You - yes, you reading this - are the most special person in the world.

Of course, our rational brain tells us that since this is a public post seen potentially by many people, this cannot be Truth - it is certainly contradictory to tell many people simultanously that each is the most special!

And I want to go to the UN and announce in front of all the assembled delegations: "your nation is the greatest nation in the world".

So are the two statements above lies? I would venture to say that they are NOT necessarily 'lies', since everyone reading or hearing it knows it is being said to everyone, so there is no intent to deceive. In fact there is potentially a deep message in how it influences the reader emotionally despite their awareness of its public nature (see below).

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What's the meaning of the Torah statements of God saying that the Jewish People are chosen, are special, a treasure? And the passage in this week's Torah portion (ki tavo) where Moses conveys what God said, about the Jewish People being 'elyon al kol hagoyim' = "raised above the other nations". Is it the same as being 'the most special'? Does it mean 'ruling over'?!

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Here are God's actual words to us, via Moshe Rabenu (Moses):

Dvarim 26: Parshat Ki Tavo

טז  הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, ה' אֱ'ךָ מְצַוְּךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת-הַחֻקִּים הָאֵלֶּה וְאֶת-הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים; וְשָׁמַרְתָּ וְעָשִׂיתָ אוֹתָם, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשֶׁךָ.

16 This day the LORD thy God commandeth thee to do these statutes and ordinances; thou shalt therefore observe and do them with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.

יז  אֶת-ה' הֶאֱמַרְתָּ, הַיּוֹם:  לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לֵא' וְלָלֶכֶת בִּדְרָכָיו, וְלִשְׁמֹר חֻקָּיו וּמִצְוֺתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וְלִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקֹלוֹ.

17 Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and that thou wouldest walk in His ways, and keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His ordinances, and hearken unto His voice.

יח  וַה' הֶאֱמִירְךָ הַיּוֹם, לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה, כַּאֲשֶׁר, דִּבֶּר-לָךְ; וְלִשְׁמֹר, כָּל-מִצְוֺתָיו.

18 And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be His own treasure, as He hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all His commandments;

יט וּלְתִתְּךָ עֶלְיוֹן, עַל כָּל-הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, לִתְהִלָּה, וּלְשֵׁם וּלְתִפְאָרֶת; וְלִהְיֹתְךָ עַם-קָדֹשׁ לַה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר.  {פ}

19 and to make thee high above all nations that He hath made, in praise, and in name, and in glory; and that thou mayest be a holy people unto the LORD thy God, as He hath spoken. {P}

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There are various interpretations of all this, some more 'particularist' than others, here we prefer one that combines a universal slant, but together with an acceptance of the Torah being the literal word of God meant for us - the Jewish People - now as well as in the past, and in that context we'll explore a possible deep meaning in "choseness" & "being raised above other nations", and a challenge and uplifting mission for each and every human being: 

I think that this set of passages can be understood at several levels, some of which we'll explore below. For example, we know that God spoke to the prophets of various nations, and that Jewish Tradition teaches that the nations were given prophets as great as the ones given to the Jewish People (eg the Rabbis teach that Bil'am was at the same level of prophecy as Moses!). We don't know the messages they were given, only the messages directly relating to the Jewish people, as re Bil'am. And Jewish prophet Jonah prophecied to Ninveh, an entirely different nation, and perhaps there were things he told them that they needed to hear that Jonah did not record in the book of Jonah given to the Jewish People.

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In any case: We need to understand:

1) the meaning of "chosen";

2) what the Torah means by "the other nations"

3) in what circumstances God states that the Jewish people will be "raised above",

4) to clarify what exactly is involved in this "raising above".

What does the key word 'elyon' mean or connote?

1) Abraham inspired Malkitzedek to refer to "(k)el elyon", variously translated as "the most-high God" or etc. Cerainly 'elyon' doesn't mean 'ruling over', since we would not say that there are other gods and God rules over them, but rather it must mean something else.

