vision – 11:3 Restoration

Torah Portion: Vayetze (Gen. 28:10-32:3)

God gave Jacob a vision, then gave him four wives! Wait, What?!

Sure to spark real discussion and digging in the Scriptures, this week’s portion discusses the importance of vision for every man and the family he leads, as well as going where most are terrified to tread…. What God says about family structure.

This short (if you can call it that) commentary is not meant as a final authority as there is simply too much in this portion related to headship, patriarchy and family structure to cover it all. However, this is a great place to begin the discussion with a number of linked resources for further research. The key is to pursue truth and shed tradition and false doctrine.

Download in multiple formats or read online on our Torah Portion Series page.

Shabbat Shalom.

Restoring Kol Israel: The Role of the Wife

The immediate assumption many make when discussing Biblical headship and the role of the woman is that she is relegated to barefooted existence in the kitchen. And, that is a lie straight from the enemy. Let’s dig in!

We have been pursuing a Biblical understanding of marriage, headship and the roles of men and women in this series titled Restoring Kol (All) Israel. As explained near the beginning of the series, for Israel to be restored, tribes must be restored. For tribes to be restored, clans must be restored. For clans to be restored, the family must be restored. For the family to be restored the man must be restored and then his woman.

Thus far in our study we have seen the clear teaching and example in Scripture, both of the patriarchs and Messiah as well as the instructions found both in Torah and the New Testament that man is to be the head of the home and that part of his responsibility is his woman. We will not rehash those details but rather use them as a foundation to build on what Scripture actually says about the role of the woman.

Vision and Restoration…

Why are you alive? Fifty years after you die, what will have been the value of your life? How will people remember you? Will they remember you?

While ultimately, life is not so self centered as to be about my or your existence, few of us think deeply enough about our reason for being or living.

Recently, my wife and I, along with our eldest, attended a retreat focused on Biblical headship and patriarchy, our third such with this group. It was a refreshing gathering of believers from a number of different Christian/Hebraic backgrounds with the common passion for understanding marriage and headship from a decidedly Biblical perspective. Besides the interesting fact that is was fun to rub shoulders with Christians who don’t see or understand Torah as necessary while decidedly rejecting feminism and matriarchy based on the ‘old Testament Law,’ it was cathartic to hear from others who have experienced rejection from friends and family because they choose truth over tradition in this area. But, I digress.