Jewish Theologicans Hostility to God

The rabbis accuse God of not obeying His commands: “O Ruler of the Universe! You have written in your Torah: ‘You shall not take revenge or hold a grudge’ (Lev. 19:18) but you do this yourself: ‘[God] is vengeful and full of wrath.’ (Nah. 1:2)” [Genesis Rabbah 55:3]

1. In other words, although God commands his people not to take revenge or hold grudges, Rabbi Avin criticizes God by accusing him of hypocrisy because he does not obey these commands.
2. Moses convinces God that the law He has revealed is unjust: “[Moses :] Is it proper for the righteous to be flogged for the sins of their parents?” “[God :] You have taught Me something. I will nullify your judgment and fulfill your word. | Numbers Rabbah II 19:33

1. After God reveals Exodus 20:5 and says that children will be responsible for their father’s sin, Moses tells God that this law is unjust. God also finds Moses right and reveals Deuteronomy 24:16.
2. “The God of the rabbis suffers, laughs, weeps, kisses people, learns Torah.” “Possessing a human-like body and emotions, the rabbinic God is understood not as an unattainable being but as a relational character who participates as a member of society.” | D. Weiss

This event is related to the concept of God in the rabbinic tradition. After the destruction of the temple, the Jews emphasize the bond between themselves and God and envision an anthropomorphic god who studies the Torah (Gittin 6b), wears tefillin (Berakhot 6a) and obeys the Torah like them:

“[It is said :] For the King, the law is not binding. But God is not like that, he issues a decree and fulfills it Himself first.” | Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 1:2

“O Lord, who is like You, who keeps silent even though you see the insult inflicted on your children?” | Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael; section 8

Moses rejects God’s command to commit genocide on moral grounds: “God told Moses to kill them all, but Moses did not do so and said: ‘Am I going to destroy them completely? I don’t know who is sinful and who is not! Instead, I will go to them in peace.” | Tanhuma Tsav 5

Moreover, this action convinces God and he reneges on his command to ‘destroy them all’: “[God :] You went to them in peace, even though I said to you, ‘You will destroy them all.’ So I will do the same.”

See Neusner, Incarnation of God, 180–88. Before Neusner, Solomon Schechter similarly noted that God’s humanity (“imitatio hominis”) is reflected, in part, by God’s arguing with man “on equal terms.” S. Schechter, Aspects of Rabbinic Theology (New York: Schocken Books, 1961), 37.