For example the Rabbinical use of the word in prayer may imply that the role of being 'elyon' involves acting with loving kindness (ie that it is a type of "noblesse oblige"):הָקל הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא  קל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹמֵל חֲסָדִים טוֹבִים... וְזוֹכֵר חַסְדֵי אָבוֹת ...בְּאַהֲבָה

God wanted Abraham to produce a nation which would do the same as Abraham their progenitor, in other words a nation which would be a pointer to what Avimelekh referred to as the "most-high God", as Abraham himself was a pointer. Perhaps this is the meaning of God telling the Jewish People they will as a nation be "elyon" to the other nations, that it is their task to be "a light unto nations", ie to illuminate the path to God, or to bring awareness of the existence of God or to show via acts of compassion and charity what God wants from people and nations (like Abraham rescuing the captives, and then not taking the spoils).

The above is one approach to understanding the passage about being made 'elyon' (there are of course many...) 

2) Letitcha elyon al kol hagoyim.....

In this parsha God tells the Jewish people via Moses that IF they keep the Way of God as outlined in the Torah, other nations will be in awe, and the Jews will be' raised above all nations', and their enemies will be easily defeated (not that the Jews will conquer the world, but that they will be safe from attackers)וּלְתִתְּךָ עֶלְיוֹן, עַל כָּל-הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, לִתְהִלָּה, וּלְשֵׁם וּלְתִפְאָרֶת; וְלִהְיֹתְךָ עַם-קָדֹשׁ לַה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר.

And by keeping the Torah completely in all aspects, including helping the poor and the stranger in their land, all nations will feel God's presence shining through them. But as outlined in horrifying detail in this portion, God forbid the opposite is also true.... so it is clear that the Torah does not mean that a certain nation is "biologically superior" or anything like that, it is a matter of the Torah metaphysics which sees the world in terms of nations rather than in terms only of individuals, and considers the roles of nations and their interrelation, and here is revealing the effect  on other nations of seeing an entire nation fully cleaving unto God.

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'to raise you above": This is comparative & unique (ie said in relation to other nations, in distinction from them) as opposed to 'am segulah', nivchar, mamlechet kohanim vegoi kadosh etc which are not explicitly unique, and could be said to other nations as well. However, let's look carefully at the wording:

ז אֶת-ה הֶאֱמַרְתָּ, הַיּוֹם:  לִהְיוֹת לְךָ ל=ם וְלָכֶת בִּדְרָכָיו, וְלִשְׁמֹר חֻקָּיו וּמִצְו‍ֹתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו--וְלִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקֹלוֹ.  יח וַה הֶאֱמִירְךָ הַיּוֹם, לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה, כַּאֲשֶׁר, דִּבֶּר-לָךְ; וְלִשְׁמֹר, כָּל-מִצְו‍ֹתָיו.  יט וּלְתִתְּךָ עֶלְיוֹן, עַל כָּל-הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, לִתְהִלָּה, וּלְשֵׁם וּלְתִפְאָרֶת; וְלִהְיֹתְךָ עַם-קָדֹשׁ לַ=ה אֱ=ךָ, כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר.

Note the important fact that it refers to specific circumstance - when we are perfected individualy and as a nation! וְלָלֶכֶת בִּדְרָכָיו, וְלִשְׁמֹר חֻקָּיו וּמִצְו‍ֹתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו--וְלִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקֹלוֹ! It is not a status we always had or have, nor automatic, but rather a status we can earn, when all of us reach the stage outlined here.

[sorry for any wordiness/duplication] 

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I would venture to say that the meaning of the phrase 'elyon al kol hagoyim' in this contect would become manifest if the Jewish People indeed kept these conditions, and that when it is not the case it is more difficult to understand what was meant. And that only individuals who are in this category of keep ing all God's commands and following God's ways, and living in a time whent the entire Jewish People are doing so, could be qualified to have the depth of understanding and the appropriate perspective in order to be able to comprehend the meaning.

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May we soon rise to the challenge as a nation, fulfil our potential, and thereby inspire the entire world to do the same. [And perhaps it is not so terrible if other nations achieve their own type of perfection, on their own, in the meantime, without waiting for us! 😄]

And may we be blessed to see all other humans as the image of God and convey to them how wonderful and unique and beautiful they are, (and what a blessed effect this will boomerang on us if we can do so!) , catalyzing in each of them the feeling that they are the most beautiful wonderful unique person in the world, and thus perhaps also giving them the strength and inspiration - empowering them - to continue that chain of blessing to others!

