Question: I have heard that before G-d gave the Torah to the Jewish people he first offered it to all the other nations. They found it to be too burdensome and rejected it but the Jews accepted it happily and unconditionally. If it was always the Divine plan to give the Torah to the Jews and to make them the chosen nation, why then did G-d first go around trying to sell it to the other nations?

Answer: There is a well-known parable told of a tradesman who went to a wholesale store wishing to buy on credit. The storekeeper was quite reserved and only showed him some of the merchandise he carried for which he quoted very high prices. The tradesman soon left without purchasing anything. A short while later another customer entered with a large amount of cash in his hand. This time the storekeeper brought out his best stock and quoted very reasonable prices. A sale was quickly made leaving both buyer and seller feeling most satisfied.

Soon after the customer left, an apprentice who had observed what had taken place asked his boss why he had discriminated against the first customer who had wanted to purchase on credit. The storekeeper explained that the first customer was known as an unreliable character who could never be trusted to take on credit and he was therefore not interested in doing business with him. It was only out of courtesy that he had shown him some pricey merchandise, hoping that the customer would not be interested. The second man, however, was an old trustworthy customer who always paid cash for his purchases, for whom the storekeeper would have even given unlimited credit had he requested it. Because the storekeeper enjoyed doing business with this valued customer, he did everything he could to accommodate him.

G-d had the most precious merchandise to offer - the Torah. The poor track record of the other nations had already shown that they could not be relied upon to keep the code of law required by the Torah and G-d was therefore not very eager to give them His special gift. Nevertheless, in order to insure that no one would be able to say that they were not given a fair opportunity, G-d offered His Torah to all the nations. The nations responded by asking what was written in the Torah. By doing so they clearly confirmed that they were selective in their commitment. G-d then made it more difficult for them by choosing to highlight a specific aspect of the Torah that would be most difficult for each particular nation to accept. For example, when He presented the Torah to the children of Esau, a nation that had made murder a part of everyday life, G-d first told them that murder was prohibited. To the immoral nations of Amon and Moav G-d's first words were that the Torah prohibits adultery.

The Jewish nation, however, had proven from the very beginning their credibility and readiness to fulfil G-d's will. They had remained moral throughout the long and difficult period in Egypt and had followed G-d out into the desert in an unquestioning manner. When G-d offered them the Torah, they further confirmed their unconditional commitment by immediately responding, "We will do and we will listen". G-d was therefore enthusiastic about giving them His Torah and revealed to them all the great wisdom that the Torah has to offer.

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