Ki Tavo 5774 - English

By Rabbi Gustavo Kraselnik

“I know, I know. We are Your chosen people. But, once in a while, can't You choose someone else?”

This phrase belongs to Tevye the milkman, celebrated character created by Scholem Aleichem (Ukraine 1859 – USA 1916), protagonist of the novel written in Yiddish which bears his name, universally known through the musical “The Fiddler on the Roof.”

With his typical irreverence, Tevye speaks with God, questioning Him for the poverty and anti-Semitic attacks suffered by “His chosen”.  His clever considerations constitute a critique of the concept of The Chosen People, which has shaped Jewish thought throughout the centuries and which originates in several passages of the Torah, among them one that appears in Parashat Ki Tavo:

“And the Lord has affirmed this day that you are, as He promised you, His treasured people who shall observe all His commandments…” (Deut. 26:18).

On his commentary to this verse, the Ramban (Nachmanides, Spain, 13th century) affirms that it was through  acceptance of the Torah that God considered Israel as a special people among the nations.  In fact, that same thought is supported with the blessing said by every person called to the Torah: “who has chosen us from among the peoples, and given us the Torah.”

Throughout the centuries, the concept of the Chosen People has given rise to erroneous interpretations and even to discriminatory accusations.  It is true that within the Jewish tradition, some voices chose to infuse the idea with a more selective reading, but for me, the more universalist and open vision always prevailed.

Let me enumerate some basic notions that corroborate this idea.

Jewish tradition affirms that all human beings come from the first couple (Adam and Eve), and a famous passage (Sanhedrin 4:5) in the Mishnah tells us that this was meant to teach that no one’s ancestors were above those of any other person.

In another well known text (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah 3:5), Rambam (Maimonides, Spain, 12th century) maintains that the righteous among the nations will have a place in the Olam ha’Ba, in the World to Come.

The Torah (Num. 15:16 and others) also acknowledges the legal equality of foreign residents, whereas Josef Caro (Spain and Israel, 16th century) affirms, in the Shulchan Aruch (Yore Deah 268:1-2), that everyone who converts to Judaism is equal to those who were born Jewish, thus rejecting any exclusionary concept due to birth or belonging to the people.

The “choice” of Israel does not imply any superiority or inner sanctity.  It should be viewed from the perspective of the obligations accepted in the covenant with God, more than from the illusive benefits that could be gratuitously received.  In the words of the prophet Isaiah: “and I will make you to be a covenant for the people, a light for the nations” (Is. 42:6).

On the other hand, to the extent that Israel abandons the covenant, its destiny will become similar to that of other nations (see Amos 2:4), and it will suffer serious consequences, as is clearly described in our parashah:

“But if you do not obey the Lord your God to observe faithfully all His commandments and laws which I enjoin upon you this day, all these curses shall come upon you and take effect” (Deut. 28:15).

To me, the best way to understand the concept of chosen people is to reverse the formula.  (I once read it was a mirror-related idea.)  More than God choosing Israel, it was Israel who chose God. We became the chosen people by means of the covenant, because we took on the challenge of being His partners in the work of creation.

The best thing is that this choice is not exclusive.  Any person, any group has the power to be chosen to the extent in which it decides to choose God, to live under His guidance and divine inspiration, with the sole command to follow the principle for which we pray thrice a day in the Aleinu, at the end of our prayer:  letaken olam b’malchut Shaddai, to perfect the world under the reign of the Almighty.

Are we the chosen people?  I prefer to think that we are the people who chose God, and that constitutes a greater responsibility that obliges us.

Shabbat Shalom,

Gustavo