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Save "Yitro ~ being chosen and choosing
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Yitro ~ being chosen and choosing

(א) בַּחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י לְצֵ֥את בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה בָּ֖אוּ מִדְבַּ֥ר סִינָֽי׃ (ב) וַיִּסְע֣וּ מֵרְפִידִ֗ים וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ מִדְבַּ֣ר סִינַ֔י וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר וַיִּֽחַן־שָׁ֥ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל נֶ֥גֶד הָהָֽר׃ (ג) וּמֹשֶׁ֥ה עָלָ֖ה אֶל־הָאֱלֹקִ֑ים וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֵלָ֤יו ה' מִן־הָהָ֣ר לֵאמֹ֔ר כֹּ֤ה תֹאמַר֙ לְבֵ֣ית יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְתַגֵּ֖יד לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (ד) אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתִי לְמִצְרָ֑יִם וָאֶשָּׂ֤א אֶתְכֶם֙ עַל־כַּנְפֵ֣י נְשָׁרִ֔ים וָאָבִ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם אֵלָֽי׃ (ה) וְעַתָּ֗ה אִם־שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ בְּקֹלִ֔י וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֑י וִהְיִ֨יתֶם לִ֤י סְגֻלָּה֙ מִכׇּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים כִּי־לִ֖י כׇּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ו) וְאַתֶּ֧ם תִּהְיוּ־לִ֛י מַמְלֶ֥כֶת כֹּהֲנִ֖ים וְג֣וֹי קָד֑וֹשׁ אֵ֚לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר תְּדַבֵּ֖ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

(1) On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai. (2) Having journeyed from Rephidim, they entered the wilderness of Sinai and encamped in the wilderness. Israel encamped there in front of the mountain, (3) and Moses went up to God. ה' called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and declare to the children of Israel: (4) ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me. (5) Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples yet all the earth is Mine, (6) and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

~ What are the understandings behind these words, in terms of chosenness?

~ How do you understand Israel as a chosen people?

(ג) סגלה. אוֹצָר חָבִיב, כְּמוֹ "וּסְגֻלַּת מְלָכִים" (קהלת ב') – כְּלֵי יְקָר וַאֲבָנִים טוֹבוֹת שֶׁהַמְּלָכִים גּוֹנְזִים אוֹתָם, כָּךְ אַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לִי סְגֻלָּה מִשְּׁאָר אֻמּוֹת; וְלֹא תֹאמְרוּ אַתֶּם לְבַדְּכֶם שֶׁלִּי וְאֵין לִי אֲחֵרִים עִמָּכֶם וּמַה יֵּשׁ לִי עוֹד שֶׁתְּהֵא חִבַּתְכֶם נִכֶּרֶת: (ד) כי לי כל הארץ וְהֵם בְּעֵינַי וּלְפָנַי לִכְלוּם:

(3) סגלה means a cherished treasure, the same as (Ecclesiastes 2:8) “and treasures (וסגלת) of kings” — costly vessels and precious stones which kings store up. In the same manner shall yoy be to Me a cherished treasure more than other peoples (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 19:5:2) . Now do not say that you alone belong to Me and that I have no other peoples together with (besides) you, and what else, therefore, have I by which the special love I bear you can be made evident; this is not so, (4) כי לי כל הארץ FOR ALL THE EARTH IS MINE, but in My eyes and before Me they are as nothing.

~ What is the balance Rashi wants to establish in this commentary?

(יז) וַיּוֹצֵ֨א מֹשֶׁ֧ה אֶת־הָעָ֛ם לִקְרַ֥את הָֽאֱלֹקִ֖ים מִן־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה וַיִּֽתְיַצְּב֖וּ בְּתַחְתִּ֥ית הָהָֽר׃ (יח) וְהַ֤ר סִינַי֙ עָשַׁ֣ן כֻּלּ֔וֹ מִ֠פְּנֵ֠י אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָרַ֥ד עָלָ֛יו ה' בָּאֵ֑שׁ וַיַּ֤עַל עֲשָׁנוֹ֙ כְּעֶ֣שֶׁן הַכִּבְשָׁ֔ן וַיֶּחֱרַ֥ד כׇּל־הָהָ֖ר מְאֹֽד׃ (יט) וַיְהִי֙ ק֣וֹל הַשֹּׁפָ֔ר הוֹלֵ֖ךְ וְחָזֵ֣ק מְאֹ֑ד מֹשֶׁ֣ה יְדַבֵּ֔ר וְהָאֱלֹקִ֖ים יַעֲנֶ֥נּוּ בְקֽוֹל׃ (כ) וַיֵּ֧רֶד ה' עַל־הַ֥ר סִינַ֖י אֶל־רֹ֣אשׁ הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקְרָ֨א ה' לְמֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶל־רֹ֥אשׁ הָהָ֖ר וַיַּ֥עַל מֹשֶֽׁה׃ (כא) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה רֵ֖ד הָעֵ֣ד בָּעָ֑ם פֶּן־יֶהֶרְס֤וּ אֶל־ה' לִרְא֔וֹת וְנָפַ֥ל מִמֶּ֖נּוּ רָֽב׃ (כב) וְגַ֧ם הַכֹּהֲנִ֛ים הַנִּגָּשִׁ֥ים אֶל־ה' יִתְקַדָּ֑שׁוּ פֶּן־יִפְרֹ֥ץ בָּהֶ֖ם ה'׃
(17) Moses led the people out of the camp toward God, and they took their places at the foot of the mountain. (18) Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for ה' had come down upon it in fire; the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently. (19) The blare of the horn grew louder and louder. As Moses spoke, God answered him in thunder. (20) ה' came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and ה' called Moses to the top of the mountain and Moses went up. (21) ה' said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people not to break through to ה' to gaze, lest many of them perish. (22) The priests also, who come near ה', must stay pure, lest ה' break out against them.”

~ Is there an element of danger in revelation? What is it?

(טז) וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה דַּבֵּר־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּ֖נוּ וְנִשְׁמָ֑עָה וְאַל־יְדַבֵּ֥ר עִמָּ֛נוּ אֱלֹקִ֖ים פֶּן־נָמֽוּת׃ (יז) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶל־הָעָם֮ אַל־תִּירָ֒אוּ֒ כִּ֗י לְבַֽעֲבוּר֙ נַסּ֣וֹת אֶתְכֶ֔ם בָּ֖א הָאֱלֹקִ֑ים וּבַעֲב֗וּר תִּהְיֶ֧ה יִרְאָת֛וֹ עַל־פְּנֵיכֶ֖ם לְבִלְתִּ֥י תֶחֱטָֽאוּ׃ (יח) וַיַּעֲמֹ֥ד הָעָ֖ם מֵרָחֹ֑ק וּמֹשֶׁה֙ נִגַּ֣שׁ אֶל־הָֽעֲרָפֶ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֖ם הָאֱלֹקִֽים׃ {ס} (יט) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה כֹּ֥ה תֹאמַ֖ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֔ם כִּ֚י מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי עִמָּכֶֽם׃ (כ) לֹ֥א תַעֲשׂ֖וּן אִתִּ֑י אֱלֹ֤קֵי כֶ֙סֶף֙ וֵאלֹקֵ֣י זָהָ֔ב לֹ֥א תַעֲשׂ֖וּ לָכֶֽם׃
(16) “You speak to us,” they said to Moses, “and we will obey; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.” (17) Moses answered the people, “Be not afraid; for God has come only in order to test you, and in order that the fear of God may be ever with you, so that you do not go astray.” (18) So the people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was. (19) ה' said to Moses: Thus shall you say to the Israelites: You yourselves saw that I spoke to you from the very heavens: (20) With Me, therefore, you shall not make any gods of silver, nor shall you make for yourselves any gods of gold.

