05 Dec ARE JEWS THE CHOSEN PEOPLE? WHY THE OBSESSION WITH ISRAEL AND JEWS?

Why the Obsession
with Israel?
I do not see a way of
r a t i o n a l l y
explaining the
obsessive hatred to
Israel and Jews without the faith that Jews
are G-d’s chosen people to make the world
a place of goodness and kindness.
The obsession with Jews, a people that
does not even constitute a quarter of a
percent of humanity, is going on for almost
4000 years. It makes no sense. 500,000
people were murdered in Syria, including
tens of thousands of children, and I did not
hear of one demonstration. Israel is trying
to protect its children from being
slaughtered, fighting an enemy that wants
its own children to die, so Israel can be
demonized, and yet the Jews are
condemned.

Traumatized self-hating Jews and anti-
Semites even have the chutzpah to call

Gaza a Jewish “concentration camp,”
when Israel expelled every last Jew from
Gaza in 2005. Had the Gaza population not
voted in Hamas in 2006 and chosen to
spend all its resources to murder Jews,
Gaza could have been the Singapore of the
Middle East. They blame Israel for having
checkpoints, which only exist because
without them, there would be terrorists’
attacks on a daily basis. They want an
airport in Gaza, so that planes can murder
tens of thousands of Jews daily?
The obsession with Israel makes no sense
unless you can appreciate the truth that we
are G-d’s people. We were chosen to serve
as a light onto the nations, a Divine flame
lit on the cosmic way, hence we trigger the
world in unimaginable ways.
But this is not easy for Jews to accept, even
though the world knows it. Virtually every
other nation has perceived itself as chosen
or otherwise divinely special. For example,
China means “Middle Kingdom” in
Chinese – meaning that China is at the
center of the world; and Japan considers
itself the land where the sun originates
(“Land of the Rising Sun”). The British
thought they were chosen, and the Muslims
and Christians of course see themselves as
chosen. And they would love hearing it.
But when you tell a Jew you are chosen, he
says: “Me? Never. I am just a human
being.”
Of course, Jewish chosen-ness cannot be
racist because Jews are not a race; there are
Jews of every race. What is more, any

person of any race, ethnicity, or nationality
can become a member of the Jewish people
and thereby be as chosen as Abraham,
Moses, Jeremiah, Maimonides, or the chief
rabbi of Israel.
Can reason alone explain how a
hodgepodge of ex-slaves was able to
change history — to introduce the moral
Creator we know as G-d, to devise ethical
monotheism; to write the world’s most
influential book, the Bible; to be the only
civilization to deny the cyclical worldview
and give humanity belief in a linear (i.e.,

purposeful) history; to provide morality-
driven prophets; and so much more —

without G-d playing the decisive role in
this people’s history?
But we are still uncomfortable. Why did it
have to be this way? Who needs this idea
that one people is chosen? It seems
unenlightened. To suggest that as Jews we
are somehow closer to G-d than all other
nation smacks of arrogance, elitism, and
prejudice.
It’s because we don’t understand what
“chosen” means.
The Rebbe’s 1798 Letter
This story takes us back some two centuries
ago. In 1798, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of
Liadi (1745-1812), founder of Chabad,
known as the Alter Rebbe, was arrested
and charged with treason, on the basis of
petitions to the Czar by opponents of
Chassidism. It was a devastating moment
in Jewish history. He could have been
given capital punishment, heaven forbid—
and that would have been the end not only
of Chabad, but of much of the Chassidic
movement, as he was its chief defender,
intellectual advocate, and most influential
figure. After 53 days of imprisonment, he
was exonerated of all charges and freed.
The event—celebrated to this day on the
19th day of Kislev, this Shabbos December
2 —marked the decisive victory of the
Chassidic movement and the onset of a
new, expanded phase in the exploration
and dissemination of the infinite spiritual
depth of Judaism, embodied in Chassidism.
Upon his release, Rabbi Schneur Zalman
dispatched a short but powerful letter to all
his followers. It is one of the most
extraordinary letters one can read. (It is
published in Tanya, Igeres Hakodesh,
chapter 2). The Rebbe suffered so much as
a result of his opponents; they persecuted
him and his followers even before the
arrest; then came the arrest and his
terrifying trial. Yet in this letter, he warns

his disciples against
any display of
haughtiness as a
result of their
victory. He instructs
them not to
denigrate, tease,
and show disdain to
those who craved
their downfall.
The letter opens
with the verse
stated by Jacob in
Genesis: “I have
become small by all the kindnesses and by
all the truth that You have done Your
servant.” (This verse appears in the
beginning of the Torah section of
Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4-36:43), which
was the Torah reading for the Shabbat
preceding the day of Rabbi Schneur
Zalman’s release, Tuesday, 19 Kislev,
5759-1798). The Alter Rebbe is perturbed
by the obvious question. Why was Jacob
humbled by all the kindness he was shown?
Why did it not bolster his pride? If G-d
gave this all to me, I probably deserve it!
תניא אגרת הקודש סימן ב: פי‘ שבכל חסד וחסד
שהקדוש ב“ה עושה לאדם צריך להיות שפל רוח
במאד, כי חסד דרועא ימינא. וימינו תחבקני. שהיא
בחי‘ קרבת אלהים ממש ביתר שאת מלפנים. וכל
הקרוב אל ה‘ ביתר שאת והגבה למעלה מעלה, צריך
להיות יותר שפל רוח למטה מטה כמ“ש מרחוק ה‘
נראה לי. וכנודע דכולא קמי‘ דווקא כלא חשיב. וא“כ
כל שהוא קמי‘ יותר הוא יותר כלא ואין ואפס וזו
בחי‘ ימין שבקדושה וחסד לאברהם שאמר אנכי עפר
ואפר. וזו היא ג“כ מדתו של יעקב… משא“כ בזלע“ז
הוא ישמעאל חסד דקליפה. כל שהחסד גדול הוא
.הולך וגדל בגובה וגסות הרוח ורוחב לבו
The Alter Rebbe conveys a profound idea.
Who Chose You?
In the Jewish understanding, chosenness
leads not to arrogance, but rather to
humility. If it were some human king who
chose us to be his special people, then your
assumption would be correct — we would
become elitists. When a mortal power
shows favoritism towards a subject, that
subject will become more arrogant as a
result — the closer you are to the king, the
more significant you are, and the more
significant you are the higher respect you
feel you deserve.
But we were chosen by G-d. And the closer
you are to G-d, the more you sense your
insignificance. While being buddy-buddy
with a human leader inflates your ego, a
relationship with G‐d bursts your selfish
bubble. Because G‐d is an infinite being,

