“On the eleventh day, the prince of the tribe of Asher: His offering was….”1"בְּיוֹם עַשְׁתֵּי עָשָׂר יוֹם נָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי אָשֵׁר",
This verse is part of the description of the sacrifices brought by the princes of the tribes of the Jewish people in connection with the dedication of the Sanctuary in the desert. The Sanctuary was dedicated on the first of Nissan. On that day, and on each of the eleven subsequent days, one of the princes of the Jewish people brought sacrificial offerings. On the eleventh day, the prince of the tribe of Asher offered his sacrifices.
Referring to that verse, the Midrash states:2וְאִיתָא בַּמִּדְרָשׁ:
The Midrash explains that although the princes from every tribe each brought the same number and type of animals and articles as an offering, each of the princes had a different motivating rationale for his offering which reflected the Divine service connected with that specific tribe.
All the tribes were given names that reflect the redemption of Israel and her praise. Asher (אשר) was named for the sake of the redemption of Israel, as it is written:3 “‘And all the nations shall praise (אשרו) you, for you will be a land of desire,’ says G‑d, Commander of legions.”כָּל הַשְּׁבָטִים לְשֵׁם גְּאֻלָּתָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל וּלְשֵׁם שִׁבְחָן נִקְרְאוּ שְׁמוֹתָם, וְאָשֵׁר נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ לְשֵׁם גְּאֻלָּתָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמָה דְתֵימָא "וְאִשְּׁרוּ אֶתְכֶם כָּל הַגּוֹיִם כִּי תִהְיוּ אַתֶּם אֶרֶץ חֵפֶץ אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת",
This praise is associated with redemption, because it is only in the Era of the Redemption that the nations will wholeheartedly praise the Jewish people.
And Asher was named for Israel’s praise, as it is written:4 “Fortunate (אשרי) is the nation whose lot is this; fortunate is the nation whose G‑d is the L-rd.”וּלְשֵׁם שִׁבְחָן כְּמָה דְתֵימָא "אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁכָּכָה לוֹ אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁה' אֱלֹקָיו",
Ashrei, “fortunate” in Hebrew, shares the same root letters as the name Asher.
Israel’s good fortune rests solely on her choice of the Holy One, blessed be He, to be her G‑dאֵין אִשּׁוּרָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶלָּא עַל שֶׁבָּחֲרוּ בְּהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִהְיוֹת לָהֶם לֵאלֹקִים,
and G‑d’s choice of her to be His cherished nation.וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בָּחַר בָּהֶם לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה,
Therefore when the prince of Asher came to offer his sacrifices, he offered those sacrifices in recognition of G‑d’s choice of Israel over all the nations,וּלְפִיכָךְ כְּשֶׁבָּא נְשִׂיא אָשֵׁר לְהַקְרִיב, הִקְרִיב קָרְבָּנוֹ עַל שֵׁם הַבְּחִירָה שֶׁבָּחַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל מִכָּל הָאֻמּוֹת,
as it is written:5 “And G‑d your L-rd has chosen you to be His cherished people.”כְּמָה דְתֵימָא "וּבְךָ בָּחַר ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה".
The passage requires explanation:וְצָרִיךְ לְהָבִין,
Initially, the Midrash states that the good fortune of Israel is that they chose – and continue to choose – the Holy One, blessed be He.דְּבִתְחִלַּת הָעִנְיָן אוֹמֵר דְּאִשּׁוּרָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא שֶׁבָּחֲרוּ בְּהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
(Though the Midrash continues by saying that G‑d chose the Jewish people, that appears to be mentioned as a secondary point.)(וְזֶה שֶׁמַּמְשִׁיךְ שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בָּחַר בָּהֶם, הוּא לִכְאוֹרָה כְּמוֹ דָּבָר נוֹסָף),
This is also reflected in the prooftext used to illustrate this point: “Fortunate is the nation whose G‑d is the L-rd.” This is comparable to the Jews’ choice of the Holy One, blessed be He, “to be their G‑d.”
Afterwards, however, the Midrash states that the sacrifice of the tribe of Asher (who was so named because of Israel’s good fortune) was brought because the Holy One, blessed be He, chose Israel.וּלְאַחַר זֶה אוֹמֵר דְּאָשֵׁר (עַל שֵׁם אִשּׁוּרָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל) הִקְרִיב קָרְבָּנוֹ עַל שֵׁם הַבְּחִירָה שֶׁבָּחַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.
