In a lecture on Deuteronomy 28, Dennis Prager says: “This is all about punishing the Jews. This is not a punishment of infidels. This is a remarkable aspect of the Hebrew Bible. It is the Jews who bear the brunt of G-d’s wrath, not the non-Jews. In some other religions, it is the other who bear the brunt of G-d’s wrath. This makes me believe in the veracity of this text. It doesn’t say, anyone who doesn’t believe in Me will get punished.
“You are not punished for a lack of faith. You are punished for a lack of proper behavior. Judaism, from the Torah on, is behaviorist. If you don’t have full faith in G-d, that is your business. You are to live by these commandments. Jews in this regard have been unique among the religions. Behavior is placed number one.”
“This built into Jews that when they suffered, it is their fault. This is neurosis-making but also very noble. In a world where everybody likes to be regarded as a victim, this is the opposite of victimhood.”
“These laws are not all that burdensome. The laws given here are not all that difficult to maintain. Later Judaism added far more laws than Moses had at the banks of the Jordan. It became much harder later.”
“If Jews were to take a vote over whether or not to stay chosen for the next 2,000 years, I suspect they would say let some other people be chosen. The Jews are hard-pressed to see the benefits of choseness.”
