Rabbi David Golinkin on the chosenness of the Jewish people — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, Rabbi David Golinkin, a Conservative Judaism rabbi and professor of Talmudic and Jewish law, explained that the concept of the chosenness of the Jewish people should not be interpreted as a claim of their superiority over other nations. In a column for The Jerusalem Post, he linked this concept to religious obligations which, in his interpretation, are defined in biblical texts.
Prayer on holidays
Golinkin drew attention to the “Ata behartanu” prayer, which is recited as part of the Amidah during the High Holy Days. It states that God chose the Jewish people, sanctified them through the commandments, and brought them closer to service. Similar formulations, the author noted, are also present in the blessing before the Torah reading and in the kiddush on Shabbat and holidays.
The rabbi noted that the idea of chosenness is contained in the Torah, particularly in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. At the same time, he recalled critics of this concept among both non-Jews and Jews. In particular, in 1945, Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan changed the wording of the blessing before the Torah in a Reconstructionist prayer book, replacing the reference to chosenness with words about being brought closer to the service of God.
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Four religious tasks
According to Golinkin, the biblical verb meaning “to choose” usually refers to assigning a person or a place to a specific mission. He named four tasks that, under this interpretation, the Jewish people are to fulfill: to testify to monotheism, observe the Torah and commandments, practice justice, and be a light to other nations.
The author also referred to a passage from Deuteronomy in which chosenness is explained by God’s love and the promise to the ancestors, rather than by the people’s numbers or special qualities. He added that after the revelation at Mount Sinai, the Jewish people, according to the biblical narrative, themselves accepted God’s covenant and commandments.
