Category: Podcasts

Shavuah Tov podcasts on the weekly Torah reading

Parashat Nitzavim Podcast…

John J Parsons

Our Torah reading for this week, parashat Nitzavim (פרשת ניצבים), is always read on the Shabbat immediately before the solemn holiday of Rosh Hashanah, and therefore it is the last Torah portion read before the new Jewish year (see Exod. 23:16). In many synagogues, the opening and concluding paragraphs of parashat Nitzavim are also read during the Yom Kippur morning service.

Nitzavim begins: “You are standing here today, all of you, before the LORD your God (אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלהֵיכֶם) … so that you may enter into the sworn covenant of the LORD your God, which the LORD your God is making with you today, that he may establish you today as his people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob” (Deut. 29:10-13). After this Moses went on to review Israel’s history and prophetic future — i.e., the great prophecy of the Diaspora and Return of the people — and then he solemnly appealed for all those who believed to turn to the LORD for life: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live” (Deut. 30:19).

 

In addition to an overview of the Torah reading, I discuss the fall holidays of the Torah’s calendar, particularly the significance of Rosh Hashanah for followers of Yeshua the Messiah.

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Parashat Ki Tavo Podcast…

John J Parsons

In this audio podcast I discuss the the 40 day “Season of Teshuvah” or repentance leading up to the Jewish High Holidays as well as the weekly Torah portion, parashat Ki Tavo, which includes instructions for the people to ratify the Sinai covenant in the promised land by means of a special covenant renewal ceremony performed in the valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerazim. During this ceremony blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience would be declared, and Moses warned the people by providing a seemingly endless description of terrible consequences that would befall the Jewish people if they disobeyed the terms of the Sinai covenant (Deut. 28:15-68).

Read more “Parashat Ki Tavo Podcast…”

Parashat Shoftim Podcast…

John J Parsons

In this audio podcast I discuss the the forty day “Season of Teshuvah” or repentance leading up to the Jewish High Holidays as well as the weekly Torah portion, parashat Shoftim, which discusses adjudication of legal matters among the people of Israel. In addition I look at Moses’ great prophecy of “the Prophet” to come, namely the Messiah of Israel, and how this Prophet is clearly Yeshua as revealed in the New Testament writings. Throughout this broadcast I hope to encourage you to turn and draw near to God while you still have time…

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Re’eh: Shavuah Tov Podcast

John J Parsons

Our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Re’eh) begins, “See (רְאֵה), I give before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing (הַבְּרָכָה), if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and the curse (הַקְּלָלָה), if you … turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known” (Deut. 11:26-28). We obtain God’s blessing (i.e., berakhah: בְּרָכָה) when we obey the LORD, and our decision to obey manifests the blessed state of walking before the Divine Presence (the direct object marker et (את) before the word “the blessing” alludes to the blessings of “Aleph to Tav,” that is from Yeshua, as described in Lev. 26:3-13). As King David said, “I have set (שִׁוִּיתִי) the LORD always before me…” (Psalm 16:8). David made a choice to “set” the LORD before his eyes, for he understood that opening his eyes to Reality was the only path of real blessing.

Read more “Re’eh: Shavuah Tov Podcast”

Parashat Eikev Podcast…

John J Parsons

In our Torah reading for this week (i.e., parashat Eikev), Moses continues his farewell address to Israel by saying, “And because (עֵקֶב) you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the love that he swore to your fathers” (Deut. 7:12). Note that the word eikev (עֵקֶב), often translated “because,” literally means “heel,” which recalls Jacob (יעקב) the “heel-holder” who wrestled with the pain of his past to learn to bear the name Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל), the “prince of God” (Gen. 32:28)… And like Jacob, we must grapple to believe that the covenant of God’s love and acceptance is for us, too…

The Sassover rebbe interpreted the opening verse of our Torah portion, “And because you will listen…” (וְהָיָה עֵקֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן) as, “and it shall be when your heel is ready to take a step, you will listen to your heart.” This is the step of faith. As you begin to walk with God, you will come to know yourself as a child of the great King. Likewise regarding the related verse in the Torah, “Because Abraham heard my voice” (עֵקֶב אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַע אַבְרָהָם בְּקלִי), the sages read, “Abraham heard the word ‘down to his heel’” (Gen. 26:5). Like Abraham, we will hear God’s voice as we walk with him by faith…

 

Eikev Podcast:

Parashat Vaetchanan Podcast…

John J Parsons

Our Torah portion for this week (Vaetchanan) includes some of the most foundational texts of the Jewish Scriptures, including the Ten Commandments, the Shema (the duty to love God and study His Torah), and the commandments of tefillin and mezuzot. In addition, in this portion Moses predicts the worldwide exile and the eventual redemption of the Jewish people in acharit hayamim (the prophesied “End of Days”).

