BE_I HARD T
The Chosen People
Live With Purpose
RABBI IRWIN GRONER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
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od said to Abraham:
"And I will make of
thee a great nation,
and I will bless thee
and make thy name great,
and be thou a blessing."
A great and unique destiny
was conferred on Abraham
and his descendants by these
words. Yours will be a people
blessed because it will bring
blessing. There have been
times in the life of the Jew
when it was difficult to
believe in this promise — ages
of suffering and misery, tragic
oppression and humiliation.
There were eras when the
world's low opinion of the Jew
was so pervasive that it
entered the folk-images of the
Western World: Shylock, with
his pound of flesh; Fagin, the
corruptor of youth; Judas
Iscariot, the deity-killer of the
Passion Play.
But the world's opinion of
the Jew and the external cir-
cumstances of his life did not
affect his mind and spirit, for
the Jew had his own self-
image, one fashioned by his
tradition and the discipline of
his way of life. That tradition
taught him from his earliest
youth that he was sprung
from a people who had been
chosen by God to play a uni-
que, saving role in the history
of mankind. He knew that
when he saw hate rampant,
when he experienced the
blind struggle of nations, his
task was to bear a vision of
that day when "peace would
be unto those who are near
and far-off." When he saw op-
pression and injustice, it was
his mission to cry out for
truth and freedom: "Justice,
justice shalt thou pursue."
One of the factors that ex-
plains the quality of Jewish
life has been the high concep-
tion of itself and its character
that Israel has always held.
We can derive great
satisfaction from the
knowledge that the Jew is
perceived differently in the
modern world, and his
achievements are highly
recognized. It is significant to
note the extent and degree to
which Jewish themes, terms
and personalities have
become popular in American
culture. Novels, movies, even
television productions portray
Jewish types and characters.
We are well-represented in
Irwin Groner is senior rabbi
of Congregation Shaarey
Zeciek.
the media. We take pride in
the number of Jewish can-
didates elected to positions of
public office.
Yet, in the midst of this
dramatically improved socie-
ty, where the Jew is recogniz-
ed for his contribution and
respected for his ac-
complishments, we Jews are
not at ease. The world has im-
proved its understanding of
the Jew, but the Jew has lost
something of his high concep-
tion of himself. The story of
the Jewish people begins with
Abraham, who was addressed
by God to assume a special
responsibility — to declare
the truth of one humanity
and one morality to all the
peoples of the earth. This task
was to be fulfilled in a special
way by his descendants who
would bear witness to these
values.
Shabbat
Lech Lecha:
Genesis 12:1-17:27
Isaiah
40:27-41:16.
To the majority of Jews, the
idea of chosenness, is at best,
irksome. Toward the outside
world, they would like to turn
the tender cheek of equality,
hoping to be accepted as
equals because they them-
selves eschew all pretense of
separateness. We were kept
apart because you forced us to
live apart. Now we want to be
partners in the whole pattern
of social life.
The modern Jew is free to
live a Jewish life, and he
strives to avoid it. He fights
for free religious expression
and when he obtains it, he
foregoes its benefits.
We need to re-affirm the
basic principle. The Jewish
story begins with Abraham.
Abraham, the tradition
declares, stood alone, not
because he sought to be a
dissenter or deviate, but
because he was set apart to
realize great ideals. In his
uniqueness, he discovered a
blessing that would endure
for all generations. We, his
descendants, have been
chosen to live with a con-
sciousness of purpose, to pur-
sue the high standards that
the Torah sets before us. El