It is thus necessary to understand why the focus was switched from the Jewish people’s choice of G‑d to G‑d’s choice of the Jewish people.
It is also necessary to understand why the term “choice” is used.גַּם צָרִיךְ לְהָבִין,
The term “choice” is relevant when one chooses between two equal entities or between two entities whereby each possesses an advantage the other lacks.דִּבְחִירָה שַׁיָּךְ דַּוְקָא בִּשְׁנֵי דְּבָרִים שֶׁשְּׁנֵיהֶם שָׁוִים, אוֹ שֶׁבְּכָל אֶחָד מֵהֶם יֵשׁ מַעֲלָה שֶׁאֵין בְּזוּלָתוֹ,
If one entity is clearly preferable over the other, it is not appropriate to say that the preferable entity is chosen. On the contrary, one is forced, as it were, to select it because of its superiority. Doing otherwise would not make sense. The term “choice” is appropriate only where there is no reason compelling one to choose one article over the other.
Why then is the term “choice” used to describe Israel’s choice of the Holy One, blessed be He, over false gods?6אֲבָל בְּנוֹגֵעַ לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּלְהַבְדִּיל אֱלֹהֵי הַנֵּכָר, הַאֵיךְ שַׁיָּךְ לוֹמַר שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל בָּחֲרוּ בְּהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא.
Obviously, there is no comparison between the two.
A similar question applies regarding G‑d’s choice of Israel.וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ זֶה – בָּזֶה שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בָּחַר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל,
Since Israel is incomparably superior to all other nations,הֲרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵם נַעֲלִים בְּאֵין עֲרוֹךְ מִכָּל הָאֻמּוֹת,
how can it be said that the Holy One, blessed be He, chose Israel?וּמַהוּ שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בָּחַר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.
Tanya7 states that the phrase8 “And You chose us from all nations and tongues” refers to the body which, in its physical form,גַּם מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב בַּתַּנְיָא דְּ"בָנוּ בָּחַרְתָּ מִכָּל עַם וְלָשׁוֹן" הוּא הַגּוּף הַחָמְרִי
appears to resemble the bodies of the nations.הַנִּדְמֶה בְּחָמְרִיּוּתוֹ לְגוּפֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם,
I.e., it is inappropriate to use the term “choice” regarding the souls of the Jewish people, because the Jews’ souls are obviously higher. The body of a Jew, however, resembles that of a non-Jew and hence, in that context, the term “choice” is relevant.
Explanation is also required here.צָרִיךְ בֵּאוּר,
(Seemingly,) the fact that the bodies of the Jewish people resemble the bodies of the non-Jews (externally) does not sufficiently explain why the term “choice” is used regarding G‑d’s choice of the Jewish people.דְּזֶה שֶׁהַגּוּף דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל נִדְמֶה (בְּחִיצוֹנִיּוּת) לְגוּפֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם אֵין זֶה בֵּאוּר (לִכְאוֹרָה) בְּנוֹגֵעַ לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא.
There is a fundamental difference between the bodies of the Jewish people and the bodies of non-Jews. The source of the life-force of a Jewish body is kelipas nogah, i.e., the source of the existence of permissible substances whose G‑dly spark can be revealed in a direct manner by utilizing them for a holy purpose. The source of the life-force of a body of a non-Jew is the three impure kelipos, the source of those substances whose G‑dly spark cannot be revealed in an ordinary manner.9
Now, for a person on the physical plane, it is appropriate to say that the selection of one body over the other stems from choice because we are not capable of distinguishing between entities on the basis of their spiritual source. G‑d, however, obviously appreciates this distinction. Why then is His selection of the Jewish people termed “choice”? One would think that the positive quality even their bodies inherently possess would necessitate their selection.

Summary

Commenting on the sacrifices brought by the princes of the tribes for the dedication of the Sanctuary in the desert, the Midrash associates the sacrifices brought by the prince of Asher with “Israel’s good fortune.” It links that good fortune with Israel’s “choice of the Holy One, blessed be He, to be her G‑d and G‑d’s choice of her to be His cherished nation.” This presents somewhat of a difficulty because the Midrash first states that the good fortune of Israel is that they chose G‑d, and afterwards, it speaks of G‑d’s choice of Israel. Also, the use of the term “choice” is problematic. That term is appropriate when speaking of two entities that are equal or when each possesses an advantage the other lacks. Seemingly, it is not appropriate to speak of choosing G‑d over false deities, or to speak of choosing the Jews over other nations.