The Chosen Nation

Hello everyone, my name is Aliza, and I've just recently been recruited to write for Tzipiyah.com. I've done some guest posts here, from my own blog http://www.torahtopics.blogspot.com, and now I'm here to write on a regular basis. Wonderful! This post was originally posted at the opening of my own blog, but I want to share it with a wider spectrum of readers. So, here it is!
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Do people ever ask you why Jews are G-d's "chosen nation"?
Do they ask what makes us so special that we are "above" everyone else?

Are we really chosen?
I don't think so.

Now, wait a second. I don't think we are the chosen nation?!
Yeah, I would think I was crazy, too, if I were you :p

Originally, Adam and Chava were supposed to be the start of Am Israel.
Then they sinned and missed that opportunity.
So, from the time of Adam and Chava until the time of Avraham and Sarah there were 10 generations in which HaShem searched for someone who would merit being Israel.

Yes, there were tzadikim in those generations, and they followed HaShem's ways and tried to show people His greatness.
Then why weren’t they chosen?
Sure, Noah was a great Tzadik; HaShem even saved his family from total destruction!
But why wasn't he chosen?
He would tell people of HaShem's greatness, that is true. But he never really said it without being asked.
He would tell the people of the generation about HaShem and what he would do to them and what was going on only when they asked him why he was building the ark.

He didn't show his love and dedication to HaShem in the right way.

But wait, was HaShem doing the choosing or were the people doing the choosing?

Derech HaShem by the RaMChaL states that HaShem did not choose Avraham Avinu, Avraham Avinu chose HaShem.
Avraham Avinu loved and dedicated his entire life and being to HaShem.
Every second of every day was spent talking about HaShem, His glories and wonders and how he created everything whatnot.
He never backed down from saying these things, and never waited to be asked.
He would tell anybody who would listen, and even those who would not!

This was the ultimate dedication to and servitude of HaShem.
Thus, Avraham Avinu was not chosen. His dedication and servitude was HIS way of choosing HaShem.
So that is why he merited becoming Israel, not the other tzadikim of the 10 generations before him.


So, are we HaShem's chosen people?
Nope :)
We choose HaShem with our actions.
Through our daily mitzvot, we show our dedication to HaShem.
Everyday when you say a bracha, when you daven, when you learn Torah, that is a decision.
Life is full of choices - and the ultimate one is to choose HaShem.



What do you think of this concept? Do you agree? Or does this sound like a load of garbage?