We are called the chosen people – an appellation that has, throughout the centuries, caused much Jewish blood to be spilled. Atah B’chartanu mikol ha’amim, “You chose us from among all the nations,” is how we commence our Yom Tov Shemoneh Esrai. We utter these words with utmost pride. Do we really understand their meaning and significance? Horav Shimshon Pincus, zl, approaches this concept practically. Imagine, if six thousand years ago, Hashem would have asked mankind if it was worth creating the world. (This is hypothetical, since if there is no world, there would be no mankind.) Perhaps the responses would sound something like this: “It is worth creating the world, so that people could earn a living”; or “If there was a world, people could develop technology and delve into the sciences,” etc. Understandably, these answers are nonsensical, because it is only once the world had been created that man was obligated to earn a living and develop technology. No world – no need for a livelihood or technology. Rather, the question is: What intrinsic value/concept required the creation of the world?
The answer is Klal Yisrael: We have so many worthy attributes, such as our morality, spiritual demeanor, ethical character, kindness to and thoughtfulness of others. Rav Pincus cites but one of a plethora of stories which bespeaks this idea. Horav Moshe Feinstein, zl, once shared a car service home together with a yeshivah student. The Rosh Yeshivah entered the car as the student held the door for him. It was not a long drive. The Rosh Yeshivah sat there quietly, his mind in deep thought. The bachur’s home was their first stop, and he left the car bidding good night to the Rosh Yeshiva. As the driver was about to pull out, the Rosh Yeshivah asked him to wait. He then asked the driver to please get out of the car and open the door where he was sitting. He did as he was asked. When he opened the door, he was shocked to see that the Rosh Yeshivah’s finger had been stuck in the door the entire time. Apparently, when the bachur closed the door, he closed it on his Rebbe’s finger. “Why did the Rosh Yeshivah not scream out?” “I did not want to embarrass the bachur,” he replied.
Rav Pincus underscores what the Rosh Yeshivah had done. Indeed, in some instances a person knows he will have to endure great pain. He prepares for it and trains his mind to focus elsewhere while he suffers. In this case, however, the Rosh Yeshivah showed that his entire being was in control, and, if crying out meant to cause a young bachur to feel bad, he endured the terrible pain. It is such a person who reflects the incredible attributes of Klal Yisrael. If he thinks he might impinge on a fellow Jew’s feelings, he spontaneously is prepared to suffer extraordinary pain – just not to hurt someone else. This is why Hashem chose us from among the nations. These attributes are ingrained in our people.