3) Another approach, which was the source for my opening words above:

When I was a child my mother broight us to hear Shlomo Carlebach sing, and afterward he was warmly individually greeting people, and looking at them and saying to them, in a loud whisper,  loud enough to carry to me standing fifteen feet away behind a few rings of people surrounding him, 'you are the most special, most wonderful most beautiful person in the word'.It was clear to me that everyone waiting to greet him – who were therefore standing even closer than I was - definitely heard it too; and I heard him say it to all of them, the exact same to the next and the next, and I knew that each heard him say it to the people before them! As a kid I was totally perplexed – how come he allows everyone to hear that he is saying it to all? And why were people clamoring to hear it - if he's letting everyone know he is 'lying' to them, how come they line up to hear him lie to them!? What's the scam?

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Decades later I met people who said this message had changed their lives, literally. At that time, as an adult I understood that he really felt it each time he said it, and that this is something amazing, for him to be able to really at the moment feel that specialness of each person he encountered. and at the moment of encounter, that they are the most special wonderful person in the world!

But that was only the first level of understanding. Some more years later I understood that the important thing was not just that he felt this honestly, but that the people he said it to were able to feel that he really honestly felt their complete specialness as he said it to them, and that there was no lie, no contradiction involved, and it was not just a matter of 'logic'. His sincerity at the moment conveyed itself to each person, they felt he really meant it, and that's why it changed their lives.

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And then a third stage: some more years later I asked someone who had experienced it (one of his 'chasidim') and was given to understand that what was even more special was that he made THEM feel that, about themselves, they all felt that they were the most special, ' wonderful beautiful person in the world, and that's why it changed their lives.

It is not a matter of logical deductions, and there is no lie and no scam……

Everyone knew it was being said to everyone, there was no intent to deceive. Instead, it is potentially a deep message. And I am sure this is why he made sure to say it loudly enough so that it was clear that it was meant to be heard by all, even though said in a whisper.

So in other words God can tell this message of specialness and 'elyon' to all nations, and it doesn't contradict!

It seems that humans are built to feel this way even when rationally they know that he just said it to someone a moment before and will say it to someone else a moment later. We can be profoundly changed for the better when we feel this about ourselves, when it is said to us by someone who truly believes it , even if it is only at a particular moment. And indeed, every single one of us is in the image of God, made as described in Genesis via  all humanity is created from God's "breath/spirit".

What power we have to raise our fellow-beings if we can reach within ourselves to feel the "image of God" in every human we encounter, and to let them feel we feel that ! And to bring them to the point where THEY feel it!

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4) According to Tradition, all the people of the world heard God's words at Sinai - perhaps they all heard this too, each in their own way?]

There are many ways to understand what 'chosen' means. Shlomo Carlebach taught that the Jews are a chosen people - chosen to bring God's message to all humanity, the message that they are ALL chosen. And there are of course other ways to understand what 'chosen' means.

According to  tradition, there are 70 root nations, and each has its mission. and perhaps many figures in later centuries taught Godly messages, for different naitons according to their divinely-apportioned task.

Other nations: Being special in this context is about our potential, we need to self-develop to achieve it. However until we have achieved it, there's no sense in bragging about it (and bragging would be a defnite sign that it has NOT been acheived).

And perhaps our message about all this - especially at the point when we are indeed living up to this potential and all are looking to us - will be to tell all humanity that they too each in their own way can achieve this since the Torah teaches at the very beginning that all humanity is created in God's image, from God's "breath/spirit".

And since the Torah presents non-Jewish prophets, and inspired figures from other nations, maybe various other nations were sent their own related messages,  now encoded as part of other religions, but all from the same Source.

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The 70 nations each have a task to fulfil, each may have had divine/prophetic guidance on how to behave. Examples:

• We know bil'am was known as a prophet in his area.

• Yitro was a holy leader.

• Iyov was the most righteous man on earth.

