The chosen people acquire our special character by representing God's ways in the world and by serving as God's spiritual agents in society. . . . A midrash explains that God first revealed Himself to Moses in a burning bush in order to teach that there is no place empty of the divine Presence, not even a thornbush. The Kabbalists believed that God's Presence was scattered throughout the universe as "holly sparks within shattered vessels." They described the purpose of the Jew as "uplifting the sparks" by seeking holiness wherever it might be found. In this way, the mission for each Jew is to "repair the world" by penetrating beneath the surface of things and finding the divine kernel, the image of God, which lies everywhere in the world, even in unlikely places.
— David S. Ariel, What Do Jews Believe?