A Chosen People
- WireNews
- 23 hours ago
- 6 min read
by Elisheva bas Chana
A journey which began with Avraham, when he broke his father’s idols, seeing other people worshipping the sun, moon, and the stars, and asked: “But who created them?” Avraham was alone in believing HaShem was One — Ein Od Milvado.
Avraham and Sarah walked into the unknown when HaShem made the “Covenant of Bris Bein HaBitarim” with Avraham, and he became our first Patriarch.
From Mitzrayim via Yam Suf, arriving at Har Sinai. The Jewish people alone were chosen by HaShem to receive the Torah. Accepting the Torah was not simply optional — available to us — it was a necessity. For the nations of the world, accepting the Torah was an opportunity; for us, it was a destiny.
Being chosen meant that the Jewish people at Har Sinai said yes to the covenant with the words: “Na’aseh v’Nishma — We will do and we will hear.” We have a responsibility to follow the 613 mitzvos, a higher spiritual obligation. The covenant is eternal and binds us and all future generations who are born into this obligation. There is no need for consent or confirmation; Jews do not become Jews. We are Jewish by birth, not only by faith.
The day our journey began, we knew that our strength would not lie in numbers; our history reflects HaShem’s plan. The relationship between HaShem and the Jewish people was often strained, but never broken.
Being chosen did not begin on Shavuos; it was a process which has its roots in our Patriarchs and Matriarchs, and during both golus — exile — and geulah — redemption — from Mitzrayim — Egypt. Our mission is to be a spiritual and ethical guide for the world by realising Torah values, rather than just preaching them.
Yeshayahu — Isaiah speaks of the Jewish people as “a nation of priests,” bringing awareness of HaShem into the world, a “Light unto the nations.” To understand our mission is to recognise that all human beings are created in the image of HaShem. The Midrash states:
“Call upon heaven and earth that the holiness of Divine inspiration is with all of us.” Whether we are Jews or gentiles, men or women, observant or non-observant, whatever our profession or bank balance.
Every human being has an opportunity to connect to HaShem, maybe not in the same way as the Jewish people, only most people choose not to connect to HaShem and create their own modern-day idols they worship. The world has order, and therefore a Creator. Sadly to say, the world is full of disorder, evil, violence, and injustice. A failed society needs a scapegoat.
Being chosen is not a designation of privilege or superiority, but an acceptance of an obligation and responsibility. The acceptance of the Torah, the 613 mitzvos, is a higher standard rather than a higher status. The purpose of why we are chosen is to serve HaShem and to be a “Light unto the nations.”
It was not by accident, but by Divine decree, that the Jewish people have been scattered across the world for most of our history, to spread Torah values and morality. Judaism does not encourage conversion; it is not proselytising.
Every day of our lives we dedicate to Torah learning, davening three times a day, keeping the mitzvos, giving tzedakah — charity, giving chesed — kindness, not only to our fellow Jew but to everyone who is in need of some kindness.
Most people today do not consciously feel lonely, but the experience when we meet someone with whom we genuinely connect makes people realise how incomplete they really are. People are so distracted by life that they hardly notice the emptiness, and when they do, they are often disturbed by it.
In every dimension of our life — in marriage or in relationships with others, in connection to reality — the situation is the same. Most people pass their time in isolation while being in a room full of people. In the way we connect to people is how we connect to our source — HaShem. Relationships that do not involve a deeper aspect will inevitably fail. When this happens to us, we turn to HaShem for guidance.
Being Jewish and being chosen makes most people uncomfortable. Many do not understand who we really are and what being chosen really means.
Small in numbers, between 15 and at most 16 million Jews out of the 8 billion people, but the only nation who gets all the attention. Questions with no answers. The difference between a Jew and a gentile is that the Jewish soul is different from the gentile soul. Gentiles are not required to be Jewish to be holy or righteous. Their path is following the seven Noahide Laws.
We are proud of who we are; so should every gentile be proud of who they are. We enjoy our rich tradition. I always wondered if there are people who love their books as much as we love the Torah. When Shabbos ends, we prepare for next week’s Shabbos. Pesach via Sefiras HaOmer to Shavuos is a time we count step by step to improve our inner lives, our morality.
Rosh Hashanah, Yamim Noraim- the days of Awe- Yom Kippur the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. With Sukkos we built a Sukkah a dwelling place for HaShem to be with us - we treasure our Yontif.
Simchas Torah, when we dance with the Torah — hakafos — and the completion of the reading cycle, to start again with Bereshis — Genesis. We celebrate life, sing and dance, raising our children with Torah values; no television or movies means no distraction and violence. This is not arrogance; this is protecting our children from harming their soul.
Tznius — modesty is not only how we dress; it is also how we behave, the way we interact with other people. Modesty does not mean hiding ourselves or a denial of self; it is rather that in dress, behaviour, and speech we act appropriately.
Three times a day we daven — pray. Hitbodedus — in personal prayer, we daven for the sick person or the needy who could do with a helping hand.
A hundred brachos — blessings a day we recite to show our gratitude to HaShem and not take anything for granted.
Judaism is a challenged faith that has not once but many times been challenged. For us, it is obvious why Avraham believed in one G-D — HaShem, or why Moshe fought against the enslavement of his people, or why our Sages battled against corruption in everyday life. We see the world through their eyes, and we find it hard to understand how it could not have been otherwise. We won a series of moral victories. Centuries of Western thought gave us the idea that when we choose how to live, we are on our own.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks ז"ל writes in his book A Letter in the Scroll that against this whole complex of ideas, Jewish life is a sustained countervoice. “To be a Jew is to know that this cannot be the full story of who I am. A melody is more than a sequence of disconnected notes. A painting is something other than a random set of brushstrokes. The part has meaning in terms of its place within the whole, so that if history has a meaning, then the lives that make it up must in some way be joined to one another, characters in a narrative, figures in an unfolding drama. Without this, it would be impossible to speak about meaning; and Judaism is the insistence that history does have a meaning.”
There is a difference between pride and arrogance. Arrogance is the belief that you are better than others. There are other cultures, civilisations, people different from each other, and other faiths. Each and every one of us contributes something unique.
But Judaism is ours; this is our faith, our people, an inheritance we share. By loving our own people, we learn to love humanity. When you have peace with yourself, you find peace with the world.
I am proud to be Jewish and passionate about my faith, which has never left its ideas or dreams, but expresses them in deeds that we call mitzvos, and a way of life which we call halacha — Jewish Law. The Torah is the voice of heaven as it is heard on earth, the Word that gives light to the world.
We have no desire to rule the world; we leave that to HaShem.
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Silence is sometimes the best option, but not always!
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Elisheva bas Chana – Celebrating the Heart of Yiddishkeit
Elisheva is a passionate voice for authentic Jewish life, blending Torah wisdom, mitzvos, and the timeless beauty of Yiddishkeit. Her writing shines a light on the strength and grace of Jewish women—from the legacy of Devorah Leah, daughter of the Alter Rebbe, to today’s women who live with faith, modesty, and purpose. Through her words, Elisheva celebrates Torah study, family purity, and radiant tznius, inspiring readers to embrace the joy, depth, and enduring spirit of Jewish tradition. Contact Elisheva.
