Is “Chosen People” Supremacy? Responsibility, Covenant, and Purpose | Rabbi Daniel Rowe Q&A

In this wide-ranging Q&A, Rabbi Daniel Rowe builds a Torah framework for some of the most sensitive and misunderstood topics: Jews and non-Jews, “chosen-ness,” Olam HaBa, conversion, free will, the relationship between perfecting and transcending the world, the meaning of mitzvos outside Eretz Yisrael, and the challenging parsha of yefas toar.

Rabbi Rowe argues that the Torah’s language is not “better vs worse,” but mission and responsibility: from Avraham’s calling of “through you will be blessed all families of the earth” to “mamlechet kohanim v’goy kadosh,” the Jewish people are framed as a conduit of blessing meant to elevate the world, not as an exclusive “salvation club.” Along the way, he clarifies what halacha expects regarding geirim, why Judaism does not pursue conversion as a program, and how a Torah view of history places humanity on a trajectory from Adam → repair → ultimate unity under Hashem.

The conversation then pivots to philosophy: what free will means if our minds try to force everything into “caused” or “random,” and why Torah assumes a third category, real choice. Finally, Rabbi Rowe addresses difficult ethical questions, including war in the ancient world and how the Torah restrains destructive human impulses rather than idealizing violence.

Topics covered:
Jews & non-Jews: purpose, covenant, and responsibility (not superiority)
Olam HaBa and Hashem’s relationship to all humanity
Conversion: sincerity, process, and the Torah’s obligations toward geirim
Free will: where “want” comes from and the “third category” model
Perfecting vs transcending the world (and why Torah rejects escapism)
Mitzvos outside Israel: Ramban/Rashi and why chutz la’aretz still matters
Yefas toar: “dibrah Torah k’neged hayetzer hara” and moral restraint in war

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