DEUT1288 Ethical Implications of "Chosenness". A deep and abiding motivation in Jewish ethics is the conviction of being "chosen" by the Lord for a special task. The biblical doctrine of the Chosen People was reinforced in the course of time by the recognition of the historic role that the Jewish people have played in originating and disseminating the doctrine of ethical monotheism. Even secularist Jewish thinkers, like A'had Ha'am and his followers, believed that, as Jews, they were heirs of a unique genius and of a unique destiny in the realm of spiritual values. This awareness of a distinctive past and a special destiny was usually, but not always, associated with the belief in the mysterious racial qualities of "the holy seed." In any case, this conviction heightened the sense of responsibility of Jewish people. While the rewards of their special status belonged to "the World to Come," the tasks that devolved upon them were relevant here and now. It was their duty to "sanctify the Name," or "to make His Name beloved in the world." As Jews they were priests, not hermits who withdrew into the wilderness in order to keep their soul "unspotted of this world," but secular priests, who labor in the market place. This motivation contrasted strangely with the fact that the Law usually confined all benevolent activities within the ethnic boundaries of the Jewish people. "From the stranger, you may take usury, but from your brother you may not" [this verse]. Nearly the entire civil law, outlining the principles of fair dealing, was limited in application to transactions among Jews. For this reason, Max Weber characterized Jewish ethics as being the primitive morals of a "closed society" (Binnenmoral). Even the recently deceased Leon Roth wondered whether the editors of the Talmud and other basic texts in the past five hundred years were conscious of any all-human obligations and values. Judaism, 1962. But, the strictly legal limitations of the law were counteracted by the belief that the Jewish people collectively were given the task of bringing all mankind to the service of the One God. Hence, their collective duty so to act as to bring glory to the Name.