Rejection of the Jewish Idea of the Chosen People as a Consequence of Theological Egalitarianism in the Thought of Mordecai Kaplan

Abstract

In traditional Judaism, the truth that Jews are God’s Chosen People was universal and constitutive of both individual and collective identity. Most modern currents of Judaism (Orthodoxy, Conservatism, Reformed) continue to preach the belief in chosenness, based on religious obligations, the so-called mitzvot, which define a uniquely Jewish way of life and lead to moral holiness. However, Jewish Reconstructionism — the most recent and the most liberal paradigms of the Jewish religion — negates the idea of a chosen people completely, reflecting the notions espoused by its founder, Mordecai M. Kaplan, a staunch opponent of the belief that God chooses one people over another, one nation over other nations. This paper demonstrates how Kaplan re-envisioned the traditional truth about the Jews as the Chosen People. Relying on his analyses, the author demonstrates that Kaplan’s proposal arises from theological egalitarianism, on which the entire agenda of this current in Judaism is founded. The doctrine of chosenness is replaced in this case by the axiom of vocation, which does not elevate the Jews above other peoples, but presumes them to be equal with others. At the same time, Jews do not have to renounce their own path to salvation as a part of their civilization.