#emunah

A lot of people think emunah means “believing in G-d.”

It doesn’t.

In Biblical Hebrew, emunah has almost nothing to do with belief as we think of it today.

It’s deeper. More human. And far more beautiful.

A thread 🧵👇 

1/ When we hear “faith,” we think of mental certainty—an internal conviction that something is true.

But Hebrew doesn’t work like that.

Hebrew words aren’t definitions. They’re verbs. They describe movement. Relationships. Action.

And emunah is no exception. 

2/ The root of emunah is אמן (aleph–mem–nun).

You might recognize it from:

→ אמן (amen) → אומן (uman, craftsman) → אימון (imun, training or practice) What do they all have in common? They’re not about belief. They’re about dependability and faithfulness. 

3/ An uman, a craftsman, is someone reliable. Someone whose work you can trust.

Emunat itchem (שמות 17:12) — Aaron and Hur supported Moshe's hands “with emunah.” They didn’t “believe” in his hands. They held them steady. That’s emunah: steadiness. support. trust. 

4/ So when we talk about having emunah in Hashem…

…it’s not about proving G-d exists.

It’s about living as if He’s trustworthy.

→ I lean on Him. → I depend on Him. → I walk with Him even when I don’t have answers. It’s a relationship, not a proof. 

5/ The Rambam does speak of knowing G-d’s existence. But that’s yediat Hashem—knowledge.

Emunah is something else entirely.

It’s the faithfulness of a spouse, a friend, a child—who stays in the relationship even when it’s hard.

That’s the emunah G-d wants from us. 

5/ That’s why Hashem is called “El ne’eman”—a faithful God (Devarim 7:9).

Not just true. But loyal. Steady. Present.

And when we’re asked to have emunah—we’re being invited into that kind of loyalty in return.

A mutual trust, forged over time. 

6/ This means:

🔹 You can have emunah even when you doubt. 🔹 You can have emunah even when you’re angry. 🔹 You can have emunah even when you don’t understand. Because emunah isn’t about being sure. It’s about staying close. That’s faith, Jewishly. 

7/ And maybe that’s why we say “Amen” at the end of every blessing.

Not “I agree.” Not “I believe.” But: “I affirm this with trust.” “I stand with this.” “I am with You, Hashem.”

That one word is an act of emunah. 

8/ So next time someone asks if you “believe in G-d”…

You can answer like a Jew:

“I trust Him.” “I walk with Him.” “I’m still here.” That’s emunah. ❤️‍🔥 

but remember, we have hashem. even in the darkest times, hashem is with us.

As a lifelong student of Jewish song, ritual and practice, Batya supports people to dig into the juiciness of Jewish tradition, for the sake of healing and connection. This work is especially important for those of us who have felt disconnected, alienated or marginalized from Jewish tradition and within Jewish community. Rooted in the traditional wisdom and ruach (spirit) of their Modern Orthodox upbringing, Batya is dedicated to building a vibrant Judaism that simultaneously reaches backward and forward in time, and is wide enough for our whole selves.

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