• Malkitzedek must have taught various nations etc,

The Rabbis of the Talmud praised the Romans for achieving wonders of technology and organizaiton, depsite their destruction of the Land of Israel. The beauty of Eastern mystical thought is praised by many, thousands of years after its origin, and the greatness of the achievements of the ancient Greeks in philosophy and science and aesthetics other areas around the same time are marvelled at still today.  The Jewish People are one of thse 70 and we have our own mission and if we fulfil it by fully living according to the laws of the Torah we too can achieve heights in our own way.

However the Jewish People differ in a fundamental way, as a people, from other nations: The Indians of Buddha's time, and the ancient Greeks and Romans were nations but their special creations of Buddhism, Greek science  philosophy and art, Roman technology, were meant as trans-national, and indeed were adopted by various cultures, civilizations and nations, and there was no attempt to create a nation which would live according to these principles and practices and continue itself through the generation for all history. In contrast, God instructed Abaham to create exactly that, a nation which observed a religion and creates a distinctive civilization, as a nation in its land.

God created 70 nations each to fulful its destiny, however the ancient nations of the Indians, Greeks and Romans with their magnificent creations have vanished as nation-cutures, though their cultual creations exist and their descendants exist. In contrast, God commands the Jewish People to ensure their existence as a nation and religion and culture, in its homeland, and tells them they will eventually be unique in that way, the only ones who still exist in the national form in their ancestral homeland. And in this way, in this sense, the Jewish People are "elyon" as a nation 'above' the other nations.

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Phrased a little differently: According to Torah metaphysics, each founding nation had a role in the world, and indeed the ancient Indians, Egyptians, Sumerians, Greeks, Romans and others produced marvels for which they are still famous. But they have vanished as 'nations', they do not anymore stand out for continuing activity in the realms which made them famous long ago, have long ago ceased performing the special function as "a founding nation.

In contrast, God asked Abraham to form a nation - which would also be a religion – and to institute a system to ensure that the nation and religion and civilization should last forever (including establishing schools & courts, laws of charity, business, agriculture and neighbor-disputes etc) and our national goal and destiny is to achive perfection as a founding nation.

Only the Jewish People remain from those ancient times as a national entity maintaining its distinctive character, and so indeed when they will eventually succeed in fulfilling their function to be a holy nation, and the light of God will be seen by the remnants of the other nations, in this way will they be "raised above" the other nations in other words these other nations will be inspired by them to return to their cosmic roots and become as they were meant to be..

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All humanity is created in the image of God,  and since the Torah presents non-Jewish prophets, and inspired figures from other nations, maybe various other nations were sent their own related messages,  now encoded as part of other religions, but all from the same Source. The Jewish People, who God knew in advance would be the only remaining founding nation functioning in their original role, were told then that they were chosen by God to be emissaries to bring to all humanity this all-important divine message, ie to teach the message of Genesis – dictated directly word by word from God to Moses - that there is one God, creator of all, and that we all have a moral responsibility to choose Good over Evil, and that all humanity is created from the breath/spirit of God" and all people should treat all others as befits a being "created in the image of God". And when we fulfil our mission from God to become a holy nation, this will be apparent to all other nations, so that they will all thereby be able to learn the great message for them that God has entrusted to us to impart to all.

So we are being told that when we are indeed living up to this potential and all are looking to us - will be to tell all humanity that they too each in their own way can achieve this since the Torah teaches at the very beginning that all humanity is created in God's image, from God's "breath/spirit".

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May we all be blessed to feel the special uniqueness that we all have, the one thing that is the same about all of us is that each of us is unique, because we are at essence the breath/spirit of God, and may we be even more blessed to make others feel this way!

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5) A sports-team analogy: According to Torah metaphysics, each nation has a role in the world. Many nations have their own religion, however religions often includes a belief that only that one religion is correct, so how should we all get along with each other?

When city X's sports fans cheer for their team they say it is the greatest team on earth etc. But they have to be simpletons to believe this in the rational sense, and they have to be misguided about the meaning of sport if they think that it is incumbent on all other cities to abandon supporting their own team and instead support city X's team. Most sports fans - however enthusiastic and loyal they are - understand (hopefully) that each city feels the same about their OWN team, and in fact they intuit that that is a good thing, that it would be crazy in sports games to have everyone cheering for one team and no-one for any others!

