Month: November 2023

Parashat Vayetzei Podcast

John J Parsons

In our Torah portion this week (parashat Vayetzei), it is written that Jacob “came to a certain place and stayed there that night” (Gen. 28:11). The Hebrew text, however, indicates that Jacob did not just happen upon a random place, but rather that “he came to the place” — vayifga ba’makom (וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם). The sages therefore wondered why the Torah states ba’makom, “the place,” rather than b’makom, “a place”? Moreover, the verb translated “he came” is yifga (from paga’: פָּגַע), which means to encounter or to meet, suggesting that Jacob’s stop was a divine appointment. Indeed, as we shall see, this special dream or vision revealed the very truth of the Messiah – the Meeting Place of God – to our father Jacob.

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Blessing of Spiritual Strength…

John J Parsons

Do you sometimes feel out of control with your emotions? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by fear, anger, or inordinate desire? Yeshua said “out of the heart come evil thoughts” (i.e., διαλογισμοὶ πονηροί, literally, evil “dialogs”) that result in bad feelings, wicked actions, and despair, and therefore we must understand the connection between how we think (and what we believe) and the emotional condition of our inner life. Have you ever heard the saying, “Hurt people hurt people?” The word for “evil” in Hebrew (i.e., ra’: רע) comes from a verb (רעע) that means to injure or harm others, though the word also connotes a despair of the heart that gives up and chooses to turn “hard” and difficult (קשה). Evil is also connected with cowardice, since the conscience (i.e., moral awareness) reveals judgment for sin, and therefore evil thinking leads to rationalizations, self-deception, and a running away from the truth about who we are…

The Scriptures say that a person without self-control (i.e., מעצר לרוּחוֹ, “rule over his spirit”) is like an ancient city without walls – vulnerable to attack and easily overcome by hostile forces (Prov. 25:28)… If you are impulsive or easily agitated, you are rendered defenseless before the enemy of your soul, and therefore it is essential to repair any breach within your heart and to become unified in your thinking and resolve. The Holy Spirit is called the “Comforter” (παράκλητος) because he imparts strength that fortifies the heart. Therefore the fruit of the Spirit (פרי הרוח) is “self-control” (ἐγκράτεια), a word that means “inner strength” (from εν-, “in” + κράτος, “power”) referring to mastery over one’s desires and passions.

A person without “inner limits” is easily overcome by evil. For example, a person who cannot control his anger cannot control what he says, and this reveals subjection to the lower nature. If a person says anything or everything that enters his mind, he is without boundaries, and there will be no door to close his lips… The same can be said of emotions that rise up with in the soul. Some strong emotions, of course, are appropriate to a some situations, but others are not, and without “taking every thought captive” by exercising self-control, we are liable to be brought into bondage to alien passions and obsessive thinking (2 Cor. 10:4). This is the source of addiction and self-destructive behavior in our lives. Being a “spirit without restraint” is to surrender yourself to dark forces that disregard the glory of your Creator.

Read more “Blessing of Spiritual Strength…”

Existential Faith and Doubt…

John J Parsons

Though it is good to ask questions about what we believe, to seek for understanding, and to study the Scriptures, we must do so using the principle that “faith seeks understanding,” rather than the converse principle that “understanding seeks faith,” since the latter elevates human reason to be the judge and arbiter of the things of God, a role for which it is both incapable and unsuited (Isa. 55:8-9; Job 9:10; 11:7; Psalm 139:6; Rom. 11:33). God is not a “what” but a “Who,” and that affects the means by which we know him (John 4:24). We certainly can know truth about God, though the instrumentality for attaining such knowledge transcends the abilities of unaided human reason (see Deut. 29:29).

Some people talk about “honest doubt” regarding matters of God, and while there may indeed be occasions to confess the limitations of our ability to understand the mysteries of heaven, we must be on guard not to ply a present lack of “semantic closure” as an excuse for despair that hardens our hearts and justifies our sin… The lower nature’s machinations are so devious that we must be on guard and “test what manner of spirit” you are (Luke 9:55; 1 John 4:1; James 4:4). In the name of “honest doubt” a soul can invent all manner of difficulties of interpretation, the mind may become jaded and agnostic; the heart cools and steps away from the passion of faith… Doubt introduces hesitancy, compromise, and godless misgivings; it is a leech upon the soul, sapping the strength of conviction, weakening the balm of assurance. Be careful. Honest seeking is one thing, but practiced doubt may be an evasive measure – a diabolical ploy meant to distance yourself from responsibility to God’s truth.