~ What is the effect of all the pyrotechnics on the people? Is this reasonable?

וְאָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: כׇּל דִּיבּוּר וְדִיבּוּר שֶׁיָּצָא מִפִּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יָצְתָה נִשְׁמָתָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״נַפְשִׁי יָצְאָה בְדַבְּרוֹ״. וּמֵאַחַר שֶׁמִּדִּיבּוּר רִאשׁוֹן יָצְתָה נִשְׁמָתָן, דִּיבּוּר שֵׁנִי הֵיאַךְ קִיבְּלוּ? — הוֹרִיד טַל שֶׁעָתִיד לְהַחֲיוֹת בּוֹ מֵתִים וְהֶחְיָה אוֹתָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״גֶּשֶׁם נְדָבוֹת תָּנִיף אֱלֹקִים נַחֲלָתְךָ וְנִלְאָה אַתָּה כוֹנַנְתָּהּ״. וְאָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: כׇּל דִּיבּוּר וְדִיבּוּר שֶׁיָּצָא מִפִּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חָזְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לַאֲחוֹרֵיהֶן שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר מִיל וְהָיוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת מְדַדִּין אוֹתָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״מַלְאֲכֵי צְבָאוֹת יִדֹּדוּן יִדֹּדוּן״ — אַל תִּיקְרֵי ״יִדֹּדוּן״, אֶלָּא ״יְדַדּוּן״.

And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: From each and every utterance that emerged from the mouth of the Holy One, Blessed be He, the souls of the Jewish people left their bodies, as it is stated: “My soul departed when he spoke” (Song of Songs 5:6). And since their souls left their bodies from the first utterance, how did they receive the second utterance? Rather, God rained the dew upon them that, in the future, will revive the dead, and He revived them, as it is stated: “You, God, poured down a bountiful rain; when Your inheritance was weary You sustained it” (Psalms 68:10). And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: With each and every utterance that emerged from the mouth of the Holy One, Blessed be He, the Jewish people retreated in fear twelve mil [each mil is 1,000 steps], and the ministering angels walked them back toward the mountain, as it is stated: “The hosts of angels will scatter [yidodun]” (Psalms 68:13). Do not read the word as yidodun, meaning scattered; rather, read it as yedadun, they walked them.

~ What is the nature of revelation?

״וַיִּתְיַצְּבוּ בְּתַחְתִּית הָהָר״, אָמַר רַב אַבְדִּימִי בַּר חָמָא בַּר חַסָּא: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכָּפָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת הָהָר כְּגִיגִית, וְאָמַר לָהֶם: אִם אַתֶּם מְקַבְּלִים הַתּוֹרָה מוּטָב, וְאִם לָאו — שָׁם תְּהֵא קְבוּרַתְכֶם. אָמַר רַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב: מִכָּאן מוֹדָעָא רַבָּה לְאוֹרָיְיתָא. אָמַר רָבָא: אַף עַל פִּי כֵן הֲדוּר קַבְּלוּהָ בִּימֵי אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, דִּכְתִיב: ״קִיְּמוּ וְקִבְּלוּ הַיְּהוּדִים״ — קִיְּימוּ מַה שֶּׁקִּיבְּלוּ כְּבָר. אָמַר חִזְקִיָּה, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״מִשָּׁמַיִם הִשְׁמַעְתָּ דִּין אֶרֶץ יָרְאָה וְשָׁקָטָה״, אִם יָרְאָה — לָמָּה שָׁקְטָה? וְאִם שָׁקְטָה — לָמָּה יָרְאָה? אֶלָּא בַּתְּחִילָּה יָרְאָה וּלְבַסּוֹף שָׁקְטָה. וְלָמָּה יָרְאָה? כִּדְרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ. דְּאָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי״, ה׳ יְתֵירָה לָמָּה לִי? — מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהִתְנָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עִם מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית וְאָמַר לָהֶם: אִם יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַבְּלִים הַתּוֹרָה — אַתֶּם מִתְקַיְּימִין, וְאִם לָאו — אֲנִי מַחֲזִיר אֶתְכֶם לְתוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ.
The Gemara cites additional homiletic interpretations on the topic of the revelation at Sinai. The Torah says, “And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the lowermost part of the mount” (Exodus 19:17). Rabbi Avdimi bar Ḥama bar Ḥasa said: the Jewish people actually stood beneath the mountain, and the verse teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, overturned the mountain above the Jews like a tub, and said to them: If you accept the Torah, excellent, and if not, there will be your burial. Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: From here there is a substantial caveat to the obligation to fulfill the Torah. The Jewish people can claim that they were coerced into accepting the Torah, and it is therefore not binding. Rava said: Even so, they again accepted it willingly in the time of Ahasuerus, as it is written: “The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them” (Esther 9:27), and he taught: The Jews ordained what they had already taken upon themselves through coercion at Sinai. Ḥizkiya said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “You caused sentence to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was silent” (Psalms 76:9)? If it was afraid, why was it silent; and if it was silent, why was it afraid? Rather, the meaning is: At first, it was afraid, and in the end, it was silent. “You caused sentence to be heard from heaven” refers to the revelation at Sinai. And why was the earth afraid? It is in accordance with the statement of Reish Lakish, as Reish Lakish said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31)? Why do I require the superfluous letter heh, the definite article, which does not appear on any of the other days? It teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, established a condition with the act of Creation, and said to them: If Israel accepts the Torah on the sixth day of Sivan, you will exist; and if they do not accept it, I will return you to the primordial state of chaos and disorder. Therefore, the earth was afraid until the Torah was given to Israel, lest it be returned to a state of chaos. Once the Jewish people accepted the Torah, the earth was calmed.

~ What depended, according to this midrash, on Israel accepting Torah?

~ What is Rav Aha Bar Yaakov's worries regarding the process of giving Torah at Har Sinai? How does Rava respond to that?

~ Are Rav Aha Bar Yaakov's questions reasonable?

~ How serious is the question of freedom of choice for you? How does that connect and conflict with the idea of a chosen people?

