Congregation Shema Yisrael

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

Rabbis Loren and Glenn are joined by Rebbetzin Martha and Alexandra to finish their discussion of Proverbs 21. Source

Shabbat Shalom. This week’s Parasha is Sh’Lach L’cha meaning “Send Out” and covers Number 13:1 – 15:41. We begin with the Lord telling Moses to send out twelve men into Canaan. Moses instructed them to see if the Canaanites were strong or weak, how many lived there, and to see how good the land was. […] Source

Rabbis Loren and Glenn are joined by Rebbetzin Martha and Alexandra to discuss Proverbs 21 Source

This week Rabbi Glenn continues the series on Eschatology and begins a new section on the minor prophets. He covers Hosea and Joel. Source

Rabbis Loren, Glenn, and Jerry conclude their discussion through the letter to the Colossians with Colossians 4. Source

This week Parasha is Beha’alotekkha which means “When You Go Up”, and it covers numbers 8:1 – 12:16. We begin in chapter 8.  The Lord spoke to Moses and instructed him to make the seven lamps and how to make them and that they would shine light on what was being done just as the […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn continues the series on Eschatology with a look at the historical books of the Old Testament. Watch Below: Source

This week’s parasha is a double portion. The first is entitled B’Midbar which translates to “In the Wilderness”. The second is entitled Naso, which means “Take Up” and it covers Chapters 1 through 7 in the Book of Numbers. Two years after the nation of Israel left Egypt by The Lords mighty hand, Adonai commanded […] Source

Rabbis Loren and Jerry discuss the end of Colossians 3 and begins Colossians 4. They discuss the importance of relationships between husbands, wives, and children. Source

This week Rabbi Jerry teaches on James 4:13-17 and explains how this passage teaches us proper Godly future planning. Watch Below: Source

Paul, the great Emissary of Messiah Yeshua, wrote: For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile (lit. Greek) (Romans 1:16). I think by now you all know that Alexandra and I take special […] Source