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When a leader speaks to their people they may say "this is the greatest nation on earth" etc without believing that all others in the world feel the same way about that particular nation. [  and in fact any wise person understands that it ican be good that each feel proud of their nation. and it is not necessarily a problem, and only an idiot would stand up at such a rally and point out that 'well, you know, each nation feels this way about themselves (and there are some nations which feel negatively about us) and so in, the point is to rally people to a common cause, a good cause hopefully...]

Similarly, when parents speak to their children and tell them they are the most wonderful kids on Earth. Only a fool will say to their children "you know I think you are the greatest, but every parent thinks this about their own children and so probably you are not nearly as great as I think you are". And in contrast imagine child X being raised to think that every parent tells their children that child X is the greatest. Obviously the purpose of telling your children they are the greatest is not to have them grow up thinking it is true in the rational sense, and it is not a lie to tell the they are the greatest even if rationally you know it is not objectively true.

God in this parsha tells the Jewish people via Moses that IF they keep the Way of God as outlined in the Torah, other nations will be in awe, and the Jews will be raised above all, and their enemies will be easily defeated and by cleaving to God via keeping the Torah, the Jewish People will be a holy nation, ie they will shine with God's holiness and this will be perceived by all.(not that the Jews will conquer the world, but that they will be safe from attackers). And by keeping the Torah completely in all aspects, including helping the poor and the stranger in their land, all nations will feel God's presence shining through them. But God forbid the opposite is also true, so it is not a matter of a certain people being "biologically superior", it is a matter of the effect of a nation fully cleaving unto God.

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HoweverJewish People are the only of the original 70 etc, and it is as a nation together living the Will of God that we manifest God, and so are a pointer to God.  (Not all of us do so always as individuals.) And in this way, as the sole surviving root nation, the Jewish People are "elyon" over the other nations, when we are perfected and are manifesting God's Presence maximally - as a nation not as individuals, though some individuals such as Abraham and Moses, who stove to perfect themselves, did so (note that in Judaism being perfect means continuing always to strive for perfection despite failings and moral failures, so thathumans can indeed be perfect even though they are human and therefore inherently possess moral flaws and weaknesses etc, all meant to be overcome via inner struggle, or at least the effort to try to overcome them).

 And if some other nation had made it through the ages on their original mission they too would have been special...the Jewish People held out against all odds, all persecutions, and are uniquely suited for the task...but eventually the nations will be reconstituted, but will need the guidance of the Torah since they don't have any remnant of their initial mission message or it was corrupted over time, and this is what 'letitcha elyon' means, God was entrusting the Jewish People as a nation, preparing them for this task

Since the context is that all the Jewish People will be in our land, and God is talking to us as our Father (God told us we are all God's children) and telling us like a father or like a city cheering its team, like a political leader rallying the people in time of trouble, telling us 'you're the best, the holiest, the most wonderful'. And if one understands what is the purpose of the message, one can understand that it can be the same message God perhaps told other nations in ancient itmes when they were in their own land (perhaps via their prophets) So in this understanding, Elyon all kol hagoyim ' means the most wonderful', and each nation can be so described by God, to them individually, and it doesnt contradict. However they did not survive asroot- nations with distinct God-based civilizations... and so it is up to us to bring the message to all humanity.

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How can anyone who has not achieved their potential prove they are inately superior in potential to another, especially if that other is perhaps even greater than them in actual development - say to someone ok i am only at 50% and you are at 60% but my potential is really higher than you. That would be stupid, first becuase they can't prove it, second beausec it is a self-insult since if one's potential is higher, then their score of the percent of potential reached is even lower. And also of course anyone who brags aobut their potential , or about their actual level, is obviously arrogant and this points to being at a low level, not high. So it is clear that the Torah never meant for Jews to go around praising themselves calling themselves this. And we don't.