אומרים לפניו רבש"ע כלום נתת לנו ולא קיבלנוה ומי מצי למימר הכי והכתי' (דברים לג, ב) ויאמר ה' מסיני בא וזרח משעיר למו וכתיב (חבקוק ג, ג) אלוק מתימן יבוא וגו' מאי בעי בשעיר ומאי בעי בפארן א"ר יוחנן מלמד שהחזירה הקב"ה על כל אומה ולשון ולא קבלוה עד שבא אצל ישראל וקבלוה אלא הכי אמרי כלום קיבלנוה ולא קיימנוה ועל דא תברתהון אמאי לא קבלתוה אלא כך אומרים לפניו רבש"ע כלום כפית עלינו הר כגיגית ולא קבלנוה כמו שעשית לישראל דכתיב (שמות יט, יז) ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר ואמר רב דימי בר חמא מלמד שכפה הקב"ה הר כגיגית על ישראל ואמר להם אם אתם מקבלין את התורה מוטב ואם לאו שם תהא קבורתכם מיד אומר להם הקב"ה הראשונות ישמיעונו שנא' (ישעיהו מג, ט) וראשונות ישמיענו שבע מצות שקיבלתם היכן קיימתם ומנלן דלא קיימום דתני רב יוסף (חבקוק ג, ו) עמד וימודד ארץ ראה ויתר גוים מאי ראה ראה ז' מצות שקבלו עליהן בני נח ולא קיימום כיון שלא קיימום עמד והתירן להן איתגורי איתגור א"כ מצינו חוטא נשכר אמר מר בריה דרבינא לומר שאף על פי שמקיימין אותן אין מקבלין עליהם שכר ולא והתניא היה רבי מאיר אומר מנין שאפילו עובד כוכבים ועוסק בתורה שהוא ככהן גדול תלמוד לומר (ויקרא יח, ה) אשר יעשה אותם האדם וחי בהם כהנים לוים וישראלים לא נאמר אלא האדם הא למדת שאפילו עובד כוכבים ועוסק בתורה הרי הוא ככהן גדול אלא לומר לך שאין מקבלין עליהם שכר כמצווה ועושה אלא כמי שאינו מצווה ועושה דאמר ר' חנינא גדול המצווה ועושה יותר משאינו מצווה ועושה
The nations will say before God: Master of the Universe, did You give us the Torah and we did not accept it? Since we never received the Torah, why are we being judged for not fulfilling its mitzvot? The Gemara asks: And can one say that they were never offered the Torah? But isn’t it written in the description of the giving of the Torah: “And he said: The Lord came from Sinai, and rose from Seir unto them” (Deuteronomy 33:2), and it is written: “God comes from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran” (Habakkuk 3:3). And the Sages asked: What did God require in Seir and what did He require in Paran? The Torah was not given in those locations. And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, took the Torah around to every nation and those who speak every language, such as the Edomites in Seir and the Ishmaelites in Paran, but they did not accept it, until He came to the Jewish people and they accepted it. If the other nations all rejected the Torah, how can they excuse themselves by claiming that it was never offered to them? Rather, this is what they say: Did we accept the Torah and then not fulfill its mitzvot? The Gemara asks: But this itself serves as the refutation of their own claim, as one can respond: Why didn’t you accept it? Rather, this is what the nations of the world say before Him: Master of the Universe, did You overturn the mountain above us like a basin, and we still did not accept the Torah, as You did for the Jewish people? The Gemara provides the background for this claim: As it is written: “And they stood at the nether part of the mount” (Exodus 19:17), and Rav Dimi bar Ḥama says: The verse teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, overturned the mountain, i.e., Mount Sinai, above the Jews like a basin, and He said to them: If you accept the Torah, excellent, and if not, there, under the mountain, will be your burial. The nations of the world will claim that they too could have been coerced to accept the Torah. Immediately, the Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: The first mitzvot will let us hear the truth, as it is stated in the continuation of the same verse under discussion: “And announce to us the first things” (Isaiah 43:9). With regard to the seven Noahide mitzvot that preceded the giving of the Torah that even you accepted, where is the proof that you fulfilled them? The Gemara asks: And from where do we derive that they did not fulfill them? As Rav Yosef teaches in explanation of the verse: “He stands, and shakes the earth, He sees, and makes the nations tremble [vayater]” (Habakkuk 3:6): What did God see? He saw the seven mitzvot that the descendants of Noah accepted upon themselves, and He saw that they did not fulfill them. Since they did not fulfill them, He arose and nullified for them [vehitiran] the command to heed these mitzvot. The Gemara asks: Do they gain from not obeying, as they are now released from the obligation to fulfill these mitzvot? If so, we find that a sinner profits from his transgression. Mar, son of Ravina, said: This serves to say that even if they fulfill the seven Noahide mitzvot they do not receive a reward for their fulfilment. The Gemara asks: And are they not rewarded for fulfilling those mitzvot? But isn’t it taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir would say: From where is it derived that even a gentile who engages in Torah study is considered like a High Priest? The verse states: “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My ordinances, which if a person do, and shall live by them” (Leviticus 18:5). It is not stated: Priests, Levites, and Israelites, but rather the general term “person.” From here you learn that even a gentile who engages in the study of Torah is like a High Priest. This demonstrates that gentiles are rewarded for fulfilling mitzvot, despite the fact that they are not commanded to do so. Rather, the verse serves to tell you that they do not receive as great a reward for their fulfillment as one who is commanded and performs a mitzva. Rather, they receive a lesser reward, like that of one who is not commanded and still performs a mitzva. As Rabbi Ḥanina says: Greater is one who is commanded to do a mitzva and performs it than one who is not commanded and performs it.

~ Following the previous midrash, in Shabbat 88a, the discussion continues in Avoda Zarah with the rabbis imagining that the nations of the world could have pointed out that there is no reason they would not accept it, if the mountain was overturned on them.

~ What is the first solution to that question, and why does it not work?

~ What happens to the idea of doing without being commanded? How does this goes against the grain of our commonly held beliefs?

