God Chooses Am Yisrael

Found 5 Search results

  1. Fear Not For I Am With You

    Haftarot: Lekh Lekha

    Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein

    The prophet emphasizes God's ability and desire to redeem His nation, both because of their significance, and because of the covenant of the Forefathers.

  2. Unity and Individualism

    Rabbi Ezra Bick

    What was the sin of the builders of the Tower of Bavel? What could be wrong with unity? How does confusing mankind with languages solve the problem? What is the meaning of God's response? And what is the connection between the Tower of Bavel and the selection of Avraham?

  3. "Rejoice With Trembling"

    Haftarot: Toldot

    Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein

    The bible presents two models for the relationship between man and God. One parallels the relationship between a servant and his master, and the other is an intimate and loving relationship. The service of God is meant to include both models.

  4. Rashi

    Part 7 - Rashi and Christianity (II)

    Dr. Avigail Rock

    In the Torah itself, we find the following pro-Israel and anti-Christian trends in Rashi's commentary that appear to be a response to Christianity:

    • The Eternal Selection of Jewish Nation
    • The Jewish Nation as a Moral People
    • The demonization of Esav as a symbol of Christianity
    • The defense of Yaakov and his entitlement to the birthrite and the blessings

    These interpretations of Rashi cannot be seen only as encouraging the Jewish community at a time of persecution; it appears that Rashi’s aim is to teach his generation how to answer theological challenges.

  5. A People That Dwells Alone

    Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

    Where did Jewish singularity lie? The clue lies in the precise wording of Bilaam’s blessing: “Behold it is a people that dwells alone.” For it was as a people that God chose the descendants of Abraham; as a people that He made a covenant with them at Mount Sinai; as a people that He rescued them from Egypt, gave them laws, and entered into their history. “You will be to Me,” He said at Sinai, “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Judaism is the only religion to place God at the center of its self-definition as a nation. Jews are the only nation whose very identity is defined in religious terms.

    Why, if God is the God of the universe, accessible to every human being, should He choose one nation to bear witness to His presence in the human arena? This is a profound question. There is no short answer. But at least part of the answer, I believe, is this. God is wholly Other. Therefore He chose a people who would be humanity’s ‘other’. That is what Jews were – outsiders, different, distinctive, a people who swam against the tide and challenged the idols of the age. Judaism is the counter-voice in the conversation of mankind.

     

    This article is part of the Covenant & Conversation series.

    To read more from Rabbi Sacks or to subscribe to his mailing list, please visit http://www.rabbisacks.org/. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.