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Interpretation of: "I will place you high above the nations":

We are meant to serve as 'pointers to God', very visible to all nations:

When God told Moses during the war against Amalek to stand up in a high place (top of a mountain above the plain where the battle raged) and raise his hand and keep it raised , someone might have misunderstood and thought that Moses' hand and staff was important, but of course it was actually in order to have a mystical 'pointer' to Heaven, up in a high place.

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Similarly in the episode where the copper rod helped bring about a cure for the snake poison, in this case it was placed high, but where the people could see it, and then direct their gaze heavenward. That is, the hand and the rod were (each in their own way) pointers to God, in a "high place" so as to catalyze in those far below (in the first case) , or in order to be seen by all those below that 'high place' (in the second case) in order to arrive at the inner recognition that God is in charge. (In a way Similar to the purpose of the kippa worn on the head nowadays, in a "high place", seen by all others [the wearer rarely sees their own].).

( ironically and perhaps purposely the kippa is seen more by all others and the wearer rarely sees their own.)

Adapting the above to the context of our passage, we can say that in order for something to be seen by many, it needs to be 'high up', and so 'placing you high above all others' in some sense means 'highly visible to all', in other words God is telling us that our actions will have sufficient exposure to be be able to influence others - perhaps also out of proportion.

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6) An analogy based on the reaction of the nations of the world to relatively recent "secular events" involving the Jewish nation acting as a nation: imagine the effect of 'spiritual events'!

Examples in recent times when the actions of the Jewish People in the Land of Israel - actions 'from high up', in other words which became highly visible to all nations - brought about something like this type of reaction worldwide:

1. The Entebbe rescue. The world was convinced something unusual, not-entirely-natural happened, something remarkable, that many people felt pointed towards God....The nations saw the Jewish People in the Land of Israel putting their lives on the line to fly to an an enemy country in order to save Jews they never met, and all across the world people were astonished, and among many there was a recognition - even if silently - that God's Hand was involved. This is one way of being a pointer from a high place.

(In this case almost literally, since it involved planes flying secretly in the dark to avoid detection by an enemy country and terrorists, and the rescuers and the rescued traveled back on the same planes, and news broke as they were still in the air after returning to Israeli airspace.

'In a high place/above all the nations' perhaps in this case also meant that it was in a time when TV and video and instant voice communication enabled the whole world to see what was happening (like the copper rod was visible to all, because t was raised high).

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[2. Maybe also the Gulf War where all those rockets on Israel killed only one person there, and indirectly so.]..Similarly, the 6 day war was perceived by many around the world as a non-natural event .....

3. The 1948 war might have had the same effect, especially coming as it did only three years after the end of the Holocaust - Jews who had left in time years earlier , including physicians and professors and bankers came to a barren land of desert and swamps and with tremendous self-sacrifice and idealistic fervor built up a country physically with their bare hands to be a haven for their brethren, who then straggled in as refugees from Europe and elsewhere. Many people seeing the emergence of a country of refuge emerge in such a short time, originating in incredible brotherly love for Jews from distant parts of the globe, felt that the Hand of God was involved, and were perhaps inspired.

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4. And even the admiration of many towards Israel's technological advancement, placing so high in the world in "high"-tech of various sorts , as well as water reclamation, agriculture etc - Israel was 'highest' per capita, and many nations knew of it and were impressed and sought us out, and even  made peace as a result!

5. Even some of the military successes, the audacity, the courage, inspires in other nations both hatred, fear, envy, and also admiration and jealous wishes that they could do the same - all seem to feel there is something different, special, for good or bad, in this small nation. 

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Conclusion: This gives us a hint as to what would happen if the Jewish People

i. will act towards each other as they should, and

ii. will work towards fulfilling the potential of the Land of Israel, and

iii. will keep the Torah as they should ("kee hee chochmaschem...""it is your wisdom in the eyes of the nations") etc.

Together it will have the effect that all the nations of the world will see that something extraordinary is occurring, and it will point them towards God, towards God's 'house' in Jerusalem, and this is the mission of the Jewish People, this is what they were chosen to accomplish, and this is what it means "to place you raised high above all the nations"..

...