(א) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ה' אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃ (ב) וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔ וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וֶהְיֵ֖ה בְּרָכָֽה׃ (ג) וַאֲבָֽרְכָה֙ מְבָ֣רְכֶ֔יךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ֖ אָאֹ֑ר וְנִבְרְכ֣וּ בְךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָאֲדָמָֽה׃ (ד) וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ אַבְרָ֗ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר אֵלָיו֙ ה' וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ אִתּ֖וֹ ל֑וֹט וְאַבְרָ֗ם בֶּן־חָמֵ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ וְשִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה בְּצֵאת֖וֹ מֵחָרָֽן׃ (ה) וַיִּקַּ֣ח אַבְרָם֩ אֶת־שָׂרַ֨י אִשְׁתּ֜וֹ וְאֶת־ל֣וֹט בֶּן־אָחִ֗יו וְאֶת־כׇּל־רְכוּשָׁם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר רָכָ֔שׁוּ וְאֶת־הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂ֣וּ בְחָרָ֑ן וַיֵּצְא֗וּ לָלֶ֙כֶת֙ אַ֣רְצָה כְּנַ֔עַן וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אַ֥רְצָה כְּנָֽעַן׃
(1) ה' said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
(2) I will make of you a great nation,
And I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
And you shall be a blessing.
(3) I will bless those who bless you
And curse the one who curses you;
And all the families of the earth
Shall bless themselves by you.”
(4) Abram went forth as ה' had commanded him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. (5) Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the wealth that they had amassed, and the persons that they had acquired in Haran; and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in the land of Canaan,
(ז) וַהֲקִמֹתִ֨י אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֜י בֵּינִ֣י וּבֵינֶ֗ךָ וּבֵ֨ין זַרְעֲךָ֧ אַחֲרֶ֛יךָ לְדֹרֹתָ֖ם לִבְרִ֣ית עוֹלָ֑ם לִהְי֤וֹת לְךָ֙ לֵֽאלֹקִ֔ים וּֽלְזַרְעֲךָ֖ אַחֲרֶֽיךָ׃ (ח) וְנָתַתִּ֣י לְ֠ךָ֠ וּלְזַרְעֲךָ֨ אַחֲרֶ֜יךָ אֵ֣ת ׀ אֶ֣רֶץ מְגֻרֶ֗יךָ אֵ֚ת כׇּל־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן לַאֲחֻזַּ֖ת עוֹלָ֑ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָהֶ֖ם לֵאלֹקִֽים׃ (ט) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹקִים֙ אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֔ם וְאַתָּ֖ה אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֣י תִשְׁמֹ֑ר אַתָּ֛ה וְזַרְעֲךָ֥ אַֽחֲרֶ֖יךָ לְדֹרֹתָֽם׃ (י) זֹ֣את בְּרִיתִ֞י אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּשְׁמְר֗וּ בֵּינִי֙ וּבֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם וּבֵ֥ין זַרְעֲךָ֖ אַחֲרֶ֑יךָ הִמּ֥וֹל לָכֶ֖ם כׇּל־זָכָֽר׃
(7) I will maintain My covenant between Me and you, and your offspring to come, as an everlasting covenant throughout the ages, to be God to you and to your offspring to come. (8) I assign the land you sojourn in to you and your offspring to come, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting holding. I will be their God.” (9) God further said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring to come throughout the ages shall keep My covenant. (10) Such shall be the covenant between Me and you and your offspring to follow which you shall keep: every male among you shall be circumcised.

~ How much does choice play in in the story of Avraham? Who chooses whom?

(לה) אַתָּה֙ הׇרְאֵ֣תָ לָדַ֔עַת כִּ֥י ה' ה֣וּא הָאֱלֹקִ֑ים אֵ֥ין ע֖וֹד מִלְּבַדּֽוֹ׃ (לו) מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם הִשְׁמִֽיעֲךָ֥ אֶת־קֹל֖וֹ לְיַסְּרֶ֑ךָּ וְעַל־הָאָ֗רֶץ הֶרְאֲךָ֙ אֶת־אִשּׁ֣וֹ הַגְּדוֹלָ֔ה וּדְבָרָ֥יו שָׁמַ֖עְתָּ מִתּ֥וֹךְ הָאֵֽשׁ׃ (לז) וְתַ֗חַת כִּ֤י אָהַב֙ אֶת־אֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ וַיִּבְחַ֥ר בְּזַרְע֖וֹ אַחֲרָ֑יו וַיּוֹצִֽאֲךָ֧ בְּפָנָ֛יו בְּכֹח֥וֹ הַגָּדֹ֖ל מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ (לח) לְהוֹרִ֗ישׁ גּוֹיִ֛ם גְּדֹלִ֧ים וַעֲצֻמִ֛ים מִמְּךָ֖ מִפָּנֶ֑יךָ לַהֲבִֽיאֲךָ֗ לָֽתֶת־לְךָ֧ אֶת־אַרְצָ֛ם נַחֲלָ֖ה כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃
(35) It has been clearly demonstrated to you that ה' alone is God; there is none else. (36) From the heavens [God] let you hear the divine voice to discipline you; on earth [God] let you see the great divine fire; and from amidst that fire you heard God’s words. (37) And having loved your ancestors, [God] chose their heirs after them; [God] personally —in great, divine might—led you out of Egypt, (38) to drive from your path nations greater and more populous than you, to take you into their land and assign it to you as a heritage, as is still the case.
(ה) כִּֽי־אִם־כֹּ֤ה תַעֲשׂוּ֙ לָהֶ֔ם מִזְבְּחֹתֵיהֶ֣ם תִּתֹּ֔צוּ וּמַצֵּבֹתָ֖ם תְּשַׁבֵּ֑רוּ וַאֲשֵֽׁירֵהֶם֙ תְּגַדֵּע֔וּן וּפְסִילֵיהֶ֖ם תִּשְׂרְפ֥וּן בָּאֵֽשׁ׃ (ו) כִּ֣י עַ֤ם קָדוֹשׁ֙ אַתָּ֔ה לַה' אֱלֹקֶ֑יךָ בְּךָ֞ בָּחַ֣ר ׀ ה' אֱלֹקֶ֗יךָ לִהְי֥וֹת לוֹ֙ לְעַ֣ם סְגֻלָּ֔ה מִכֹּל֙ הָֽעַמִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָֽה׃ (ז) לֹ֣א מֵֽרֻבְּכֶ֞ם מִכׇּל־הָֽעַמִּ֗ים חָשַׁ֧ק ה' בָּכֶ֖ם וַיִּבְחַ֣ר בָּכֶ֑ם כִּֽי־אַתֶּ֥ם הַמְעַ֖ט מִכׇּל־הָעַמִּֽים׃ (ח) כִּי֩ מֵאַֽהֲבַ֨ת ה' אֶתְכֶ֗ם וּמִשׇּׁמְר֤וֹ אֶת־הַשְּׁבֻעָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נִשְׁבַּע֙ לַאֲבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם הוֹצִ֧יא ה' אֶתְכֶ֖ם בְּיָ֣ד חֲזָקָ֑ה וַֽיִּפְדְּךָ֙ מִבֵּ֣ית עֲבָדִ֔ים מִיַּ֖ד פַּרְעֹ֥ה מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (ט) וְיָ֣דַעְתָּ֔ כִּֽי־ה' אֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ ה֣וּא הָֽאֱלֹקִ֑ים הָאֵל֙ הַֽנֶּאֱמָ֔ן שֹׁמֵ֧ר הַבְּרִ֣ית וְהַחֶ֗סֶד לְאֹהֲבָ֛יו וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י מִצְוֺתָ֖ו לְאֶ֥לֶף דּֽוֹר׃ (י) וּמְשַׁלֵּ֧ם לְשֹׂנְאָ֛יו אֶל־פָּנָ֖יו לְהַאֲבִיד֑וֹ לֹ֤א יְאַחֵר֙ לְשֹׂ֣נְא֔וֹ אֶל־פָּנָ֖יו יְשַׁלֶּם־לֽוֹ׃
(5) Instead, this is what you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, smash their pillars, cut down their sacred posts, and consign their images to the fire. (6) For you are a people consecrated to your God ה': of all the peoples on earth your God ה' chose you to be God’s treasured people. (7) It is not because you are the most numerous of peoples that ה' grew attached to you and chose you—indeed, you are the smallest of peoples; (8) but it was because ה' favored you and kept the oath made to your fathers that ה' freed you with a mighty hand and rescued you from the house of bondage, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (9) Know, therefore, that only your God ה' is God, the steadfast God who keeps the divine covenant faithfully to the thousandth generation of those who love [God] and keep the divine commandments, (10) but who instantly requites with destruction those who reject [God]—never slow with those who reject, but requiting them instantly.

