Chosen Nation
QUESTION #9: Isn’t it Condescending for Jews to call themselves the Chosen Nation?
At first glance, the concept of “Am Hanivchar” (Chosen Nation) can appear at odds with the idea of pluralism or the American ideal that “All men are created equal[1].” After more careful analysis, the Jewish approach is actually a beautiful synthesis of pride in oneself coupled with respect for others:
The Jewish claim of being chosen is not unique to Jews: Most religions and philosophies believe that they were “chosen.” For example, most Christians believe that G-d originally chose the Jews,[2] then sent down Jesus, and now the Christians are “chosen.”[3] Most Muslims believe that G-d originally chose the Jews,[4] sent down Mohamed, and now the Muslims are “chosen.”[5] Jews believe that G-d originally chose the Jews and never changed His mind.[6] The belief in one’s “chosenness” or some other form of superiority is not limited to religions. Thomas Jefferson’s Manifest Destiny was the belief in a Divine destiny to redeem and remake the world in the image of the United States of America.[7] Even if aspects of the Manifest Destiny, such as the Divine mission, are no longer widely accepted, the belief among many Americans that their way of life is superior is alive and well today. From colonialism, to imperialism, to the current drive to spread capitalism and democracy, the struggle by the Western World to educate “inferior” cultures continues.[8] Communists and socialists similarly maintain that their way of life is the best,[9] insisting that the right way of doing things is for more communal sharing and greater economic and social equality. Totalitarian regimes would argue for the efficiency and effectiveness of their methods.[10] And even the various rebellions and Arab Springs across the globe contain rebel visions of a better way of life. Sometimes the rebels are guided by a “superior” ideology such as democracy.[11] Other times, they’re guided by a “superior” philosophy and practice of religion.[12] In some cases, the rebellions against totalitarian regimes are guided by the desire for the rebels to set up their own leadership, which may be even more restrictive and domineering than the one it replaces.[13] The bottom line is that whether by Divine right or logical proclamation, just about everyone claims or believes that their way of life is “chosen”.
Jews need not be ashamed for standing by their convictions: 
Believing that your philosophy is right does not mean that you are egotistical or that you don’t respect others. Rather, it means that you have convictions and stand by them. An atheist is convinced that there is no G-d. As such, from his perspective, someone who believes in G-d is wrong. A believer would maintain that the atheist is wrong. They cannot both be right. Either there is a G-d or there isn’t a G-d. The believer can and should respect the atheist’s right to his opinion, while still maintaining his conviction that the atheist is wrong. Similarly, either Jesus was the Messiah or he wasn’t. We can’t all be right. So even in a pluralistic society, when it comes to factual opinions, those who have confidence in their convictions will necessarily believe that the opposing view is wrong.
Judaism is among the most accepting and complimentary toward other religions: While Judaism is clearly not alone in believing that its way of life is correct, Judaism is unique in its philosophy that we are all G-d’s children, Jews and non-Jews alike. Unlike many other religions that maintain that only their followers can be saved,[14] Judaism maintains that all humans can share in the eternal after life.[15] Furthermore, not only do we not demand that non-Jews convert to Judaism to achieve some sort of salvation, we actually discourage conversion.[16]
To learn more about the “Chosen Nation”, click on any of the items below:
To comment on this article or to see more recommended reading about this topic, scroll down to after the footnotes.
[1] Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
[2] Peter 2:9; Romans 11:2
[3] Luke 15, 11-31; Romans 13:17; Vatican Council II (1965); Christians and Jews: Starting Over – Why the Real Dialogue Has Just Begun by Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson; Holy Hatred: Christianity, Anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006), 111
[4] Koran, 2:47, 2:122, 17:104 and 10:93
[5] Koran, 5:3
[6] Devarim (Deuteronomy), 7:6-8; Talmud, Chagiga, 5B
[7] Native America, Discovered And Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, And Manifest Destiny. Greenwood. p. 120 (2006)
[8] USAID Policy: Democracy and Governance, November 1991 (http://transition.usaid.gov/policy/ads/200/demgov/demogov.pdf); From Evaluating Democracy Assistance to Appraising Democracy Promotion, Political Studies Association, Political Studies 2008, VOL 56; Democracy in Development: How can both processes mutually reinforce each other? European Centre for Development Policy Management, October 2009
[9] Communist Manifesto (1848); Marx & Engels (1848)
[10] Britain, America and Anti-Communist Propaganda 1945-1953: The Information Research Department, 2007, chapters 2-5; The totalitarian paradigm after the end of Communism: towards a theoretical reassessment (1998)
[11] EGYPT: Protests continue but activists divided over goals,” Los Angeles Times, July 15, 2011; Is Turkey the best model for Arab democracy (September 2011); “Tunisia’s bitter cyberwar” (2011); Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry,” BICI
[13] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/religious-oppression-rises-arab-spring_n_3474747.html; http://www.humanevents.com/2013/06/03/arab-spring-egypts-legal-persecution-of-christians/
[14] Romans, 10:9; John, 3:16; Act, 2:38 and 4:12; Mark, 16:16; Koran, 8:39 and 9:29; Sahih Muslim, 1:33 and 39:5917; Bukhari, 8:387 and 59:392;
[15] Talmud Avodah Zarah, 10B; Rambam (Maimonides) Mishna Torah, Hilchos Teshuvah (Laws of Repentance), 3:5 and Hilchos Melachim (Laws of Kings), 8:14
[16] Rus (Ruth), 1:13; Talmud Yevamos, 47A; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah, 268:2
14 Comments
I’m Catholic. I’ve grown up seeing “John 3:16” referenced publicly. If you’re not familiar with our teaching, this gospel phrase begins “For G-d so loved the world that He sent His only son…” Note it is love for all the world; Pope Francis has even published an encyclical about our duty to care for all creatures in our world.
