Do Jews Have a Choice About Being Jewish?

Hodaya asks: "Do we as Jews have the choice to remain Jewish or not? After all, if a Jew willingly leaves Judaism, they are punished for it. So it seems we have no choice. Thank you."

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Hello and blessings Hodaya, and thank you for your question,

You are correct in saying that we do not have the choice whether to be punished in the afterlife, but we have complete choice over how to live our lives in this world. This is because Hashem does not punish immediately in this world, and may even allow a person to live their entire life without punishment (creating confusion where a wicked person prospers and a righteous person suffers). Therefore, this life, from beginning to end, is in our hands to do as we please and to choose between good and evil. This is the choice that the holy Torah refers to when it says, "I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, blessing and curse, and you shall choose life" (Deuteronomy 30).

If we were purely rational beings, acting only by truth and reason, we truly would have no choice in the matter. Because how could a rational person deny and rebel against Hashem? A person without an evil inclination has no ability to sin, just as a normal person does not choose to jump into fire...

But the evil inclination within us is not rational, it does not act according to reason, always seeking excuses and justifications for sinning, finding any loophole and reveling in doubt. Anyone who has sinned due to their desires can tell afterward how foolish they feel, how the inclination misled them. Doubts and confusions are meant to weaken our grasp on the purpose for which we descended to this world, and this is where our free choice lies in choosing to trust Hashem and His holy Torah. Because there is such an illogical evil inclination within us, each person has the choice to listen to Hashem rationally or, Heaven forbid, to act against reason and sin, rebelling against the purpose we came into the world for. Each of us has this choice.

Our reality is like darkness, where Hashem guides us towards the light through the holy Torah and requires us to trust Him to avoid falling into a pit. This world is a world of trials, and within this trial, Hashem tests us.

Regarding the choice of the Jewish people, we must remember that the responsibility of the entire world rests on our shoulders. The purpose of the world is the Torah, and all creatures draw their life from the power of the Torah and mitzvot of the Jews, created for this great purpose. If the Jews had not accepted the Torah, Heaven forbid, Hashem would not have continued sustaining the world. As the prophet says in the name of Hashem, "If not for my covenant day and night, I would not have established the laws of heaven and earth" (Jeremiah 33:25).

Our existence is conditional upon the purpose for which we were created, for without this great purpose - Hashem would not have created us.

Furthermore, we should note a very important point: Hashem saved our entire nation from certain death through miraculous interventions, so every child born among Israel is inherently obligated to Hashem, even in the natural way visible to the eye.

Isn’t it amazing how all the great nations and powerful empires vanished: Ancient Egypt, the Greek Empire, the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Persia, the Kingdom of Babylon... Look and see how all ancient peoples perished and assimilated, all the people of Canaan disappeared as if they never existed. Only we survived by the power of our God. Only the Jewish people have survived for thousands of years without an army and without a state. This teaches us that Hashem sustains us in a non-natural way. Without Him, there would be no "Jewish people" in our time by natural means. So we are not just natural beings living by circumstance, we exist historically by the power of Hashem who repeatedly saves us from those who come to destroy us.

Our entire existence is owed to the Creator of the world - both in terms of the purpose of creation placed upon our shoulders, and in terms of our existence as a people that was not supposed to exist today. Your life and mine are open miracles, the Jewish soul is above nature, we are the closest children of Hashem, as it says: "For you are children of Hashem your God" (Deuteronomy 14), "Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. I am Hashem your God" (Numbers 15).

You owe your life to Hashem, not only in terms of the spiritual purpose of your soul but also the natural order of the world - which was not supposed to contain us at all.

Being Jewish is a great privilege, just as a king's child has immense power and wonderful treasures, yet along with that comes the responsibility to conduct life according to the greatness of the mission, because you are the child of a king, as you are the daughter of a king. And the choice is yours to love your Father, trust Him, and walk in His ways.