J7: Chosen People

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A chosen people

In 1966, the editors of "Commentary", an American based magazine focusing on Jewish affairs, began a bold project. In order to determine what it was that contemporary Jews believed in, they sent out a list of five probing questions about Jewish beliefs to fifty five Rabbis and scholars. Thirty eight responses were received and published, first in the August edition of the magazine and then in a book entitled "The Condition of Jewish Belief". Judging by these responses, there was one question that the thinkers found particularly troubling. It was question number two and started: " In what sense do you consider the Jews to be the chosen people of God?"

In the light of the previous discussion, the notion of the chosen people does not make much sense. We are not the chosen nation, at most we could be a chosen nation.

"Maybe the Greeks were chosen for their unique contribution to the arts and philosophy; the Romans for their pioneering services in law and government, the British for bringing parliamentary rule to the world and the Americans for piloting democracy in a pluralistic society" (Lord Jakobovits)

This is a bold speculation and many would not want to go that far. Nevertheless, it captures the idea of particularist monotheism well. Everyone has their own mission and language and has to serve the universal God in their own way. Chosenness therefore lies in having a sense of purpose. Every nation with a certain degree of self awareness therefore has a sense of purpose to justify its own existence. This is particularly true of Judaism that for many years had no land or other unifying feature. The formulation of a goal and purpose is what unifies us and defines us as being Jews. What exactly is this sense of purpose and how much we feel it is left open for each individual to fill in.

Number Thirty Nine

Reading the thirty eight answers to question two that appear in the book is enlightening. All thirty eight seem to be deeply bothered by the question and are highly uncomfortable with the comparison. All thirty eight answered by attempting to reformulate the doctrine so that it made sense in the late twentieth century. And amazingly, almost all thirty eight of them answered differently and found a response that was individual to them! Although it may often seem more comfortable to follow the seventeen thinkers who didn't respond to the magazine and ignore the question, it is a response that does not seem possible. The question "Why be different?" is one that challenges each individual to define how they see themselves and their Judaism in relation to the rest of their lives. This a personal question and demands a personal response. Thirty eight responses and thirty eight solutions. What will be your thirty ninth?

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