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Andwhatdoeschosennessmeananyway?
TheideathattheJewsarethechosenpeopleandhaveaspecialrelationshipwithGodisubiquitousin
Jewishsources.However,thenatureofthisrelationshipisnotwithoutcomplicationandambiguity.
OriginsoftheChosenConcept
enotionofJewsbeingchosenhasitsrootinseveralbiblicalverses.Oneofthemostprominent,
Deuteronomy7:6 ,says,Foryouareapeopleconsecratedto Adonai yourGod:ofallthepeoples
onearthAdonaiyourGodchoseyoutobeGodstreasuredpeople.enexttwoversesprovidethe
reasonforthischoice.GoddidnotchoosetheIsraelitesbecauseoftheirnumbers;rather,Godchosethe
IsraelitesandfreedthemfromslaverybecauseGodlovedthemandbecauseGodhadmadepromisesto
theirancestors,thebiblicalpatriarchs:Abraham,Isaac,andJacob.
is,ofcourse,begsthequestion:whydidGodchoosethepatriarchs?
WereJewsActuallyGodsLastChoice?
ecovenantbetweenGodandthefreedIsraeliteslavesatMountSinaiiscentraltotheideaofbeing
chosen.ecovenantconcretizedJewishchosennessbyestablishingthattheIsraeliteswouldabideby
the Torah inreturnforspecialdivineprotection.oughGodchosetheJewsforthispurpose,an
amazingrabbinicsourceclaimsthattheJewswere,infact,Godslastchoice.
AreJewsOnlyChosenifeyKeeptheCovenant?
istraditionassumesthatchosennessisnotanessentialcharacteristicoftheJewishpeople,butrather
aresultofthecovenantalrelationship. Exodus19:5 capturesthisview:Nowthen,ifyouwillobey
MefaithfullyandkeepMycovenant,youshallbeMytreasuredpossessionamongallthepeoples.
Manylaterthinkersembracedthisconditionalunderstandingofchosenness,butthereisanotherstrand
ofthoughtwhichmaintainsthatchosennessderivesfromaninherentquality.Perhapsthemostfamous
proponentofthisviewwasthemedievalphilosopherJudahHaLevi(1086-1145).Accordingtohim,the
Jewsareendowedwithdivinein uence.istraitispassedongenetically,anditincludesacapacityfor
prophecyandtheprivilegeofreceivingspecialdivineprovidence.Alltheothernationsoftheworldare
subjecttoamoregeneralprovidenceandthewhimsofthenaturalworld.
IsItRacisttoBelieveJewsAreChosen?
Interestingly,thoughsomehaveseenthispositionasracist,itwasembracedindi erentformsbysome
modernliberalthinkers.eReformleaderAbrahamGeiger(1810-1874),forexample,believedthat
Jewishchosennessisre ectedinanativetalentforreligion.ButmanymodernJewshavebeen
uncomfortablewiththeideaofbeingchosen,particularlythegeneticvariety.
Somethinkers,in uencedbyegalitarianismanduniversalism,rejectedthenotionofJewsaschosen.
ForemostamongsuchthinkersisMordecaiKaplan(1881-1983),thefounderofReconstructionist
Judaism.Kaplanwasahumanistandanaturalist;hedidnotbelieveinasupernaturalGodthatcould
bestowfavorupononenation,andhebelievedthatitwaspracticallyandmorallyproblematictoposit
thefundamentalsuperiorityofonepeople.
Still,mostformsofcontemporaryJudaismhavenotrejectedtheconcept,buthaveplayeddownits
importanceorstresseditsmorebenigninterpretations.