These first sources are examples from Biblical verses in which the term “emunah”refers not to a cognitive belief that certain facts are true, but rather a condition of trust and reliance one. This will be “model 1” of faith, namely that faith is an existential relationship to God and the world, related to reliance and trust. The human response to reliance and trust naturally is, or perhaps ought to be, one of dedication and faithfulness. That is, if we trust others and God, we are willing to follow them and be dedicated to them in return. 

In t his verse, the Torah describes that bnei Yisrael "believe in" (ויאמינו) in God and Moses. Yet the verse cannot ultimately mean that after the splitting of the sea they believed that being called God exists. Otherwise, it would be meaningless to speak about believing in Moses’ existence. Instead, the experience of splitting of the sea led to an attitude of trust and willingness to follow, both an attitude and behaviors that follow from that.

Reflective/Affective questions for students based on this source:

1. What does the word "belief" mean to you? What does it mean to "believe" in something?
2. What things are we loyal to? What does that fidelity consist of?
3. Think of friends, family members, a school, favorite sports team - what makes us loyal to these things? Where does that loyalty come from? What actions stem from loyalty? What would disqualify someone as loyal?