and all delusions of petty self-importance
fall away when you stand before infinity.
Being close with G-d demands
introspection and self-improvement, not
smugness.
In Judaism, G-d is the core of reality—the
entire reality of existence. We are all part
of reality, we are all in reality; we are all
part of G-d, in G-d, in reality. There is an
organic oneness that unites all of existence,
all of humanity, all of the cosmos—and
that organic unity is what we call G-d.
“Hashem Echad,” G-d is one, does not
only mean there is one G-d and not twenty
gods; it means that G-d is synonymous
with oneness. The word G-d is another
way of saying that “there is only one.”
There is oneness that pervades all of
existence. We are all reflections of One
reality; One core. We are all
manifestations—diverse expressions—of
a singular reality.
To be conscious of G-d means to never
allow your ego to wrap you in its superficial
imagination. “Ego” stands for Easing G-d
Out. When I do not realize my true
greatness and value, as a reflection of G-d’s
infinite oneness, I must resort to my ego to
feel good about myself and to put you
down. Becoming G-d conscious means
that at every moment I need not protect my
ego, as I become completely comfortable
with my true reality, as an expression of
Divine light. The more G-d conscious I
am, the smaller I become and the greater I
become: On one level I become nothing, as
there is nothing but the organic oneness,
the absolute infinity of G-d, which pervades
all. At the same time—I become the
greatest, as my life becomes a full and
seamless expression of the higher,
unifying, integrating, eternal consciousness
of the eternal core of all reality.
Being close to G-d summons you to respect
others more, not less. The more G-d
conscious, the more loving and charitable

you become, as you
are aware that G-d’s
light pervades every
person and every
creature. When in the
name of chosenness a
person becomes
bigoted, disrespectful, elitist and arrogant—
they missed the boat. When you become
aware of G-d choosing you, it eliminates
the judgementalism we resort to in order to
protect our egos and feel better about
ourselves and our place in the world. Your
success never equals my failure. I reflect
one aspect of G-d, as you reflect another
one.
This is the idea of the Chosen People — a
nation of individuals who have been given
the opportunity to sense G-d’s closeness,
hear His truth and relay His message to the
world. All agree that it was the Jews that
introduced the world to monotheism and a
system of ethics and morals that has shaped
the modern view of life and its purpose.
And it is the survival of Judaism to this day
that attests to the eternal value of this
system.

Anyone from any ethnic background can
convert to Judaism and become chosen.
Jewish chosenness is not a gene, it is a state
of the soul. Anyone wishing to take it upon
themselves is welcome — as long as they
are ready to have their bubble burst. Anyone
can join this group of “chosen people” as
long as they are ready to experience
themselves as nothing…
And that is a Jew.
And that is why so many people loathe the
Jewish people.
We have been chosen to teach each and
every person alive that each of them has
been chosen—to serve G-d and become an
ambassador of love, light, and goodness to
His world.
What Did Chosen-ness Do To Us?
When I look at our people, I ask myself one
question: Has our belief that we are the
chosen people turned us into murderous
people who feel they have the right to
abuse, persecute, target, and annihilate
other cultures and peoples who are
different? Or has it made us feel responsible
to share, give, contribute, and help others?

Has the idea of Chosen People turned us
into people who are never introspective, or
perhaps into the most self-critical and
introspective nation on earth? (Often, the
worst critics of Israel are Jews!)
The true test of chosenness is how humble
you are. Most Jews today have passed this
test with flying colors. Their humility is so
deep, it doesn’t allow them to accept that
they are chosen. While most other religious
groups are quite comfortable claiming that
they are the best, we Jews will do anything
to say that we are nothing special. Now
that’s what we call a Chosen People!
Katonti!
This, explained Rabbi Schneur Zalman,

was the hallmark of Jacob. To the self-
absorbed person, a kindness from G-d is

proof of his own significance and worth. To
the spiritually mature person, however, a
kindness from G-d is, first and foremost, an
act of divine love: G-d is drawing the
person closer to Him. And the closer one
comes to G-d, the more one realizes one’s
own insignificance in the face of the divine
infinity.

This is what it means to think as a Jew.
When you were blessed with a gift, when
you were showered with a blessing—the
first instinct of the Jew is: Katonti! I am
humbled.
This, the Alter Rebbe taught, must be the
response of his followers to the grace they
have seen: to become far more humble,
authentic, and Divine. To suspend their
egos and become channels for Divine
oneness.
When we realize we have been chosen, we
cultivate a healthy confidence that comes
not from ego but from humility. It is about
respecting our role as Divine ambassadors
for goodness and truth. Then we never duck
to the pressure of those who want us to
compromise our eternal mission to
eliminate evil and cultivate goodness.