Editing Jewish principles of faith (section)

===Israel chosen for a purpose===
{{Main|Jews as a chosen people}}
{{see also|Jewish views on religious pluralism}}
[[God]] chose the Jewish people to be in a unique covenant with God; the description of this covenant is the [[Torah]] itself.<ref>E.g. {{Bibleverse|Exodus|19:5-6|HE}}; {{Bibleverse|Deuteronomy|7:6|HE}}</ref> [[God]] further declared in the [[Torah]] through prophecy to [[Moses]] that his "firstborn" is the Israelites. However, closeness and being chosen does not imply exclusivity, as anyone can join and [[Conversion to Judaism|convert]]. Included in the idea of being chosen is that [[Jews]] were chosen for a specific mission, a duty: to be a light unto the nations, and to have a covenant with God as described in the [[Torah]].

[[Rabbi]] Lord [[Immanuel Jakobovits]], former Chief Rabbi of the United Synagogue of [[Great Britain]], describes the mainstream Jewish view on this issue: "Yes, I do believe that the [[chosen people]] concept as affirmed by Judaism in its holy writ, its prayers, and its millennial tradition. In fact, I believe that every people&mdash;and indeed, in a more limited way, every individual&mdash;is 'chosen' or destined for some distinct purpose in advancing the designs of Providence. Only, some fulfill their mission and others do not. Maybe the Greeks were chosen for their unique contributions to art and philosophy, the Romans for their pioneering services in law and government, the British for bringing parliamentary rule into the world, and the Americans for piloting democracy in a pluralistic society. The Jews were chosen by God to be 'peculiar unto Me' as the pioneers of religion and morality; that was and is their national purpose."