Why Being Jewish Is a Privilege: The Spiritual Advantage and Eternal Reward

Nurit asks: "I don’t understand — what is the advantage of being Jewish? It’s clear that a Jew’s spiritual enjoyment is greater, but on the other hand, a non-Jew doesn’t feel the need for that greater enjoyment, so it seems that the Jew is lacking more than the non-Jew, and has to work harder to come closer to God! I understand that every punishment and refinement is for a person’s own good, but why is a Jew required from the outset to fulfill more commandments? Thank you so much."

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Hello Nurit, and thank you for your deep question.

A Jew is indeed created with a higher soul, with the purpose of attaining eternal, incomparable pleasure of closeness to the Creator of the world, which is the greatest of all spiritual delights. Just as a cat can enjoy this physical world more than a plant can, so too, on a far greater scale, someone on a higher spiritual level can enjoy God’s eternal goodness more than one on a lower spiritual level.

The greatest pleasure of all is closeness to God, but to be close to God, we must resemble Him. To achieve this, the Creator formed man in His image — endowed with lofty spiritual capacities, the ability to choose between good and evil, and the ability to create his own reward (or punishment) through his deeds. A Jew, with a higher soul, is therefore capable of resembling his Creator more than a non-Jew and attaining a deeper, eternal closeness. The greater number of commandments reflects higher spiritual potential — greater responsibility, but also the capacity for greater reward.

Similar to asking: Why be wealthy and close to the king if it requires knowledge, responsibility, and dealing with complex matters — wouldn’t it be easier to be poor and carefree, living off scraps? While exaggerated, this illustrates the point: greatness comes with responsibility, but also with clear advantages. A bank manager has more stress than a janitor, but lives with far more means and opportunities.

As our Talmudic Sages teach: "The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to merit Israel; therefore, He gave them much Torah and many commandments, as it is said: 'The Lord desired for the sake of His righteousness to make the Torah great and glorious’” (Makkot 3:16). They also said: “The mitzvot were given only to refine people,” as it says: “Every word of God is pure” (Bereishit Rabbah 44).

A Jew is not “lacking” more than a non-Jew, he is simply entrusted with a greater mission because he possesses a greater soul. (Of course, any non-Jew can choose to convert and acquire this elevated spiritual closeness.) Would you prefer to be small and receive little, or to be great and receive much? We all naturally strive for more.

The reason this question arises now is because we live in a time where Jews suffer on the path toward happiness, and when there is pain, people think less about the ultimate good. Consider mothers worldwide who willingly endure nine months of pregnancy for the joy of bringing a child into the world — they know the hardship is worth the result. Throughout history, great achievements have always required sacrifice. God wants us to reach eternal joy, even if we must first correct wrongs.

Right now, we’re in the uphill climb, without seeing the breathtaking view waiting at the top. When the redemption arrives, the honor and glory of the Jewish people will be clear to all, and you will thank God for creating you as a Jew. Our current suffering is temporary; the reward will be infinitely greater.

Our sages promise that in the end times, we will even thank God for the hardships, as it will be clear how each challenge served our ultimate good — like a child who cried when a dangerous toy was taken away but later understood his parents’ love. Everything God does is for our benefit, whether we see it now or only in the World to Come. We must believe that no evil comes from God — only what appears to be bad, but in reality serves our eternal good.