Read more “Existential Faith and Doubt…”

The Deception of Esau… (podcast)

John J Parsons

In parashat Toldot we read that God told Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided…” (Gen. 25:23). These twins, of course, were Esau (עֵשָׂו) and Ya’akov (יַעֲקב), respectively. In this podcast (see link below), I discuss the relationship between Isaac and Rebekah, Esau and Jacob, and consider the ongoing struggle between “Edom” and the Jewish people… The issue of the birthright – and therefore the mantle of Abrahamic – leadership was crucial for the perpetuity of the Jewish people. To this day, Rome (i.e., “Edom”) and Israel are considered perpetual enemies… I hope you find this helpful.

 

 

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Also see:

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Isaac’s Troubled Family…

John J Parsons

The sages talk about the “voice of Jacob” (קוֹל יַעֲקב) and the “hands of Esau” (יְדֵי עֵשָׂו; see Gen. 27:22). Both sons were counterparts of one another, though each needed the qualities of the other to be complete. Esau needed to learn the ways of Jacob – to love Torah, to respect the call of the family to be God’s agents in the world, to value the things of heaven, and so on, whereas Jacob needed to learn the ways of Esau – to be a man of action, to work with his hands, to deal with the rough-and-tumble world at large. After Jacob fled to Charan to escape the clutches of his aggrieved brother, he learned to be a shepherd, a husband, and a father. In this way Jacob also learned the value of the blessing given to Esau, although this too was discovered needlessly late in his life.

It is quite clear that the families of the patriarchs had serious struggles and were often quite “dysfunctional.” If we idealize these people, however, we tend to forget their humanity, and they may appear disconnected from us – on a much higher spiritual level. The story of Isaac’s troubled family is ultimately one of hope for us all. Isaac was deeply wounded but ultimately found healing, just as his son Jacob later wrestled through his family issues to be renamed “Israel.” Take heart, chaverim: God can use us for His kingdom purposes despite whatever wounds and troubles might be in our family backgrounds. The Spirit speaks: “I AM the LORD your healer” (אֲנִי יְהוָה רפְאֶךָ).

For more on this topic see, “Isaac’s Troubled Family: Further thoughts on Toldot.”

Parashat Toldot Podcast…

John J Parsons

In our Torah reading for this week, called parashat Toldot (תוֹלדת), we learn that Isaac and Rebekah had been married for twenty years but were still without an heir to carry on the family line… Finally their prayers were answered and Rebekah conceived, though not without complications. When Rebekah inquired of the LORD about her travail, God told her that she was carrying twins that would be heads of two rival nations, but the younger child would in fact become the promised heir of the chosen people.

Read more “Parashat Toldot Podcast…”

Chayei Sarah Shavuah Tov Podcast…

John J Parsons

Our Torah reading for last week (i.e., Vayera) told how God was faithful to Abraham and Sarah by miraculously giving them a son (Isaac) in their old age. Nonetheless, Abraham faced his greatest test of all by being asked to offer up his promised child as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah, the place of the future Temple. On account of his willingness to obey, God promised He would multiply Abraham’s offspring as the stars of heaven and that in his seed (singular) all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

This week’s Torah portion is called Chayei Sarah (חיי שרה), the “life of Sarah,” though it begins (paradoxically) with the account of her death, and tells how the first great matriarch of the Jewish people was buried in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, a burial site which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite (Gen. 23:1-20). Since the account of Sarah’s death is given just after the account of the near-sacrifice of Isaac (i.e., the Akedah), some of the sages link the events together, suggesting that the shock of the loss of her beloved son at the hand of her husband was just too much for her to bear…

Read more “Chayei Sarah Shavuah Tov Podcast…”