintuitive as this may be, I believe that the monotheist is the unique one in this group.

I actually think the polytheist and the atheist are quite similar to each other – in fact, they’re almost identical! One might even describe atheism as a special form of polytheism.

What do I mean by that?

One might even describe atheism as a special form of polytheism.

Well, let’s realize that in classic polytheistic conceptions of the world – even if there was often a “head” or “chief” god, there was no single ruler in charge of everything. Instead, the polytheist viewed the universe as a chaotic place controlled by various powers, which he personified and called “gods”. While the specific names and mythologies varied from one region or culture to another, there were striking similarities between them. They all believed in a pantheon of gods, each of which was thought to be responsible for a different natural or human phenomenon: there was usually a sun god and a moon god, a god of wind, a god of rain, a god (or often, goddess) of fertility, a god of war, a god of love, and so on. And at least in ancient times, these gods often looked and behaved very much like humans: They were jealous of each other, fought with one another, formed alliances, and deceived one another.

To survive in such a world, the polytheist would worship the various gods and try to figure out what they needed so he could win their favor and entice them to act in his interest. He might also engage in magical rituals that he believed could harness various forces to help him.

Now let’s compare this to the way a modern atheist sees the world. Unlike the polytheist, he doesn’t believe in gods with personalities and emotions. But beyond that distinction, his vision of the world is very similar. He also sees a chaotic universe in which various forces interact and clash with one another. His universe, like that of the polytheist, has no ruler, and nobody in charge.

Since he can’t worship the inanimate forces he believes control the world, and since he probably doesn’t believe in magic either, instead he turns to science and technology. But in doing so, the modern atheist scientist’s goal is very similar to that of the pagan worshiper or magician: he wants to figure out which forces of nature are the most powerful ones, and harness those forces to do his will.

So, while these two philosophies (polytheism and atheism) are not identical, they are much more alike than it first appears.

And since they both believe the world has no single creator or ruler, it follows that it also has no ultimate purpose. And therefore, in both of these systems, it becomes very difficult – perhaps impossible – to speak about a universal obligation to act ethically or kindly. After all, if the gods cheat, steal and attack each other – or alternatively, if we are all just random collections of molecules – then why should anyone restrain himself from hurting others, let alone exert efforts on someone else’s behalf?

Now we can begin to understand just how radical an idea it was when Avraham brought monotheism to the world.   In our next video, “Why Does Monotheism Matter?”, we will explore the meaning and significance of this important concept.