THE MEANING OF BEING THE CHOSEN PEOPLE

As stated at the very beginning of the Torah, God created the first human being, Adam, “B’Tzelem Elohim” -- “in The Image of God” (Gen. 1:27).  Thus, each descendant of Adam -- that is, every human being -- is deemed to have been individually chosen to bear The Image of God.  In this way, every righteous person -- Jew or Gentile -- is exactly the same in his or her individual relationship with God, even if such person has accepted false religious doctrine.  The Talmud, an expansive discussion of Jewish law and tradition completed some 1,500 years ago, expresses this egalitarian concept by declaring: “The Righteous of all nations have a share in the World To Come.” (Tosefta, Sanhedrin 13). And the Mishna, the earliest foundation of the Talmud completed some 1,800 years ago, declares, regarding the purpose of God in having created only one Adam: “Therefore only a single man was created to teach you that if anyone destroys a single soul from the Children of Man, Scripture charges him as though he had destroyed a whole World, and whoever rescues a single soul from the Children of Man, Scripture credits him as though he had saved a whole World. And [only a single man was created] for the sake of Peace among Humanity -- that no man might say to his fellow, ‘My ancestor was greater than your ancestor’ ...” (Sanhedrin 4:5).

Yet -- despite the reality that some number of individual Jews are, in fact, evildoers -- the Jews are nonetheless God's Chosen People in their collective relationship with God.  Accordingly, God has said of and to the Jewish people: “... So said HaShem: My first-born Son is Israel.” (Ex. 4:22); and: “... My Legions -- My People -- the Children of Israel ...” (Ex. 7:4); and: “For you are a holy people to HaShem, your God; HaShem, your God, has chosen you to be for Him a treasured people above all peoples that are on the face of the Earth. Not because you are more numerous than all the peoples did HaShem desire you and choose you, for you are the fewest of all the peoples. Rather, because of HaShem's love for you and because He observes the oath that He swore to your forefathers did He take you out with a strong hand and redeem you from the house of slavery -- from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.” (Deut. 7:6-8); and: “For you are a holy people to HaShem, your God, and HaShem has chosen you for Himself to be a treasured people from among all the peoples on the face of the Earth.” (Deut. 14:2); and: “And HaShem has distinguished you today to be for Him a treasured people, as He spoke to you, and to observe all His Commandments, and to make you supreme over all the nations that He made, for praise, for renown, and for splendor, and so that you will be a holy people to HaShem, your God, as He spoke.” (Deut. 26:18-19).

Contrariwise, as Moses warned the Jewish people prior to their entry into the Land of Israel: “Do not say in your heart, when HaShem pushes them away from before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness does HaShem bring me to possess this Land’; for, because of the wickedness of these nations does HaShem drive them away from before you. Not because of your righteousness and the uprightness of your heart are you coming to possess their Land, but because of the wickedness of these nations does HaShem, your God, drive them away from before you, and in order to establish the Word that HaShem swore to your forefathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And you should know that not because of your righteousness does HaShem, your God, give you this good Land to possess it; for, you are a stiff-necked people.” (Deut. 9:4-6). Consequently, the Jewish people’s collective status as the Chosen People is a more than three millennia old work-in-progress.

Moreover, being collectively chosen does not mean that any particular Jew is more beloved of God than any particular Gentile, as that Judgment is made by God based upon each person’s individual moral worth.  The Torah itself is proof of this, as it abounds with tales of worthy Gentiles -- from Adam and Eve to Noah to the Amorite brothers Mamre, Aner and Eshcol to Malchizedek to Job to Jethro to Rahab to Ruth (the last of whom, by joining herself to the Jewish people, became the ancestress of King David as well as of the future Messiah).

Rather, being collectively chosen means that God's Plan for Humanity will be made manifest and will be implemented through the Jewish people -- both the righteous ones and the evil ones.

However, it also means that, collectively, the gentile nations will eventually suffer God’s Wrath when they join together to oppress the Jewish nation (see Gen. 12:3; Num. 24:8-9; Deut. 32:43; Isaiah 59:17-19; Zech. 14:2-13; and Ezek. 38:3 - 39:6).

© Mark Rosenblit

Return to main page