The Fourth Foundation: God is Eternal

The fourth foundation of the Jewish faith is that, just as God is not bound in space, He is not bound in time. He has no beginning and no end; nothing else can claim this quality. The Torah addresses this principle when it speaks of “the stronghold of the eternal God” (Deut. 33:27).

In the Ani Maamins, this foundation is phrased, “I believe wholeheartedly that God is the first and the last.”

In Yigdal, it is the line that reads “Kadmon l'chal davar asher nivra; rishon v'ein reishis l'reishiso” – “He preceded everything that He created; He is first and nothing came before Him.”