Zivan,
When I was growing up in a Jewish household in the US, we learned that "chosen" didn't mean better, it meant visible and/or symbolic, like a flag, or a sign on a building, or a motto.
I was also taught that "chosen" definitely did
not mean better.
I heard, variously, that we* were chosen to be given the Torah at Mt. Sinai, or that we ourselves chose to accept the Torah voluntarily.
Either way, it meant having extra responsibility** and not "specialness".
It is taught that the reason all people were descended from Adam ("adam" means "human/humanity") was that no one could say they were better than anyone else, and that all people have a share in "The World to Come" (Heaven).
*The Torah/Bible says that the Israelites that came out of Egypt were a "mixed multitude" which included Israelites and non-Israelites at Sinai.
**The "extra responsibility" was the 613 mitzvot (commands) accepted at Sinai. Prior to that the Israelites along with the rest of humanity only had the seven Laws/commands given to Noah after the Flood.
Do you know whether this interpretation is supported by any of the verses in the Tanach?
I do not know of a specific verse(s) for the interpretation you were given but there are verses which show symbolism/motto such as "Light unto the Nations" (Isaiah).
Exodus 19:8 is used to show that the Israelites/mixed multitude volunarily chose to accept the Torah:
And all the people replied in unison and said, "All that YHVH has spoken we shall do!" and Moses took the words of the people back to YHVH.
In your circles do Jews in Israel hold this view?
Most Jews in Israel are secular so the subject is not even discussed, except in a joking manner. Such as when Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof", who hard a hard life, says to God, (paraphrasing) "I know we are your chosen people, but could you please choose someone else instead?"
The religious people, that I know personally, accept the "chosen but not better than" view.
To the extent that it's true, probably most Christians have never known about this Jewish perspective.
Oh, I agree so much!
Whenever I hear the term "Chosen People" it is almost always said by non-Jews and usually with the meaning of "specialness", which is always jarring. It has been used historically as one reason for anti-semitism ("We will show those uppity jews that they are not special."). That is another reason Jews avoid discussing the term at all.