We believe that all can be welcomed into G-d’s kingdom, not just one group. We pray on Good Friday for all, progressing from Christians to our Jewish brethren to those who find G-d in other ways, to those who may show that love in ways only G-d knows/sees. We only feel that it’s an easier path to G-d when we follow our Judeo-Christian teachings.
Please don’t say Jews are unique in accepting all into the light of heaven.
Not all will be welcomed into heaven for eternal existence with Our God of Abraham, Isaack and Jacob of the Old Covenant/Torah/O.T. The Torah (O.T.) says that God will send a deliverer to those who are waiting to be delivered. Many references on this. He sent his son in physical form (John 3:16) for anyone who chooses to believe that His son will set the free and they will know the truth and their eyes will be opened. Jesus was the Jewish Messiah that God sent to those who are waiting for a deliverer He is our salvation from our sins and all we have done wrong that cannot be scrubbed clean by rituals. Many references that Jesus was from the House of David, Jewish, and many verses in the “New Covenant” fulfill the prophecies of God speaking in the Torah or the Old Covenant. God has set things new again for those who seek and believe in the Messiah that He sent to deliver all of us.
Very interesting read, however as a Christian, I do not believe that we are ‘chosen; but rather grafted into the olive tree that is Judaism. (The Jews and the Greeks first).
Jesus was a Jew and as such, Christians and Jews worship the same God (Yahweh), the God of Abraham, Isaac and Joseph.
That the Moslems consider Yahweh to be the same as Allah is a great confusion on their part. If you have ever read the Quran, you will never reconcile the teachings and instructions of their god with with those of Hashem.
As a Christian, I distance myself from the Pope and the Vatican (that is another subject for another time and place).
I would like to end in saying that no matter what the power that be may say or do, nothing can stop that which was written by the prophets from coming to pass and if anyone would care to read Matthew 24, they will be stunned by what was predicted over 2000 years ago and is coming to pass as we speak. May God bless and keep us all.
Thanks so much for sharing! The bottom line is that whether someone believes in Jesus or Mohamed or neither of them, only one version of reality can be true. So if I believe that I’m right that the Messiah has not yet come, then I must conclude that your belief that he has come is wrong. That being said, I can still respect you as one of G-d’s children and respect your right to choose your own path.
As to why we would not accept Matthew or any other parts of the New Testament, here are just some of the many reasons:
The Torah (Old Testament) includes many verses which instruct us that the Torah can never be changed, neither to add onto it (like the new Testament) nor to subtract from it (like those who try to remove some of the commandments).
For example:
“You shall not add to that which I command you and you shall not subtract from it, to observe the commandments of the L-rd your G-d, that I commanded you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2)
And the law prohibiting any sort of change applies even if a “miracle worker” tells us to change. For example,
“If there arise in the midst of you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke to you saying: “Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them”; you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams; for the L-rd your G-d is testing you, to know whether you do love the L-rd your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 13:2-4)
What you say is true I think you meant to say Jacob and not Joseph. It is wise to stay away for The pope. God did not sent he pope. He is merely a man. Do not believe any human. Only what the Bible says. Many Rabbis, High priest and scholars have studied and interpreted the Old and New Covenant and the Dead Sea scrolls. Yes, each of the prophesies in the Old Covenant (Torah) has shown itself to be true in the New Covenant and the prophesies are now in our view.
The reason i consulted this site is to find out whether Jewish people believe in the sovereignty of Jesus. Evidently not, since one of their beliefs is that a soul goes to hell for a full year following death. If this is the way that Jewish people believe then why was Jesus sent to earth? What was the purpose of the Crucifixion? What about that phrase that says no one come to the Father except through me?