We always read this portion of the Torah on the Sabbath that follows Tishah B’Av, called Shabbat Nachamu (שבת נחמו), the “Sabbath of Comfort,” since the haftarah speaks about God’s future consolation in the coming kingdom of God (“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people [Isa. 40:1]). With the advent of this special Sabbath, we have just seven weeks to prepare for the new year (i.e, Yom Teruah) and the High Holidays – a “jubilee” season that heralds the return of Yeshua… In addition, on the 15th day of the month of Av we will celebrate chag ha-ahavah (חַג הָאַהֲבָה), or “the holiday of love.” Since it marks the “last” festival of the Jewish year, prophetically the 15th of Av (called Tu B’Av) pictures our marriage to the Lamb of God (Seh Elohim), the LORD Yeshua our beloved Messiah. On a soon-coming day those who belong to the LORD and are faithful to follow His ways will be blessed with the unspeakable joy of an eternally intimate relationship with Him. This is heaven itself – to be in the Presence of the LORD and to be regarded as His beloved (Rev. 19:6-9).

 

Vaetchanan Podcast:

 

Parashat Devarim Podcast…

John J Parsons

Our Torah reading for this week (i.e., parashat Devarim) is the very first portion from the Book of Deuteronomy (i.e., Sefer Devarim: ספר דברים), which is always read on the Sabbath that immediately precedes the somber holiday of Tishah B’Av (תשעה באב). In Jewish tradition, this special Sabbath is called “Shabbat Chazon” (שַׁבַּת חַזוֹן), “the Sabbath of Vision,” since the Haftarah that is read (i.e., Isa. 1:1-25) comes from the vision of the prophet Isaiah (ישעיהו הנביא) regarding the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In both Jewish tradition and liturgy, teshuvah (repentance) and viduy (confession of sin) are the themes of this preparatory Sabbath.

 

Devarim Podcast:

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Parashiyot Mattot-Masei Podcast

John J Parsons

This week we read a “double portion” of Torah to conclude Sefer Bamidbar, or “the Book of Numbers.” Our first Torah portion, parashat Mattot (מַטּוֹת, “tribes”), begins with the LORD giving laws regarding the making of vows (nedarim). After this, the Israelites were commanded to wage war against the Midianites for seducing the people to sin at the incident of “Baal Peor.” During the ensuing battle, the wicked sorcerer Balaam was killed, as well as five tribal kings of the land of Midian. Our second Torah portion, parashat Masei (מַסְעֵי, “journeys”), provides the boundaries of the land of Canaan that were to be initially occupied by the Israelites. Note that these borders are not the same as those described earlier to Abraham (see Gen. 15:18-21), since that area will be given to Israel only after our Messiah Yeshua returns to establish Zion during the Millennial Kingdom (see Ezek. 47:15-48:35). During that coming time, Jerusalem (i.e., Zion) will be the center of the earth and renamed as “Adonai Shammah” (יְהוָה שָׁמָּה), “the LORD is there.”

 

Mattot-Masei Podcast:

 

Parashat Pinchas Podcast…

John J Parsons

Shalom friends. Our Torah reading this week honors Aaron’s grandson Pinchas (“Phinehas”), who, during the tragic rebellion at Baal Peor, zealously removed evil from Israel by driving a spear through a tribal prince who was brazenly cavorting with a Midianite princess in defiance of God’s law. On account of Pinchas’ zeal for the truth of Torah, God stopped the plague and Israel was delivered from destruction… As we will see, Pinchas reveals great truths about Yeshua the Messiah and how he became the mediator of the New Covenant of the LORD.

In addition to an overview of the Torah portion, I discuss the Three Weeks of Sorrow leading up to the somber holiday of Tishah B’Av as well as the significance of the Jewish holidays (mo’edim).

 

Pinchas Podcast:

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Choosing to Believe… (dvar podcast)

John J Parsons

The Spirit of God cries out, “choose life that you may live!” (Deut. 30:19), which implies that is our responsibility to believe in the Reality of God, to trust in his providential care, to affirm that “all is well and all manner of thing shall be well,” and to understand that our present struggle is designed by heaven to help us grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth (1 Pet. 3:16).

In this Daily Dvar podcast, I discuss the challenge of faith and how we can draw closer to the Lord despite the ambiguity and challenges we regularly face.


Daily Dvar Podcast: