"Had Judaism been entrusted to all nations, it would have lost color and intensity. As everybody’s concern it would have remained nobody’s concern.... Ideals are better entrusted to minorities as their differentiating asset, because of which they live.... Judaism, given at once to the shapeless multitudes of the world, would have become a meaningless phrase ... Hence it was bestowed upon one nation as its heirloom, as the single reason for its existence, as the single argument of its national life, as the aim and end of its struggles and labors.
"The Jewish people thus received a charge that was to inspire its life, but the benefit of which was to accrue to all the world. At the beginning of Jewish history, Abraham, the first Jew, received the universal call, ‘And thou shalt be a blessing to all the nations of the world.’ For the consummation of this ideal, Israel is to walk apart. It will not be counted among the nations ... Guided exclusively by the will of God, living by His commandments and dying if need be for the sanctification of His name, Israel is to present the example of a whole nation elevated, ennobled, illumined by the life in God and encouraging thereby a universal imitatio Dei."[i]
Although this is not proof that the Jews are the Chosen People, it provides evidence for the necessity of such a people. Gerald Schroeder puts it this way:[ii]
"In his closing address, Moses adjures the people to “Remember the days of old, consider the years of each generation” (Deut. 32:7). Kabala tells us these “days of old” are the six days of Genesis, and “the years of each generation” are the historical records of civilization. Understanding the events of our cosmic and social past is a key to discovering the immanence of God. The Bible insists the evidence is there for us to discover God in this world: “You shall know that I am the Eternal” (Ex. 6:7; Ex. 29:46; Deut. 4:39).
"If studying history is indeed the path for all humanity to discover God, then the reason for one of the more contentious and misunderstood issues of the Bible becomes clear. Having a people chosen to be “holy” becomes a necessity, both biblically and scientifically. The Hebrew word for holy is kodesh, which means separate, set apart…. In the language of experimental science, this “holy” people is an identifiable control group set apart against which the flow of history can be compared…”
"The best control is one that is present in the actual environment. The problem becomes how to maintain the separate identity of that people even while they are part of society in general. The Torah accomplishes this by presenting them with a list of constraints (foods, clothing, holidays). For three thousand years it has succeeded. To compensate for the burden of being set aside, those chosen to be separate needed a reward to offset the difficulty of the task. According to the Bible, that reward included a method, not necessarily unique or exclusive, to help in discovering and understanding the transcendental unity that forms the base of our universe."
Schroeder points out that being “holy” does not mean being intrinsically better. “God tells the Israelites that their being chosen is not because they have inherently superior virtues as a people” (Deut. 9:4-6). Being chosen “means being made visible as a symbol.” It is in this light that we are to understand why the Jews alone have a universal history and were destined, after horrific dispersion (Deut. 30:1-5), to return to the Land of Israel where they are now the focus of mankind’s attention.
Yes, hostile attention. And so it must be until Israel becomes a nation consecrated to God.
[i] Leo Jung, Judaism in a Changing World, pp. 15-16.
[ii] Schroeder, The Science of God, pp. 76-78.
The Chosen People: Conclusion
Paul Eidelberg (Parts 1 + 2 - see below; archives - Tib)
Only a nation dedicated to God can inspire and elevate mankind. Leo Jung eloquently writes:
"Had Judaism been entrusted to all nations, it would have lost color and intensity. As everybody’s concern it would have remained nobody’s concern.... Ideals are better entrusted to minorities as their differentiating asset, because of which they live.... Judaism, given at once to the shapeless multitudes of the world, would have become a meaningless phrase ... Hence it was bestowed upon one nation as its heirloom, as the single reason for its existence, as the single argument of its national life, as the aim and end of its struggles and labors.
"The Jewish people thus received a charge that was to inspire its life, but the benefit of which was to accrue to all the world. At the beginning of Jewish history, Abraham, the first Jew, received the universal call, ‘And thou shalt be a blessing to all the nations of the world.’ For the consummation of this ideal, Israel is to walk apart. It will not be counted among the nations ... Guided exclusively by the will of God, living by His commandments and dying if need be for the sanctification of His name, Israel is to present the example of a whole nation elevated, ennobled, illumined by the life in God and encouraging thereby a universal imitatio Dei."[i]
Although this is not proof that the Jews are the Chosen People, it provides evidence for the necessity of such a people. Gerald Schroeder puts it this way:[ii]
"In his closing address, Moses adjures the people to “Remember the days of old, consider the years of each generation” (Deut. 32:7). Kabala tells us these “days of old” are the six days of Genesis, and “the years of each generation” are the historical records of civilization. Understanding the events of our cosmic and social past is a key to discovering the immanence of God. The Bible insists the evidence is there for us to discover God in this world: “You shall know that I am the Eternal” (Ex. 6:7; Ex. 29:46; Deut. 4:39).
"If studying history is indeed the path for all humanity to discover God, then the reason for one of the more contentious and misunderstood issues of the Bible becomes clear. Having a people chosen to be “holy” becomes a necessity, both biblically and scientifically. The Hebrew word for holy is kodesh, which means separate, set apart…. In the language of experimental science, this “holy” people is an identifiable control group set apart against which the flow of history can be compared…”
"The best control is one that is present in the actual environment. The problem becomes how to maintain the separate identity of that people even while they are part of society in general. The Torah accomplishes this by presenting them with a list of constraints (foods, clothing, holidays). For three thousand years it has succeeded. To compensate for the burden of being set aside, those chosen to be separate needed a reward to offset the difficulty of the task. According to the Bible, that reward included a method, not necessarily unique or exclusive, to help in discovering and understanding the transcendental unity that forms the base of our universe."
Schroeder points out that being “holy” does not mean being intrinsically better. “God tells the Israelites that their being chosen is not because they have inherently superior virtues as a people” (Deut. 9:4-6). Being chosen “means being made visible as a symbol.” It is in this light that we are to understand why the Jews alone have a universal history and were destined, after horrific dispersion (Deut. 30:1-5), to return to the Land of Israel where they are now the focus of mankind’s attention.
Yes, hostile attention. And so it must be until Israel becomes a nation consecrated to God.
[i] Leo Jung, Judaism in a Changing World, pp. 15-16.
[ii] Schroeder, The Science of God, pp. 76-78.
Posted by Tiburon at December 23, 2004 01:06 AM