The Hebrew God is portrayed as unitary and solitary in contrast to other ancient Near Eastern

deities; as a result, the Hebrew God's primary relationships are not with other deities but rather
with the world and, more specifically, with the people he created.[46] Judaism thus starts with
ethical monotheism: the conviction that God is one and is interested in human behavior.[47]
According to the Hebrew Bible, God promised Abraham that he would make of his offspring a
great nation.
Thus, despite the existence of an esoteric tradition in Judaism (the Kabbalah), Rabbinic scholar
Max Kadushin has referred to normative Judaism as "normal mysticism" because it involves
regular, individual encounters with God through means or modes that are shared by all Jews.
This is reflected in the observance of halakha (Jewish law) and verbally expressed in the Birkat
Ha-Mizvot, the brief blessing.
All sacred or normative scriptures of Judaism place a strong emphasis on ethical monotheism.
Monotheism hasn't, however, always been practiced. In the Greco-Roman era, Judaism had many
distinct interpretations of monotheistic, including the ones that gave rise to Christianity. The
Jewish Bible documents and regularly denounces the widespread worship of other gods in
ancient Israel.
In addition, some have argued that Judaism is a non-creedal religion that does not require a
person to believe in God.[55][56] For others, adherence to halakha is more important than faith
in God in general.[57] In modern times, some liberal Jewish movements do not accept the
existence of a personified deity active in history.[58] The discussion of whether one can speak of
authentic or normative Judaism.
Due to their incorporation into the liturgy, Judaism does not, strictly speaking, have fixed,
universally enforceable articles of faith like Christianity and Islam.[60] Jewish scholars
throughout history have put forth a number of formulations of Judaism's central principles, all of
which have drawn criticism. The thirteen principles of religion articulated by Maimonides in the
12th century are the most often used formulation. Any Jew who denies any one of these tenets is
regarded by Maimonides as an apostate and a heretic.