אן אויסצוג פון א בוך:
Jews aren't even the chosen people
The famous ditty by ...
How odd
of God
to choose
the Jews.
The anonymous Jewish response is not so well known:
It's not so odd.
The Jews chose God.
It might be comforting to believe that Jews were selected from among all other peoples as some kind of divine acknowledgement of their excellence. But Jewish sages tell the story somewhat differently. In the Midrash, God goes to all the nations of the world and asks them whether they would be willing to accept his commandments. Every one of them asks first for the details. What does he demand from them? When given specifics - things such as no stealing, killing, or adultery - they beg off; such laws would interfere with their lifestyles. Only the Jews were willing to accept. That, say the Rabbis, makes them not the 'chosen people', but rather the ' choosing people'.
The famous ditty by ...
How odd
of God
to choose
the Jews.
The anonymous Jewish response is not so well known:
It's not so odd.
The Jews chose God.
It might be comforting to believe that Jews were selected from among all other peoples as some kind of divine acknowledgement of their excellence. But Jewish sages tell the story somewhat differently. In the Midrash, God goes to all the nations of the world and asks them whether they would be willing to accept his commandments. Every one of them asks first for the details. What does he demand from them? When given specifics - things such as no stealing, killing, or adultery - they beg off; such laws would interfere with their lifestyles. Only the Jews were willing to accept. That, say the Rabbis, makes them not the 'chosen people', but rather the ' choosing people'.