ABSTRACT
The idea that God chose the Jewish people from among all others lies at the foundation of traditional Jewish thought and practice. It stretches back to God’s covenant with Abraham and pervades the traditional liturgy. But it immediately raises certain questions: What is chosenness, exactly? What is its relationship to love? Why does God choose a people, and why, specifically, the Jewish people? Beyond these straightforward philosophical questions, there are theological difficulties with the idea of chosenness: If God chooses just one people, is He playing favorites? Is God’s choosing one people consistent with His being just? Is it consistent with His loving all of humanity?