~ What are those two piece in Deuteronomy talking about, regarding the question of being chosen?

~ Once one is part of this people, what happens?

Yehuda Loew ben Bezalel, the Maharal of Prague (c.1520 - 1609 CE) is also known as the Maharal of Prague (Moreinu Harav Loew) and is associated with the story of the Golem. He was very influential due to his many writings, of which thirteen books survived to this day, and a few other writings did not. He wrote Gur Aryeh between 1548 and 1578.

(יח) שנתלש ההר וכו'. בפרק רבי עקיבא (שבת פח. ) הקשו התוספות (ד"ה כפה) הרי כבר אמרו "נעשה ונשמע" (להלן כד, ז), ולמה הוצרך לזה...
אבל העיקר הפירוש אשר נראה פשוט, כי כפה עליהם ההר כגיגית לומר 'אם לא תקבלו התורה, שם תהא קבורתכם' (שבת פח. ) לומר כי התורה היא הכרחית לקבלה, ואם לא יקבלו התורה - שמה תהא קבורתם. וידוע, כי דברים המוכרחים להיות הם חשובים במעלה יותר, שאי אפשר מבלעדם, ואין קיום לנמצא בזולתם. לכך כפה עליהם ההר כגיגית להודיע מעלת התורה, שאי אפשר מבלעדה כלל. ואם לא היה עושה זה, היו אומרים כי התורה אין הכרחית לעולם, רק ברצון קבלו עליהם, ואם לא קבלו - לא היו צריכין. לכך היה השם יתברך מפתה ומרצה אותם קודם, וכאשר ראו שעיקר נתינתה על ידי כפיית ההר, היו מוכרחים לומר כי נתינתה מוכרחת, שאין להם קיום זולתה. ולכך הביא שם (שבת פח. ) על המאמר זה "ויהי ערב ויהי בוקר יום הששי" (בראשית א, לא), ה"א יתרה למה לי, מלמד שהתנה הקב"ה עם מעשה בראשית, שאם לא יקבלו ישראל את התורה יחזור העולם לתוהו ובוהו. וזה המאמר בא לפרש למה כפה עליהם הר כגיגית, לומר כי נתינת התורה היא מוכרחת:

ואפילו הכי קאמר רבא שם (שבת פח. ) 'מכאן מודעה רבה לאורייתא', פירוש שהיה מכריח אותם לקבל התורה, אף על גב דלפי זה לא חזרו מן "נעשה ונשמע", סוף סוף בשעה שקבלו התורה היו מוכרחים, וכיון שהיתה קבלתם בהכרח, יש כאן מודעה רבה לאורייתא:

וקאמר ד'הדר קבלו עליהם בימי אחשורוש', דכתיב (אסתר ט, כז) "קיימו וקבלו", 'קיימו מה שקבלו כבר'. פירוש, שהיו מקבלים עליהם מצוה אחת ממצות התורה, דהיא קריאת מגילה, ואף על גב דאין כאן אונס, והם מעצמם קבלו עליהם, וכיון דהם מעצמם הסכימו לעשות מצוה זאת, (ו)זהו קבלת כל התורה, שאיך יוסיפו עוד מצוה - אם הראשונים הם מוכרחים עליהם, לפיכך קבלת קריאת המגילה הוא קבלת התורה ברצון:

ואם לא היה זה, היה מודעה רבא לומר כי קבלת התורה בהכרח, והדברים המוכרחים אינם בעצם. ולפיכך אם היו עוברים התורה יוכלו לומר כי אין התורה ראוי להיות לישראל בעצם, כי הדברים המוכרחים אינם בעצם, ואחר שהתורה אינה בעצם להם, אם כן אין התורה ראוי להם מצד עצמם. ואין חדוש אם יעברו התורה, שאם אין האבן עומד באויר - אין חדוש, מפני שאין טבעו לעמוד שם, והוא עומד לשם בכח ההכרח. וכאשר חדשו ישראל מצוה אחת מן המצות, אז נראה כי התורה לא היה באונס כלל ודבר הכרחי, רק כי התורה להם בעצם גם כן. ואף על גב שהיו מוכרחים תחלה, זה כמו שאמרנו למעלה, כי אי אפשר זולת זה, אבל התורה גם כן מצד שישראל ראוי להם התורה מצד עצמם, הרי התורה לישראל מצד הנותן שרוצה בזה, ומצד המקבל שהם ישראל. וזה נראה כאשר קבלו עליהם מקרא מגילה, הנה התורה להם מצד עצמם, ואין לומר שהתורה הוא אינו לישראל רק מצד הכרחי, והבן זה. כך פירוש דברי חכמים:

That the mountain was uprooted etc. In the chapter that begins, "Rabbi Akiva..." the Tosafot ask, they already said "We will do and we will hear," why is all this (i.e. the uprooting of the mountain) necessary?...

However, the essential answer that seems straightforward is that God overturned the mountain like a bucket to say 'If you do not accept the Torah, there will be your grave.' That is to say that acceptance of the Torah is mandatory, and if you do not accept the Torah - there will be their grave. And it is known, that things that are required to be, they are the things that are most important, on another level, for it impossible to be without them, and there is no existence without them. Therefore, God overturned the mountain above them to tell them the importance of the Torah, that it is absolutely impossible to live without it. And if God did not do this, they would have said that the Torah is not mandatory forever, they only accepted it when they wanted it, and if they hadn't accepted it, they wouldn't have needed to. Therefore God tempted and appeased them beforehand, and when they saw that the essence of its giving was by way of overturning the mountain, they had to say that it was a mandatory giving, that they could not exist without it. This is why the Gemara brings there on this statement, "...the sixth day" (yom ha-shishi instead of yom shishi). The extra "ה" teaches that God made a condition with his creation that if Israel did not accept the Torah, the entire world would return to chaos. And this midrash comes to explain why God overturned the mountain above them, to show that the giving of the Torah was mandatory.

