Why Did G-d Choose the Jewish People? The Deeper Story Behind the Giving of the Torah

The Midrash teaches that before the Torah was given, G-d offered it to the nations of the world. They were unwilling to accept a set of life-guiding principles that would require them to leave their comfort zones and take on a life of commitment and responsibility. The Jewish people, on the other hand, declared, “We will do and we will hear,” willingly accepting the Torah and all it entailed.

The primary reason the Torah was offered to all nations was so that, in the future, no nation could claim, “Had we been given the Torah, we would have accepted and followed it.” And yet, G-d's offer wasn’t a matter of free choice, but part of a divine process.

When did G-d choose the Jewish people as His nation?

The answer lies at the very beginning of history. The Torah opens with the words: “In the beginning, G-d created…” Rashi, one of the greatest Torah commentators, explains: “For the sake of the Torah, which is called 'the beginning of His way' (Proverbs 8:22), and for the sake of Israel, who are called 'the first of His harvest' (Jeremiah 2:3).” The world was created for the sake of the Torah and for the sake of the people of Israel. This indicates that the Jewish people were chosen from the very beginning of creation, long before the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai or the lives of the patriarchs.

Why was Israel chosen over all other nations to be the "chosen people"? The answer begins in the spiritual realm, in what is called the "World of Souls." There are two primary categories of soul-roots. One category includes souls that originate in the upper spiritual world—souls from the realm of Atzilut (emanation), near the Divine Throne. These are sacred souls, destined from creation to become G-d’s nation. The other category consists of souls from the lower world of creation. These were not intended to guide the world toward spiritual repair and rectification.

Adam’s soul was a comprehensive, all-inclusive soul which contained within it the essence of all future human souls. Adam was meant to bring the world to perfection. However, becuase he sinned, violating G-d’s command, the unified soul became spiritually damaged, and it was no longer worthy of receiving the Torah or of guiding the world toward its higher purpose.

Because of Adam’s sin, many of the holy sparks—souls of great potential—fell and became entangled in spiritual impurity. Thus, the two types of souls became intermingled. This initiated a long process of sorting, clarification, and refinement between the two soul-types, which lasted until the time of the Egyptian exile.

During the Egyptian exile, a spiritual “sorting” took place. Once the people of Israel were freed and stood at Mount Sinai, they were no longer just a family, but they became a full-fledged nation. It was then that G-d entered into an eternal covenant with them, designating them to lead the world’s spiritual repair.

When Was the “Right Time” for Receiving the Torah?

G-d chose Abraham because of his unwavering dedication to truth and to the Divine. Abraham became the father of the nation that would carry the holy souls—souls committed to returning the world to its source through the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvot. After him, G-d chose Isaac and then Jacob, who also demonstrated complete devotion. Their souls came from the root of sacred souls, unlike those of Ishmael and Esau, who were connected to impure spiritual roots.

Rabbi Yehuda Leib Ashlag (the "Baal HaSulam"), in his essay Matan Torah (“The Giving of the Torah”), explains that the Torah could only be given once there was a full-sized nation. That moment came at the Exodus from Egypt, when there were 600,000 adult men—a representation of the total number of root souls needed to form a complete spiritual body. This is why the Torah wasn’t given in the days of the patriarchs, because while they were righteous individuals, they were not yet a collective nation capable of fulfilling the interpersonal commandments, especially “Love your neighbor as yourself,” which, together with mitzvot between people and G-d, leads to the ultimate purpose of creation: unity with the Divine.

The mystics add that many of the holy soul-sparks destined to become the people of Israel were trapped within the spiritual “husks” of Egypt, where impurity ruled more strongly than anywhere else. G-d informed Abraham that his descendants would need to go down to Egypt in order to retrieve those sparks and elevate them. Only after descending to the 49th level of impurity and extracting the final sparks could the people be redeemed.

The suffering and exile in Egypt also served the purpose of purifying and refining the souls through hardship. These hardships atoned for earlier incarnations and sins committed during the generation of the Flood and the generation that built the Tower of Babel.

Only after this spiritual cleansing, and after freeing the holy sparks from impurity, were the souls of Israel prepared to receive the Torah and take on the unique role of guiding creation toward its spiritual completion.