Im talking about Romans 9:18 "Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens
whom he wants to harden."
JS: This comes from Exodus.33:
19He said: "I will let all My goodness pass before you; I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you, and I will favor when I wish to favor, and I will have compassion when I wish to have compassion."
This is how the Rabbis see that passage (whole text
Parshat Ki Tisa: The Closeness of God:
The more I study the Torah, the more conscious I become of the immense mystery of
Exodus 33. This is the chapter set in the middle of the Golden Calf narrative, between chapter 32 describing the sin and its consequences, and chapter 34, God's revelation to Moses of the "Thirteen attributes of Mercy", the second set of tablets and the renewal of the covenant. It is, I believe, this mystery that frames the shape of Jewish spirituality.
He states clearly, that this confusing passage means:
To this (what Moses requested), God replied in a highly structured way. First, He said, you cannot understand My ways. "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy" (
Ex. 33:19). There is an element of divine justice that must always elude human comprehension. We cannot fully enter into the mind of another human being, how much less so the mind of the Creator himself.
This leads to Something Ellen Bowers said though I'm paraphrasing because have the exact quote:
Manufactured mugs are perfect but besides holding liquid that not much else they can do. Handcrafted mugs are imperfect, but its these imperfections that make them treasures.
I too was born into an imperfect situation and imperfect body and with a learning disability that caused my dad to say I was "careless" or "lazy" or "stupid" when I was actually suffering from CAPD or Central Auditory Processing Disorder. Like you I struggled with this, but many, many years have taught me those weaknesses or crosses contain hidden blessings and I'm not sure people who get "everything" are not really the ones with the greater handicap.
This I believe is why the rabbi explains those words to mean not that G-d blesses some and curses others, but that why He does things is incomprehensible to us. Sometimes, as we me and my struggles, we may come to understand "why" but often many do not. Yet faith tells us there is a reason and that reason possesses a blessing. Perhaps when you one day see Him you can ask Him if you do not figure this out before then.
May His blessings be with you, and His shalom encompass you.