Is There Absolute Truth? Judaism’s Radical Approach to Faith and Knowledge

For hundreds of years, the Jewish people managed to survive as a small minority that walked against the current, clinging fiercely to its unique path despite relentless persecution. How was this possible? 

Faith Under Pressure

Can we ever be one hundred percent sure that what we see is reality? Are we truly objective? How can we ever be completely certain about anything?

Imagine you are a journalist hunting for a good story. Would you have the courage to enter a commune of a particular cult and say, “Hello everyone! I’m here. I’m so confident in what I believe that I have no fear of spending an entire month with you, because I know I won’t be influenced by you”?

Most people would hesitate, because there is always a chance that by the end of the month you might be convinced that their charismatic “guru” is the most perfect human being on earth. After all, cults can be remarkably effective at brainwashing. That hesitation often comes from a crack in certainty. If you are truly sure of what you know, even the most persuasive person in the world cannot move you from your place.

The Power of Social Influence

We live inside a society that shapes our thinking in powerful ways. It is therefore essential to reach clarity about what we actually know, and which worldview we are living by.

If you had been born in China, you would likely have grown up as a loyal communist. If you had been born into a traditional tribe in Haiti, you might have found yourself waving voodoo pins. Every society produces people who are convinced of their beliefs, to the point that they are willing to die for them.

If you asked an Iranian on his way to kill Iraqis, “Excuse me, sir, but if you had been born a few kilometers south in Iraq, would you be coming with a gun to kill people like yourself?” — what would he answer?

Such a person never stopped to examine his beliefs objectively. Most human beings are, in this sense, social products. Consider a simple calculation: there are roughly a billion Christians in the world and roughly a billion Muslims. Each religion claims the other is wrong. Either way, at least one billion people are living in error.

Is it possible that there is no such thing as absolute truth?

If you think it through, there must be some absolute reality. Either God exists or He does not. He does not begin to exist because you believe in Him, and He does not disappear when you stop believing. Either He is real or He is not. Two contradictory realities cannot both be true.

Only if you reach intellectual independence, and mentally detach from the society that shaped your assumptions, can you reach truth. Otherwise, you are nothing more than a puppet of your environment — and history has already proven that societies can make catastrophic mistakes.

Certainty and the Chain of Knowledge

We argue with people because we believe there is such a thing as real truth. If we did not believe that one path is correct, we would not debate at all.

For example, are you sure you have five fingers? Of course. If someone claims you have seven fingers, would that change your certainty? Not at all. You can count five fingers on each hand. You are certain without a shadow of doubt.

Jewish consciousness expects that same level of certainty regarding faith and worldview.

Think of knowledge like a heavy iron chain. To measure its strength, you only need to test the weakest link. One loose link in the middle makes the entire chain useless. A shorter chain with strong links is far better, because it can still be used.

Your worldview is like that chain. You must identify the weak links, which are the areas of confusion and insecurity, so they do not weaken everything else. When we strengthen what is uncertain,what is already solid becomes a foundation for deeper clarity.

Four Categories: Knowledge, Hypothesis, Belief, and Social Assumption

All the information we carry can be divided into four broad categories:

1. Knowledge: You are completely certain. Example: you have five fingers on each hand.

2. Hypothesis: You have evidence, but it is not fully conclusive.

3. Belief: You want to believe it, but you lack supporting facts.

4. Social assumption: You accept it because society treats it as obvious, without verifying it.

For example: did your brother rob a bank recently? You assume not. His character is evidence, but you cannot be absolutely sure. If witnesses, fingerprints, and video showed him entering a bank with a gun shouting, “Give me the money!” you might say, “I can’t believe it!”

But if someone presented witnesses and video claiming you robbed a bank, you would instantly say, “It’s staged. This is ridiculous.” Why? Because you know yourself. That is the difference between knowledge and hypothesis.

Belief, in this framing, is often desire disguised as certainty. People with healthy logic have fallen for promises of “easy money,” handed their savings to smooth-talking “experts,” and lost everything, because they believed without verifying.

Social assumptions include the ideas we inherit from our environment, such as capitalism in America, or communism in China. For some, Muhammad is treated as the ultimate truth; for others, Jesus. Did you verify, or are you simply a fish being carried by the current?

The Jewish Obligation to Know

The first of the Ten Commandments says: “I am the Lord your God” — meaning, know that God exists.

At first glance, that seems strange. If someone keeps God’s commandments, he already believes in God — so why command it? If someone does not know God exists, why would he listen to any command, including this one?

Judaism does not want a person to stop at belief. It demands investigation, clarity, and relentless pursuit until you reach knowledge beyond doubt. A core Jewish principle is that you must know, not only believe.

It is important to be cautious of any system that discourages questioning. When someone fears questions, it often means they fear that the falsehood will be exposed. God, by contrast, is not threatened by honest inquiry. Judaism assumes that if we use our minds and seek truth with sincerity, we can reach a clear recognition of God’s reality.

So how did the Jewish people survive centuries of persecution? Through a steady, rock-like confidence in the truth of their convictions.

Were they right? That is something you must investigate for yourself. Identify what troubles you. Seek answers. Stay honest in your search for knowledge and truth, and make the effort to become truly confident in what you know.