מִצְוַת הַאֲמָנָה בִּמְצִיאוּת הַשֵּׁם – לְהַאֲמִין שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָעוֹלָם אֱלֹהַּ אֶחָד, שֶׁהִמְצִיא כָּל הַנִּמְצָא וּמִכֹּחוֹ וְחֶפְצוֹ הָיָה כָּל מָה שֶׁהוּא וְשֶׁהָיָה וְשֶׁיִּהְיֶה לַעֲדֵי עַד, וְכִי הוּא הוֹצִיאָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וְנָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בִּתְחִלַּת נְתִינַת הַתּוֹרָה (שמות כ ב) אָנֹכִי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וְגוֹ'. וּפֵרוּשׁוֹ כְּאִלּוּ אָמַר תֵּדְעוּ וְתַאֲמִינוּ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָעוֹלָם אֱלֹהַּ, כִּי מִלַּת אָנֹכִי תּוֹרָה עַל הַמְּצִיאוּת. וַאֲשֶׁר אָמַר אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ וכו' לוֹמַר, שֶׁלֹּא יִפְתֶּה לְבַבְכֶם לָקַחַת עִנְיַן צֵאתְכֶם מֵעַבְדוּת מִצְרַיִם וּמַכּוֹת הַמִּצְרִים דֶּרֶךְ מִקְרֶה, אֶלָּא דְּעוּ שֶׁאָנֹכִי הוּא שֶׁהוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם בְּחֵפֶץ וּבְהַשְׁגָּחָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִבְטִיחַ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב.
The commandment of belief in God: To believe that the world has one God that caused all that exists, and that all that is, and was, and will be forever and ever, is from His power and His will; and that He took us out of Egypt and gave us the Torah — as it is stated (Exodus 20:2), “I am the Lord, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt, etc.” And its understanding is as if it said, “Know and believe that there is one God” — since the word, “I,” indicates existence. And that which it stated, “Who took you out, etc.,” is to say that your hearts not seduce you to take the matter of your leaving the slavery of Egypt and the plagues of Egypt as the way of happenstance; but rather you should know that I am the One Who took you out with will and providence — as He promised our forefathers, Avraham, Yitschak and Yaakov.
שֹׁרֶשׁ מִצְוָה זוֹ אֵין צָרִיךְ בֵּאוּר. יָדוּעַ הַדָּבָר וְנִגְלֶה לַכֹּל כִּי הָאֱמוּנָה הַזּוֹ יְסוֹד הַדָּת, וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא יַאֲמִין בָּזֶה כּוֹפֵר בָּעִקָּר וְאֵין לוֹ חֵלֶק וּזְכוּת עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְעִנְיַן הַאֲמָנָה הוּא שֶׁיִּקְבַּע בְּנַפְשׁוֹ שֶׁהָאֱמֶת כֵּן וְשֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר חִלּוּף (בְּחִלּוּף) זֶה בְּשׁוּם פָּנִים. וְאִם נִשְׁאַל עָלָיו, יָשִׁיב לְכָל שׁוֹאֵל שֶׁזֶּה יַאֲמִין לִבּוֹ וְלֹא יוֹדֶה בְּחִלּוּף זֶה אֲפִלּוּ יֹאמְרוּ לְהָרְגוֹ, שֶׁכָּל זֶה מַחְזִיק וְקוֹבֵעַ הַאֲמָנַת הַלֵּב כְּשֶׁמּוֹצִיא הַדָּבָר מִן הַכֹּחַ אֶל הַפֹּעַל, רְצוֹנִי לוֹמַר כְּשֶׁיָּקִים בְּדִבְרֵי פִּיו מָה שֶׁלִּבּוֹ גּוֹמֵר. וְאִם יִזְכֶּה לַעֲלוֹת בְּמַעֲלוֹת הַחָכְמָה וּלְבָבוֹ (ישעיהו ו י) יָבִין וּבְעֵינָיו יִרְאֶה בְּמוֹפֵת נֶחְתָּךְ, שֶׁהַאֲמָנָה הַזֹּאת שֶׁהֶאֱמִין אֱמֶת וּבָרוּר, אִי אֶפְשָׁר לִהְיוֹת דָּבָר בִּלְתִּי זֶה, אָז יְקַיֵּם מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה זוֹ מִצְוָה מִן הַמֻּבְחָר.
