Congregation Shema Yisrael

This week Rabbis Loren, Glenn, and Jerry discuss the first part of 2 John. They talk about the importance of truth and love from a biblical perspective. Source

This week our parasha is Ki Teitzei, which means “When You Go Out”, and covers Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19. Parasha Ki Teizei covers a large variety of topics and has 74 different commandments. This morning I would like to focus on a few of the commandments of this parasha. Woven through the many different topics of parasha […] Source

Shabbat Shalom. “Tell me what you fear, and I will tell you what has happened to you,” so says psychologist D.W. Winnicott. Many of our fears and anxieties come from things that have happened to us. Hurts and traumas we have suffered through life in this fallen world. These painful experiences create fear and anxiety […] Source

This Parasha begins in chapter 16 verse 18, where the commandment from the Lord states that the Israelis were to appoint judges in all the cities they reside in. These judges would determine one’s guilt and one’s fate. The judges were instructed to not pervert justice, show no partiality, and accept no bribes (for bribe […] Source

This week Rabbi Jerry continues looking at Matthew 24 and what Messiah Yeshua had to say about not being unaware of His return. Watch Below: Source

This week’s parasha, entitled Re’eh, means “See”. It covers Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17. Re’eh is the very first word. “See, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse.” The Israelis are at the crossroads of their journey. As they prepare to take possession of Canaan, Moses gives a stern warning. He warns […] Source

Introduction A while back, there was this funny, weird exchange that took place on Twitter (I know it’s hard to believe, right?). Somebody wrote that the Coronavirus was as deadly and desperate a situation as the pandemic in the novel The Stand by Stephen King. Well, Stephen King tweeted back: “It’s not anywhere near as […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn discusses eschatology in the Gospels and what Yeshua had to say about the Last Days. Watch Below: Source

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Shabbat Shalom, this week’s Parasha is Eikev, which means “Consequence”, and covers Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25.  We start in Chapter 7 with Moses telling our people to listen to the rules that the Lord has given them. If they are willing to listen and obey then the Lord promises to love, bless, and multiply them. […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn discusses eschatology in Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. Watch Below: Source

This weeks Torah portion is entitled “Va-etchanan” meaning – “And I pleaded”. It covers Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11. Moses is covering the events of the last 40 years in the desert. Here, Moses is using the experiences and failures of the past 40 years to instruct and warn the nation of Israel about the manner in which […] Source

Shabbat Shalom! Confession. It’s one of those words that when said conjures all sorts of mental images. Perhaps you think of a nervous person in a tiny room separated from a Priest? Or a criminal being interrogated by detectives? Or maybe I just watch way too many crime procedurals? Confession is one of those topics […] Source

Our parasha passage for this week is entitled, D’varim, which means “words.”  This passage covers Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:22.  The parasha name comes from the Hebrew in Chapter 1:1:  Eleh ha d’varim, “these are the words.”  This last book of the Torah contains Moses’ overview of the history of their journey through the wilderness after […] Source

Most of you know I’m somewhat of a sci-fi fan. It goes all the way back to my high school days. I used to try to imagine what the future might be like, so naturally any futuristic movies or TV shows were a magnet for me. In fact, I remember the first time I set […] Source

Rabbi Jerry concludes the study of Eschatology in the Minor Prophets with the end of Zechariah and Malachi. Watch Below: Source

Life is very complicated and uncertain today. I could run off a laundry list of financial, emotional, and spiritual problems plaguing us as individuals, families, communities, and as a nation, but I think at this point you know the tune well. Often, I find myself having conversations with people about their suffering and uncertainty because […] Source

The Torah reading for this week consists of two parashas. First, we have Mattot, meaning Tribes. It covers Numbers chapter 30:1–32:42. Secondly, we have Masei, which means Journeys. It covers 33:1-36:13. Moses was told to speak with all the leaders of Israel and to tell them about these commands from the Lord: “If a man […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn continues the series in Eschatology with Zechariah and Malachi. Watch Below: Source

Introduction Psalm 20 is one of my favorites of the Psalms. In fact, one of our beloved worship songs here at Shema is based on this psalm. But it wasn’t until I began preparing this message, that I realized why I like it so much. It’s because it has such a victorious theme, and it’s […] Source

This morning’s parasha (Numbers 22:2-25:9) is entitled Balak, the name of the king of Moab, who attempted to hire Balaam the seer to come and curse Israel. It had become evident that God was giving Israel victory after victory over the nations adjacent to Canaan. Fearing the same fate for his own country, Balak sends […] Source

Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. It’s all about the Word of God. That teaches us that God’s Word is very important. And it’s very important for a lot of reasons. In this psalm, numerous words are used for the Word of God. Depending on the translation, they […] Source

This week’s parasha is entitled, Chukat, which means “statute” and covers Numbers, chapters 19:1 – 22:1. Chapter 19 explains the sacrifice of the red heifer and the purpose for that. The red heifer was designated as a type of sin offering, but it was for a very special type of sin.  Let’s look at the […] Source

Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. It’s all about the Word of God. That teaches us that God’s Word is very important. And, as we will see, it’s very important for a lot of reasons. In this psalm, numerous words are used for the Word of God. Depending […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn continues our series through the minor prophets, discussing the Eschatology of Jonah. Watch Below: Source