Q&A: Merit of the Fathers
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Merit of the Fathers
Question
In several places in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) it says that the Holy One, blessed be He, chose the Jewish people on account of the merit of the fathers, as for example: “It was only your fathers that the Lord desired to love, and He chose their offspring after them—you—from all the peoples, as it is this day.” The question is: what is the logic in God choosing someone as a reward for what his fathers did? And if we say that this is a reward for the fathers themselves, then what kind of reward is that after they have already passed away?
Answer
Interesting question. I hadn’t thought about it. There are several possible answers:
- It is a reward for the fathers, because while they were alive this is what they would have wanted for their children. So now they no longer benefit from it? So what? What matters is that they received it during their lifetime, and it remained that way after their death.
- The gift is to them themselves. They were chosen. Their children are only a consequence of that.
- Perhaps the deeds of the fathers indicate something about the children. God places hope in them, even if they mess up. They have potential. By the way, from this perspective this is not a reward at all, but rather God’s policy for running the world.
And more besides.