And even so, Rava says there, "From here there is a great objection to the Torah," meaning that they were forced to accept the Torah, even though they never took back "We shall do and we shall hear," in the end, at the moment that they accepted the Torah, they were forced. And since it was a forced acceptance, there is an objection to the Torah. And what he says that "They again accepted it upon themselves in the days of Ahasuerus," as it says, "They fulfilled and they accepted," 'They fulfilled what they had already accepted.' Meaning, that they accepted upon themselves one mitzvah among the mitzvot of the Torah, that is, reading the Megillah, and even though there is no forcing, and they, on their own, accepted it on themselves. And since they, on their own agreed to do this mitzvah, this is an acceptance of the entire Torah. For how can they add another mitzvah - if the initial ones are against their will, therefore, the acceptance of reading the Megillah is an acceptance of the Torah by choice.

And if not for this, there would have been a major objection in saying that the acceptance of the Torah was forced and forced things are not a part of one's essence. And therefore, if they violated the Torah, they could say that the Torah is not appropriate for the essence of Israel, because enforced things are not a part of one's essence. And since the Torah is not a part of their essence, therefore, the Torah is not appropriate for them essentially. And there is no surprise if they violate the Torah, for if a stone doesn't float in the air - this is not a surprise because it is not its nature to float, and it could only stay in the air through some kind of force. And when Israel made a new Mitzvah among the Mitzvot, then it was clear that the Torah was not forced on them at all and an enforced thing, rather, the Torah was also essential to them. And even though they were forced at first, this was because of what we wrote above, for it was impossible without it, but the Torah is also from the side of Israel and it is essential to them. For the Torah came to Israel from the side of the Giver who wants it, and from the side of the receiver who are Israel. And when they accepted the reading of the Megillah, it meant that the Torah was essential to them and they couldn't say that the Torah was only given to Israel by force. And understand this. This is the meaning of the words of the Rabbis.

~ How does the Maharal understand the question of choice?

~ How is he, by singling out reading the Megilah, explain the question of the Talmud?

~ Is Torah part of the essence of the Jewish people, in your opinion?

~ Shev Shema'tata (Hebrew: שב שמעתתא), most commonly pronounced Shev Shmaytsa is a work on Talmudic logic and methodology by R. Aryeh Leib HaCohen Heller (Ukraine, c. 1745 – 1812). The name of the book is Aramaic, and means "seven passages".

(יא) חזות קשות ראיתי הנה בפ' בהעלותך כתיב מקברות התאוה נסעו העם חצרות ויהיו בחצרות ותדבר מרים ואהרן במשה על אודות האשה הכושית אשר לקח והקשו בתוס' יבמות ד' ס"א על מה זה אחרו לדבר במשה זמן רב אחר מתן תורה ותירצו לפי מאי דאיתא בירושלמי דבקברות התאוה שנבחרו ע' זקנים ואמרה מרים לצפורה אשרי לנשותיהם של אלו שנבחרו לגדולה אמרה צפורה אוי להם שהרי בעלי מיום שהתחיל הקב"ה לדבר עמו פירש ממני ואז נתודע להם הדבר ע"ש ונראה בזה דמצינו שם שהתאוו תאוה ואמרו מי יאכילנו בשר זכרנו את הדגה אשר נאכל במצרים חנם כו' ועתה נפשנו יבשה אין כל בלתי אל המן עינינו והמן כזרע גד הוא ועינו כעין הבדולח ופירש"י מי שאמר זה לא אמר זה אלא הקב"ה הכתיב בתורה והמן כזרע גד הוא וכתיב וישמע משה את העם בוכה למשפחותיו איש פתח אהלו ופירש"י למשפחותיו על עסקי משפחות של עריות שנאסר להם ע"ש והוא תמוה דמה ענין תרעומות המן עם עסקי עריות ונראה לפמ"ש רז"ל בהא דאי' בגמ' ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר מלמד שכפה עליהם הר כגיגית אם מקבלים אתם את התורה מוטב ואם לאו שם תהא קבורתכם והקשו דהא כבר נתרצו ואמרו נעשה ונשמע וכתוב בגור אריה דלא יתכן להיות קבלת התורה ע"י בחירה אם ירצו יקבלו ואם לא ירצו לא יקבלו אלא מראה להם הקב"ה שהתורה הוא הכרחי להם ודבר הכרחי יש לו קיום לעולם כדאיתא במדרש דבאונס כתיב לא יוכל לשלחה כל ימיו ע"ש והנה מצינו שהתאוו תאוה והיינו שלא היה להם שום תאוה חומריית וכמ"ש באלשיך שהתאוו שיהיה להם תאוה ע"ש, ולפמ"ש הטעם הוא משום דע"י המן שהיה משר התורה ולחם אבירים היה כל חפצם ותשוקתם רק לתורה ונפשם יבשה וריק מכל תאות החומריות והם התאוו תאוה שיהיה להם קבלת התורה בחפצם ורצונם כמו שאמרו נעשה ונשמע כי אין אדם חפץ באהבה הכרחית לזאת התרעמו על המן והכרחתו לאהבת התורה ואמרו זכרנו את הדגה אשר נאכל במצרים חנם פי' בלי הכרח רק את אשר בחרנו ואשר מצא חן בעינינו כי כן פי' מלת חנם כמבואר בשרשי רד"ק שרש חנן ועתה נפשינו יבשה אין כל בלתי אל המן הוכרחנו ואנחנו רוצים שיהיה הבחירה בידינו אמנם גם ע"י הבחירה נאכל המן כי אם לא היה המן טוב למאכל ונחמד למראה היינו צריכין אל ההכרח אבל באמת המן כזרע גד הוא ועינו כעין הבדולח ובודאי נאכל ממנו אך לא יסור מאתנו כל התאוות ותהיה לנו קבלת התורה ברצון ובבחירה כמו שאמרו נעשה ונשמע.

