Jewish Specialness Essay

Theodore Bikel states beautifully how many people misunderstand the concept of Jewish specialness, in saying that they were chosen for a task, not for privilege. Based on the 4,000 years of Jewish lessons and experience, especially the hardships and sacrifices that they had to go through, it can be said that they have the “knowledge of the difference between good and evil.” Because of this, it may be possible to bring this concept of the “knowledge of the difference between good and evil” to the world today. Many Jewish people, including important figures as well as the whole Jewish community, have been through many hardships that have affected their own lives as well as the history of their people. For example, many important figures, such as Abraham and Moses, had experiences that were evil or on the verge of evil, but in the end turned out to be for the greater good. Abraham was asked to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, but in the end it turned out to be a test of obedience as well as the passage of replacement of animal sacrifices. (Molloy, 291) Moses was called to lead the Jewish slaves out of Egypt, but had to go through ten deadly plagues to convince the Pharaoh to release them. But the Jewish people were eventually freed from …show more content…
The kingdom of Judah was overtaken and sent to exile in Babylonia for almost fifty years; their city, temple, and ways of worship were all destroyed during their exile, and they did not know if they were going to return. Although it was a tragic event, it was also an important turning point in Jewish history. It was due to this exile that the Sabbath was created and is now a crucial part to the Jewish religion. Not only is there a simple difference between good and evil, but knowledge of the difference between them, as well as knowing that something that appears evil can be turned into something