And perhaps our message at the point when we are indeed living up to this potential and all are looking to us, will be to tell all humanity that they too each in their own way can achieve this since the Torah teaches at the very beginning that all humanity is created in God's image, from God's "breath/spirit". And maybe other nations have had their own prophets teach them related messages, encoded in other religions but all from the same Source. May we soon rise to the challenge, fulfil our potential, and thereby inspire the entire world to do the same. [And perhaps it is not so terrible if other nations work on  achieving their own type of perfection, on their own, in the meantime, without waiting for us! ] 

.

And the particular specialness of the Jewish people will become clear in the future time when the Jewish People as a nation will be seen by all the other naitons to be fulfilling Gods word, in perfection.

Also: The context of the chumash is that the Jewish people are to be in the Land of Israel, not elsewhere, unless there was a famine or God dispersed them. so when God says am segula etc it is in the context of being in their land, not when they are among other naitons. (and maybe some antion can eventually be accepted by al others as indeed the greatest, but that is something that will only be known if and when it happens)

Being am segula is about our potential, we need to self-develop to achive it. As long as we havent achieve dit, what sens eis thre in being proud that it is our potential. How can anyone who has not achieved heir ptoential prove they are inately superiour in potential to another, especially if that other is perhaops even grweater than them in actual development - say to someone ok i am only at 50% and yo are at 60% but my potential is really higher than you. that is stupid, first bec cant prove it, second bec it is a self put down since if potential is higher than your score is even lower, the percent of potential you reached. And also fo course anyone who brags aobut their potential , or about their actual level, is obviously arrogant and this points to being at a low level, not hight. so torah never meant for jews to go around praising themselves calling themselves this.

And we don;t.

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Conclusion:  This can be the message for which God chose us, to spread to all the world, all nations are special, all people are special! We are all in the image of God, created via the divine breath/spirit!

....................................................................END..................................................

[Just like brain believing two contradictory things and anecdote: indians or etc accepting statue of JC form missionary and adding this statue of the god of all gods befor ewhom there ar eno other gods to the shelf with all theo ther gods., and when young i thought important truth, consitent logically, etc]

but compassion and relationships, like god to us, and motivating us like a home team etc, requires beyond straight cold logic etc .

.....

Topic: “Am nivchar” chosen nation

1. After Peres funeral, many leaders various cultures, in Jlm, all wearing yarmulke, obama quoting from parshat hashevua 'vehay bahem'. many nations believe in their Truth, so how do we all get along?

After Peres funeral, many leaders various cultures, in Jlm, all wearing yarmulke, obama quoting from parsha hashevua 'vehay bahem'. many nations believe in their Truth, so how do we all get along?

..

my saying that i didscovered that no law of physics prevents brain believing two contradictory things

anecdote: indians or etc accepting statue of JC from missionary and adding this statue of the god of all gods befor ewhom there ar eno other gods to the shelf with all theo ther gods.

when young i thought important truth, consitent logically, etc

but justice needs human input not book of laws eetc. truth not a value, need person deciding, and can't live in way that is flexible human and also rgidly selfconsistent.

many nations believe in their Truth, so how do all get along? need to accept that others also have their exlusive truth , and respect each other, even though maintian belief in one;s own way as the one and only truth, etc.

(And 'god cast Truth to the earth'..)

…..

I said this at machlis. then in 2019 I siad it again, but w/o peres aspect.

I started with loud statement "everyone in this room is the most special person here'.

Then:"does that make sense?"

 “letitcha elyon”. (Inspired by an insight I had re Shlomo carlebach saying to everyone they are the most special)

.

And S carlebach said the jews were chosen , but for what? to tell all humans that each one of them is chosen! 

So combining these: 'elyon; is like 'most wonderful, most speacil, most beuatful'. Sh C didnt say'beautiful' he said most beuatiful. And it idnt  contradict.

So in other words god can tell this message of specialness and 'elyon' to all naitons, and it doesn;t contradict!

chumash post FB for ki tavo, chosen-ness, letitcha elyon edit for FB post

https://sites.google.com/d/1YSIUMcZFf5vH7zHTjsfO6i3KhzOAIlyO/p/10SRm308Vg-vhQOPFl5o6Xt8_vwxNzNTX/edit