(11) (Chet) [Yet] I saw ‘difficult visions’: Behold, it is written in Parashat Behaalotecha (Num. 11:35-12:1), “Then the people set out from Kivrot-Hataavah to Hatserot and were in Hatserot. Miriam and Aharon spoke against Moshe because of the Cushite woman he had married.” And Tosafot on Yevamot 62a (s. v. dekhtiv emor lehem) asked why it is that they waited a long time after the giving of the Torah to speak about Moshe (since their problem was that he had separated from his wife earlier, from when the Torah was given). And they answered that – according to that which is found in the Talmud Yerushalmi – the seventy elders were chosen at Kivrot-Hataavah. And [at that time] Miriam said to Tsipporah, “Happy are the wives of these [men] that were chosen for greatness.” Tsipporah [however answered], “Woe to them, as behold my husband Moshe separated from me from the day that the Holy One, blessed be He, started speaking to him.” And then the matter became known to them. See there. And it appears [that this is connected to] that which we find there (Num. 11:4-7) that “they desired a desire […] and they said, ‘Who will feed us meat? We remember the fish that we used to eat free in Egypt, etc. Now our souls are dry; there is nothing at all but this manna in our eyes.’ And the manna was like coriander seed, and in color it was like bdellium.” And Rashi (Rashi on Numbers 11:7) explained, “He who said that (i.e. the previous verse) did not say this […]; but rather [it is] the Holy One, blessed be He, who had, ‘And the manna was like coriander seed,’ written in the Torah (even though no one said it).” And it is [further] written (Num. 11:10), “And Moshe heard the people weeping, each family apart, each person at the entrance of his tent.” And Rashi (on this verse) explained [that] “each family apart” [means], “because of family affairs – because of the sexual prohibitions [of blood-relatives] that had been forbidden to them.” See there. And that is astonishing; as what does the quarrel of the manna have to do with matters of sexual prohibitions? And it appears that it can be explained according to what the Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said about that which is found in the Gemara (Shabbat 88a), “‘And they stood at the lowermost part of the mountain’ (Exod. 19:17) – […] teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, overturned the mountain above [the Jews] like a tub, [and said to them], ‘If you accept the Torah, excellent; but if not, there will be your burial.’” And it was asked [that] behold, they already assented and said (Exod. 24:7), “We will do and hear!” And it is written in Gur Aryeh that it is not possible for the Torah to be received by choice – that they would accept it if they wanted to, and not accept it if they did not want to – but rather the Holy One, blessed be He, is showing them that the Torah is imperative for them (that it had to be accepted by them). And something imperative exists permanently; as it is found in the Midrash, that concerning a [woman] forced [to have sexual relations], it is written (Deut. 22:19), “he may not send her away all of his days.” See there. And behold we have found that they desired a desire; meaning that they did not have any physical desire and – as is written by (Rabbi Moshe) Alshekh (on Num. 11:4) – they desired that they would have desire. See there. And according to what I have written, the reason is that on account of the manna – that was from the minister of the Torah, and was the bread of mighty ones – all of their wish and yearning was only for Torah. And ‘their souls were dry’ and empty from all physical desire. And [so] they desired desire, such that the receiving of the Torah could be of their wish and wanting, like [when] they said, “We will do and hear” – as no one wishes forced love. Therefore they quarreled about the manna and its forcing the love of Torah [upon them]. And [when] they said, “We remember the fish that we used to eat free (chinam) in Egypt,” its explanation is [that it was] without force, but rather that [it was that] which we chose and which appealed to us. As this is the understanding of the word chinam, as is elucidated in Radak’s Book of Roots under the root, chanan (graced). [And the meaning of] “Now our souls are dry; there is nothing at all but this manna,” is that we were forced, and we want that the choice be in our hands. However we would also eat the manna by choice. As if the manna were not ‘good to eat and appealing to the sight,’ we would have needed force; but in fact, “the manna was like coriander seed and in color it was like bdellium,” and we would certainly eat of it. However all of the desires would [then] not be removed from us and the receiving of the Torah would be with wanting and choice – as [when] they said, “We shall hear and do.”

~ What is the tension that the Shev Shemateta sees in the question of choice?

~ What did people actually want? How modern is this reading?

(יד) כפעולות איש כן משכורתו ומצינו שאמרו חז"ל בקברות התאוה שהיה להם תאוה זרה, שרואים שהבשר ממית ואעפ"כ לא עמדו מתאוותם והוא לפי שהתרעמו על המן והכרחתו אל התורה, כי חפצם באהבה בחירי ומאסו באהבה הכרחי, ולכן כמדתם שילם להם, שגם התאוה זרה הניתנת להם הכרחית היתה, אף שהמיתה לא נטו מאחריה ומזה יוכל המשכיל להבין אם לתאוה זרה כח נפלא כזה להמית עצמו עליה, על אחת כמה וכמה לתורה ולמצוות שיתלהב לב האדם בחשק נפלא ונורא מאד, ולקיים בנפשו אדם כי ימות באהל, ולא יחוש לקמחיה ולהיות אכזרי על עצמו, ויהגה בתורתו יומם ולילה, ואז יהיה טוב לו בזה ובבא ולא ידבק מן החרם בידו לאחר פרידת הנפש, ויהיה חס ושלום בכף הקלע כמ"ש ולזה אמרו בסוטה פ"ב משל לאדם שהיה מהלך בדרך באישון לילה כו', כיון שהגיע לפרשת דרכים ניצל מכולם מאי פרשת דרכים אמר ר"ח זה תלמיד חכם ויום המיתה דכיון שהוא תלמיד חכם התורה מוציאה את נפשו מטיט החומר, ועל ידי כן תשוב הרוח אל האלקים אשר נתנה וכמו שנתנה, והעפר ישוב על הארץ כשהיה וזה הוא פרשת דרכים, כל איש מאישיו פונה לדרכו, לא יפגשו זה בזה, ואז הוא מוצל מכל וכל.

(14) (Kaf) ‘According to the actions of a man, so is his reward.’ And we found that the Sages, may their memory be blessed, said about Kivrot-Hataavah that they had a strange desire – as they saw that the meat killed and they nevertheless did not turn away from their desire. And that was because of their quarrel about the manna and its forcing the Torah [upon them]; as they wanted to choose love and they rejected forced love. And so He repaid them according to their trait, as this strange desire that was given to them was also forced (compulsive) – even though it killed, they did not veer from it. And from this, the enlightened one can understand [that] if there is such an amazing power in this strange desire that one should kill oneself for it, all the more so should the heart of a person be enthused with an amazing and very awesome yearning for the Torah and for the commandments, [such] that a person himself [thereby] fulfill “When a person dies in a tent.” And one should not be concerned with livelihood; but rather one should be cruel to oneself and ‘meditate about His Torah night and day.’ And then it will be good for him in this [world] and the next [world]; and ‘none of the anathema will cling to his hand,’ after the separation of his soul – that he should, God forbid, be in the hollow of the sling, as I have written. And in the second chapter of Sotah, they said about this, “A parable about a man who is walking [on the way] in the blackness of night, etc. When he arrives at a crossroads and recognizes the way, he is saved from all of them. […] What is the meaning of the crossroads? Rav Ḥisda said, ‘This is [referring to] a Torah scholar and the day of death.’” As since he is a Torah scholar, the Torah removes his soul from the mud of the physical. And through this, ‘the spirit returns to God Who bestowed it’ – and how he bestowed it – and ‘the dust returns to the ground as it was.’ And this is the crossroads – each one of his “men” turns to his path [and] will no [longer] meet one another; and then [his soul] will be completely saved.

~ Rabbi Yitzchak Yehuda Shmelkes (1828-1904) was one of the leading rabbis in the latter part of the 19th century in Eastern Europe. He left behind 6 volumes of Responsa, called "Beit Yitzchak". One of his most cited responsa (Yoreh Deah II, 110) presents a serious thesis on the matter of conversion of a person who appears to be insincere about his or her declaration of acceptance of mitzvot. a piece of which we read below.

בית יצחק, סי' ק' אות ט'

עכ״פ הדבר ברור דבמעמד הר סיני קיבלו ישראל עליהם בלב שלם לשמור ולקיים המצות עלינו מפי הגבורה. ואמירתם לבד לא היה מהני כמ״ש. ולפמש״ל הדבר ברור דצריך לקבל בלב שלם וזולת זה לא יכנס לכלל יהודית והנה במדרש רבה תשא פ׳ מ״ב איתא דרש זה בשם ר״מ ושם מבואר דלבם היה לע״ז וזה ודאי צ״ע אך יש לישב דברי המדרש... ולחלק בין ישראל שהיו מוכרחים לקבלת התורה כמ״ש במהר״ל מפראג כיון שכפה עליהם הר כגיגית לכן מהני קבלה בפה משא"כ באוה"ע.

