DEUT196 Judaism's basic belief is in one God (Maimonides, Principles of Faith #1, #2, #5.) There can be no other ultimate forces in the world besides God (Exodus 20:3, the second of the Ten Commandments). This is the essence of the Shema prayer, the prayer recited three times daily and before a Jew dies [this verse and found in the siddur in the morning and evening services and in the prayer recited before retiring at night]. In addition to believing in a God concept, Christianity also believes in the concept of Satan as the origin of evil and a force equal and opposite of God. According to some, the belief in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) violates the concept of "Oneness," but others disagree, since the three are essentially one. Judaism is specific about this belief, that what we call evil originates with God and not another force. The verse states that "God is the creator of peace and of evil" (Isaiah 45:7). The Talmud (Megillah 25a) tells the Jew that when tragedy strikes, the proper Jewish reaction is to pronounce a blessing acknowledging God as the true judge. Thus, the Jewish reaction to apparent evil is to attribute it to God and not to any other force (and to proclaim we do not really understand it).