3.3 - God's Unity

Sources refer to Rabbi Bachaye ibn Pakuda's Chovos HaLevavos (Duties of the Heart)

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The Creator is One (Chapter 7)

Having determined that the world must have a Creator, we must now investigate whether He is One. We do this in seven ways.

1. When we examine causes and effects, we observe that the causes are fewer in number. The causes of those causes are fewer in number still. The farther back we go, the fewer in number they become. (My illustration of this concept, modernized from the one used by Rabbeinu Bachaye, is as follows: all the living creatures in the world – and there are thousands of different species – are made up of a smaller number of proteins, amino acids, etc. These are made up of a smaller number of chemical elements. These are made up of a smaller number of sub-atomic particles, etc.) It stands to reason that, if we go all the way back, we will come to only one cause.
2. The entire world, from inanimate matter all the way up through plants and animals, shows signs of being crafted with wisdom. For all its variety, the uniformity of the world suggests a single Designer. If there were more than one designer, the parts would be incompatible, like trying to put a DVD into a VCR. Instead, the world with all its diversity is not only compatible, everything is interdependent – nothing exists in isolation. The symbiotic nature of creation is a part of its stability, which underscores that there is a single Creator.
3. The world was brought into existence ex nihilo; since a thing cannot create itself, someone must have created it. Therefore, there must be at least one Creator. This is the simplest explanation and it would be a leap for us to assume that there is more than one. To return to the earlier example of a manuscript, if we found a document with uniform handwriting throughout, the logical conclusion is that there was one writer. To conclude that there were more writers would require some evidence suggesting as much, such as a second set of handwriting. We don’t have to see the author to reach this conclusion; a review of his work is sufficient. Similarly, we cannot observe G-d but we can reach conclusions about Him from observing His handiwork. God tells us that He is the sole Author in Isaiah 44:8, “Is there another power besides Me? There is no rock that I do not know.”
4. If there were a second creator apart from God, there would need to be something dividing the two powers. If so, there would be some boundary or limitation to God. If this were the case, then God would be finite. Anything finite has a beginning and must have been created. The ultimate Creator therefore must be One.
5. To be plural, a quantity must exist that comprises many individual units. The individual units precede their being collected. Therefore, the Creator cannot be plural because One must necessarily precede several.
6. Plurality is not an inherent quality of a thing, it’s an accident of quantity that is separate from the thing’s own nature. Since plurality is an added quality and not an inherent property, it follows that plurality cannot be part of God’s nature.
7. If there were more than one Creator, then one of two things would have to be true: either each of them could have created the world independently or both of them would have been required for the task. If either could have done it alone, than a second creator is unnecessary. If both would be required, then neither is omnipotent. If the creator is not omnipotent, then he is finite, and therefore created.

Absolute Unity (Chapter 8)

The difference between God’s unity, which is absolute, and the unity of other things, which is temporal, is that absolute unity is an essential, inherent characteristic, while temporal unity is accidental. We can speak of one herd of sheep (which contains many animals), one army (which contains many soldiers) and one basket of grain (which contains many kernels). We call them “one” but in reality, they are many. When the individual members are removed from the group, we would likewise consider them “one.” The unity of the group is an accident, not an inherent property.

Similarly, a single item is “one” but it is actually made up of many parts and components, which are subject to being separated. Doing so would reveal that the item wasn’t really “one” in the first place! Again, the unity of a single thing is an accident of circumstance, not an inherent characteristic.

Absolute unity, however, cannot be increased by adding more, nor can it be decreased by being disassembled. It cannot be transformed or destroyed, nor is it like anything else. Something that is absolutely “one” will have no beginning and no end because absolute unity doesn’t change. If something changes, its unity is accidental not absolute.

The Unity of Created Things (Chapter 9)

Here’s why God’s unity must be absolute: anything made up of parts can only be brought into existence through assembling its parts. It is inherent in created things that their parts can be disassembled. Since unity precedes plurality (see chapter 7, item #5), it follows that the cause of things that are plural must itself not be plural. If the prime cause is not plural or made of parts, then its unity is absolute.

The unity of created things is not inherent or enduring. When applied to a species, an individual, a heavenly body, or anything else, it is only “one” in the relative sense. Absolute unity is not found in created things; it can only be attributed to the Creator, as King David wrote, “There is none like You among the powers, Hashem, and there are no works like Yours” (Psalms 86:8). Anything else that we call “one” is really plural; only God is truly “one” in every respect.