AND WHY CAN YOU NOT SAY OR TEXT THE WORD GOD?
While Jesus was Jewish, the vast majority of Jews never accepted him as the Messiah because the associated prophecies relating to the arrival of the Messiah have not yet transpired. As such, we are still waiting for the Messiah and the prophecies of world peace and the like that are supposed to come along with it.
As far as the crucifixion and the many thousands of other Jews who were killed by the Romans and the millions of Jews killed by the Nazis, Judaism maintains that G-d is ALL-powerful. This leads us to other difficult questions as to why G-d would allow things like mental illness, Covid 19, natural disasters, attempted genocide and the many other forms of suffering that humans have faced throughout history.
This topic is emotionally charged and difficult to analyze even from a purely intellectual perspective.
Here are a few links that might be helpful in addressing these difficult questions
• An audio link to a class I gave on Why Bad Things Happen to Good People – https://youtu.be/E13u6NEJbwk
• A link to my article on Suffering – http://rabbiwithanswers.com/suffering/
• An article on Suffering and the Holocaust – https://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/suffering-and-the-holocaust/
• An audio link to Suffering and Joy – https://www.simpletoremember.com/media/a/tatztatz85a/
With regard to your question about spelling out G-d, according to Jewish tradition, the prohibition against taking G-d’s name in vain applies to all of His names. Even cursing someone while utilizing the English version “G-d” would be problematic. And while some do allow writing His name in English, many of us even take the added precaution of placing a “-” instead of the “O”, which is why I keep writing it like this – G-d (or L-rd).
Using G-d’s name is only a problem when referring to G-d. For example, if I am referring to false gods, there is no issue (hence the lower case and lack of dash).
Along similar lines, I am not allowed to call my parents by their first name, even not in their presence. However, if I have a friend by same name, I am allowed to call my friend by his name.
The prohibition of taking G-d’s name in vain appears in 2 places in the Torah (Bible):
Shemos (Exodus) 20:7 and Devarim (Deuteronomy) 5:11
Their are wealthy Jews and wealthy Christians. But it seems those are the ones that work at the top of the “religion”… Also maybe it is passed down to their kids. Is “religion” no more then controlling people’s lives to make them your subject, make prophet off of them and stay in power? Is that really all it is about? All in a promise that if you are good to your religion you will be welcome to heaven. I’m catholic and Jesus I do not think would agree with the evil things the church has done in his name. So I believe the catholic religion is corrupt. But Jesus never said for humans to judge others on his behalf. I just think religion in general is a sham and a waste of time. As long as you have good morals.
Hey Curtis and thanks for sharing! I can’t comment on other religions, but I can tell you that in Judaism, the most venerated rabbis within Judaism tend to be the poorest. They give away most of what they have and choose to live VERY modestly, focusing instead on spirituality, Torah study and helping others.
In Judaism, we believe that every person has a direct link to G-d, without the need for any intermediaries. We also don’t believe that one needs to sacrifice this world in order to obtain the afterlife. Amazingly, religiously observant Jews tend to have achieved so pretty amazing worldly successes, such as a lower crime rate, lower drug abuse rate, lower divorce rate, and the like.
The observant Christians who worship and claim God as their King, also have a lower rate of crime, drug abuse, divorce rate and the like because they are obedient to our God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Although “no one has arrived” Jews and Christians who are “observant” have also fallen into sin. If one is not following God everyday as the Old and New Covenant demand us to, then the devil is leading them into sin.
I’m sorry that you are so angry. The Catholic religion is man made and not of our God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I think you will find your answers by reading the Bible and find a “Bible Believing” church to attend where they only believe exactly as the Bible states. Nothing added by a human. Only the laws of our God. Much damage has been done in the name of “Religion” The Yeshua was not a religion, he was sent by our God because God loves us and wants us to live with Him since He created us. We are His servants. He is loving, merciful and shows us grace, but He is the Sovereign King of all and demands respect and obedience.
most Christians believe that G-d originally chose the Jews, then sent down Jesus, and now the Christians are “chosen.
I am Christian and I believe that the Jews were chosen by G-d and my Christians friends think so too.
It is a mistake of thinking the Christians were taken the place of Jews his is not thought and my friends and I we think, we have been grafted onto the olive three (of Israel and Jews) and made partaker of the nourishing root of the olive three, in accepting G-d in our lives, we are hare involved not replacing.
You are the chosen nation and that never change it is what le scripture tell.
Amen.
Anna
Sorry for my English.
Belief is the abandonment of reason regardless of the belief system. Disputing when reason is abandoned is absurd. All argument becomes meaningless faced with false premises wherein anything can be proven, anything.
Do you dismiss every report you see/hear? What do you use for a standard of acceptability for any claim?