The root of this commandment does not need elucidation. The matter is known and revealed to all that this belief is the foundation of the religion, and that one who does not believe in it denies a fundamental principle and has no share and merit with Israel. And the content of the belief is that he fix in his soul that such is the truth and that a change of (about a change of) this in any way be impossible. And if he be asked about it, he will respond to any enquirer that his heart believes this and he will not assent to a change in it, even if they say they will kill him [as a result]. As all of this — when he takes the thing from the potential to actuality, by which I mean to say when he puts into the words of his mouth what his heart decides — strengthens and fixes the belief of the heart. And if one merits to rise in the levels of wisdom, “his heart will understand and his eyes will see” with a sealed proof that this belief that he believed is true and clear — it is impossible that there be something besides this — then he will fulfill this positive commandment [in the best way].
דִּינֵי מִצְוָה זוֹ, כְּגוֹן מַה שֶׁמְּחֻיָּב עָלֵינוּ לְהַאֲמִין עָלָיו שֶׁכָּל הַיְּכֹלֶת וְכָל הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְכָל הַהוֹד וְכָל הַבְּרָכָה וְכָל הַקִּיּוּם בּוֹ, וְשֶׁאֵין בָּנוּ כֹּחַ וְשֵׂכֶל לְהַשִּׂיג וּלְהַגִּיד גָּדְלוֹ וְטוּבוֹ, כִּי לְרֹב מַעֲלָתוֹ וְהוֹדוֹ לֹא יֻשַּׂג רַק לְעַצְמוֹ, וְלִשְׁלֹל מִמֶּנּוּ בְּכָל כֹּחֵנוּ כָּל חֶסְרוֹן וְכָל מָה שֶׁהוּא הֵפֶךְ כָּל שְׁלֵמוּת וְכָל מַעֲלָה. וְהָעִנְיָנִים הַיּוֹצְאִים מִזֶּה, כְּגוֹן לָדַעַת שֶׁהוּא נִמְצָא שָׁלֵם, בִּלְתִּי גּוּף וְלֹא כֹּחַ בְּגוּף, כִּי הַגּוּפִים יַשִּׂיגוּם הַחֶסְרוֹנוֹת, וְהוּא בָּרוּךְ הוּא לֹא יַשִּׂיגֵהוּ מִין מִמִּינֵי הַחֶסְרוֹן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ. וּשְׁאָר דְּבָרִים רַבִּים הַנֶּאֱמָרִים בְּעִנְיָן זֶה, כֻּלָּם מְבֹאָרִים בְּסִפְרֵי יוֹדְעֵי חָכְמַת הָאֱלֹהוּת. אַשְׁרֵי הַזּוֹכִים אֵלֶיהָ, כִּי אָז יְקַיְּמוּ מִצְוָה זוֹ עַל בֻּרְיָהּ (הל' יסודי התורה פ"א).
The laws of this commandment — for example, that which it obligates us to believe about Him that all power and all greatness and strength and glory and all majesty and all blessing and all existence are in Him, and that we do not have the power or the intellect to grasp and to speak out His greatness and goodness, since His great virtue and majesty is only grasped by Himself; to deny about Him with all of our strength any lacking and anything that is the opposite of all perfections and all virtues, and the matters that come out from this, for example, to know that He is a perfect Being, without a body and not a power of a body, since deficiencies affect bodies, whereas He, may He be blessed, is not affected by any type of deficiency, as we have said; and all the many things about this matter — are all elucidated in the books of those that know the wisdom of theology. Happy are those that merit it, as they can then fulfill this commandment with clarity (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Foundations of the Torah 1).
וְנוֹהֶגֶת בְּכָל מָקוֹם וּבְכָל זְמַן בִּזְכָרִים וּנְקֵבוֹת. וְעוֹבֵר עָלֶיהָ, אֵין לוֹ חֵלֶק וּזְכוּת עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ. וְזֹאת מִן הַמִּצְוֹת שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם זְמַן יָדוּעַ, שֶׁכָּל יְמֵי הָאָדָם חַיָּב לִחְיוֹת בְּמַחְשָׁבָה זוֹ.
And [it] is practiced in every place and at all times by males and females. And one who transgresses it has no portion and merit with Israel, as we have said. And this is from the commandments that do not have a specific time, since a man must live with this thought all the days of his life.