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The Jews are in a unique position as God's nation and whether in Israel or the diaspora, what happens to them reveals a message from God to the world. When the Jews choose righteousness, everyone can see they are blessed; when they choose evil, everyone can see they are punished. Because the moral condition of the Jews affects the whole world, the Jews as a whole are punished more severely for sinning than non-Jews. Conversely, the Jews as a whole receive greater reward than non-Jews for choosing virtue, since they are drawing down blessing for the entire world.
As it says, “If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments, I will grant your rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and the trees of the field their fruit… I will grant peace in the land… You shall give chase to your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword… I will be ever present in your midst; I will be your God, and you shall be My people… But if you do not obey Me and do not observe all these commandments… I in turn will do this to you: I will wreak misery upon you – consumption and fever, which cause the eyes to pine and the body to languish. You shall sow your seed to no purpose, for your enemies shall eat it… I will lay your cities in ruin and make your sanctuaries desolate… And you I will scatter among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword against you. Your land shall become a desolation… you shall perish among the nations; and the land of your enemies shall consume you” (Leviticus 26:3-38). “All nations will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do thus to this land? Why that awful wrath?’ They will be told, ‘Because they forsook the covenant that the Lord, God of their fathers made with them when He freed them from the land of Egypt; they turned to the service of other gods and worshiped them… The Lord uprooted them from their soil in anger, fury, and great wrath, and cast them into another land, as is still the case” (Deuteronomy 29:23-27). Many other verses contain similar declarations. Since we are speaking of a nation, the arc of reward and punishment extends over a lengthy period, but it is visible to anyone who studies Jewish chronology in depth. Therefore, the history of the Jewish people is the history of the revelation of faith in this world.
The choices made by the Jewish people as a whole impact their lives in this world: “See, I set before you this day life and prosperity, death and adversity. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His laws, and His rules, that you may thrive and increase, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land that you are about to enter and possess. But if your heart turns away and you give no heed, and are lured into the worship and service of other gods, I declare to you this day that you shall certainly perish; you shall not long endure on the soil that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess” (Deuteronomy 30:15-18). God wants us to choose life as it says: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life – if you and your offspring would live – by loving the Lord your God, heeding His commands, and holding fast to Him. For thereby you shall have life and shall long endure upon the soil that the Lord your God swore to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them” (ibid. 19-20). Each and every individual Jew who chooses good adds blessing and life to the nation which appear even in this world.