Beit Yitzchak, ch. 100, sec. 9

In any case it is clear that at Sinai, Israel accepted the Torah with a whole heart to observe and fulfill the commandments from the mouth of God. And their oral statement alone would not have worked as I wrote above [without wholehearted acceptance]. And according to what I have written, it is clear that [a convert] needs to accept [the mitzvot], and without this, they cannot enter the Jewish community. And in Midrash Rabbah on Parashat Tisa it says this exposition in the name of Rabbi Meir and there it is clear that their hearts were actually on idolatry and this certainly needs explanation. However one can reconcile the words of the midrash... and to specify Israel who were forced to accept the Torah as the Maharal of Prague writes, since God overturned the mountain above them like a bucket. Therefore the oral statement [halfhearted though it may have been] was sufficient. This does not work with the Nations of the World.

~ How does the Beit Yitzchak reconcile the idea of choice, freedom of choice and the convert?

~ Does the convert need to prove every day that s/he has accepted the mitzvot?

If the Jews are chosen to serve for all eternity as a light unto the nations, it is because God, sees the face of his beloved Abraham in each and every one of his children as a man sees the face of his beloved in the children of his union with his beloved. ~ Michael Wyschogrod, The Body of Faith, Jason Aronson, p. 64

The more extreme, and exclusive, interpretations of the doctrine of election among Jewish thinkers, were partly the result of reaction to oppression by the non-Jewish world. The more the Jew was forced to close in on himself, to withdraw into the imposed confines of the ghetto, the more he tended to emphasize Israel's difference from the cruel gentile without. Only thus did his suffering become intelligible and bearable. This type of interpretation reaches its height in the Kabbalistic idea that while the souls of Israel stem from God, the souls of gentiles are merely of base material." ~ Lou Silberman, Encyclopaedia Judaica, sv. Chosen People

Judaism has a structural peculiarity so perplexing and profound that though Christianity and Islam took much else from it, they did not adopt this: it is a particularist monotheism. It believes in one God but not in one exclusive path to salvation. The God of the Israelites is the God of all mankind, but the demands made of the Israelites are not asked of all mankind....[as the Rabbis say]: 'The pious of the nations have a share in the world to come.' (MT Hilchot Teshuvah 3:5)

God the creator of humanity, having made a covenant with all humanity, then turns to one people and commands it to be different, teaching humanity to make space for difference. God may at times be found in the human other, the one not like us. Biblical monotheism is not the idea that there is one God and therefore one gateway to God's presence. On the contrary, it is the idea that the unity of God is to be found in the diversity of creation." ~ Sir Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Dignity of Difference (Chapter 3, 2002)

We have not chosen God; He has chosen us. There is no concept of a chosen God but there is the idea of a chosen people. The idea of a chosen people does not suggest the preference for a people based upon a discrimination among a number of peoples. We do not say that we are superior people. The "chosen people" means a people approached and chosen by God. The significance of this term is genuine in relation to God rather than in relation to other peoples. It signifies not a quality inherent in the people but a relationship between the people and God. ~ A.J. Heschel,'To be a Jew: What is it?' in: Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity, pp. 11

The idea of race or national superiority exercises divisive influences generating suspicion and hatred...we cannot assume that Israel must at all times possess that spirit to a higher degree than other people. ... Thank God I had the courage to go through with the excision of such a cancerous growth from the Jewish consciousness ... ~ Mordechai Kaplan, Judaism as a Civilization, p. 43

Rabbi Leo Baeck (1873-1956, Germany)

"Jews possess a special genius for ethical monotheism which keeps the idea alive even today. Were the Jews and Judaism to disappear, ethical monotheism would lose its irreplaceable advocate and might itself disappear."

The presence of Jews among the not-yet-extinct peoples of the world can no more be credited to any kind of special trait or behavior than the Tasmanians or the Taino ought to be blamed for their own eradication. In the end human survival is a matter of luck — or destiny, if you prefer — of decisions taken in distant capitals in vanished eras that bore unforeseeable fruit 200 years on, of chaotically intersecting systems of weather, metaphysics and pandemic, of the failures and weaknesses and limitations of our would-be destroyers...

This is, of course, the foundational ambiguity of Judaism and Jewish identity: the idea of chosenness, of exceptionalism, of the treasure that is a curse, the blessing that is a burden, of the setting apart that may presage redemption or extermination. To be chosen has been, all too often in our history, to be culled.

This is the ambiguity that cites the dispensation of God and history, of covenant and Holocaust, to lay claim to a special relationship between Jews and the Land of Israel, then protests when the world — cynically or sincerely — holds Israel to a different, higher standard as beneficiaries of that dispensation.

This is the ambiguity that proudly asserts the will and the obligation of Israel to be a light unto the nations, then points to the utterly evil, utterly bankrupt, utterly degraded, utterly stupid misdeeds of ship-sinking, sailor-massacring North Korea — North Korea! — in an attempt to give context to its own relatively less-evil, bankrupt, degraded and stupid behavior. ~ Michael Chabon, Chosen but not Special, NYT June 5 2010

In a way, the Jewish people have invented the idea of chosenness, but in truth, the idea of chosenness has also invented the Jewish people. Such is Judaism’s wonderfully inverted logic: First comes redemption, only then reasons...

When [the writer] Chabon credits Jewish survival to blind luck, he ignores the essential significance of the idea of chosenness—that only by believing themselves to be God’s dearest children, and therefore bound to principles that distinguish them from the nations of man, do the Jews manage to retain their distinct identity. Now, as in the days of Abraham, we owe all to this rich and strange idea...The idea of chosenness is too deeply ingrained in us to be overlooked, patronized, or definitively repealed. Whether or not we believe that the descendants of Abraham were singled out, in perpetuity, by God, and whether or not we find this to be an outlandish, if not offensive, notion—no matter what, we must grapple with it, for it is, behind our backs, grappling with us. ~ Todd Gitlin and Liel Leibovitz

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/35579/the-centrality-of-jewish-chosenness

It is not unreasonable to suggest that this, indeed, was the key to Jewish survival: The belief that the individual Jew must maintain his Jewishness because he is the beloved of God. This belief found expression not simply in creed but also in Jewish practice. The dedication of generations of Jews to Jewish law was not out of a blind sense of duty, but out of a firm belief that these laws were the expression of the Creator’s special love for the Jewish people, and their betrayal would be a betrayal of that love. It is this belief, perhaps above all else, which sustained Jewish communities through the hardships of exile, persecution, and pogrom. And it may still.

Meir Soloveichik, God’s Beloved: A Defense of Chosenness, in Azure Magazine, no. 19 winter 2005

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