Yom Kippur 2026: The Jewish people are chosen – but not because they are better – opinion

The "Ata Behartanu" prayer, recited during the High Holy Days, expresses the concept of the Jewish people as chosen by God. This idea, found in the Torah (e.g., Exodus 19:5-6, Deuteronomy 7:6), has faced criticism from both non-Jews, like William Norman Ewer and Arnold Toynbee, and some Jews, such as Yosef Hayim Brenner and Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, who altered the blessing in the Reconstructionist prayer book. The author argues that the concept is often misunderstood; "bahar" (to choose) in the Tanach refers to being chosen for a specific task, not inherent superiority. The Jewish people were chosen for four tasks:

• To teach the world about monotheism ("You are my witnesses, says the Lord").
• To observe the Torah and mitzvot.
• To lead the struggle for social justice.
• To be "a light for the nations."

Deuteronomy 7:7-8 clarifies that this choice was due to God's love, not the Jewish people's numerical strength. Furthermore, the Jewish people actively chose God's covenant at Mount Sinai, as expressed in Exodus 19:8, leading Israel Zangwill to state, "A Chosen People is really a choosing people."