Congregation Shema Yisrael

Matthew 5:13-15 and Luke 6:46-49 (Matthew 7:24-27) Fact: you are salt “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Sodium chloride, a.k.a. salt, is absolutely essential […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn took a break to do a Q & A, answering a variety of questions. Source

Last week we left things on a cliffhanger, with an unknown Joseph telling his brothers he would be keeping Benjamin In Egypt. This week we have the resolution of Joseph’s testing of his brothers.  Our parasha this week is called Vayigash which translates to “And He Drew Near” and covers Genesis 44:18-47:27. This parasha shows us […] Source

This new year we’re starting a series on the parables of the Messiah. There are approximately 40 of them. Lord willing, we’ll be going through them in order as they appear in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Lord Yeshua is known for teaching in parables. Why did He teach in parables? Several reasons: A […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn continued his study of Isaiah with Isaiah 63-64 Source

Today is a special Sabbath because it’s the Sabbath during Chanukkah and because it’s the last Sabbath before the New Year – which begins in a few days. Chanukkah is the holiday of dedication – the dedication of the Temple in the time of the Maccabees. The New Year is a time of new beginning. […] Source

This week’s Parasha is Miketz, which means “at the end of” and covers Genesis 41-44:17. Pharaoh has a bad dream, he does not understand what it means.  In Pharaoh’s   dream there were seven cows that were good and plump and then all of a sudden there were seven undernourished cows and they devoured  the plump […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn covered Isaiah 62 during the study. Source

Chag Samach, Shabbat Shalom! Tonight, as we know begins the holiday of Channukah, but today is special for another reason. It is the shortest day of the year, the Winter Solstice. I think it is fitting that this festival of lights lines up with the day of greatest darkness. This morning, Lord willing I will […] Source

“God works in mysterious ways!” You hear it all the time. Sometimes you hear it from people you’re pretty sure don’t even believe in God. It’s become an expression people use when things go very unexpectedly, but turn out well. It’s like saying, “Boy, I didn’t see that coming,” but since things turned out okay, […] Source

The name of this week’s parasha is Vayeshev, which means “and he settled”, and covers Genesis 37:1-40:23.  Jacob favored Joseph over his other sons, which caused them to resent Joseph, and Joseph was given a special robe by Jacob. When Joseph told his brothers and father about a dream he had in which they bowed […] Source

Kanye West has apparently gotten serious about the Lord. I was really happy to hear about it, but apparently, I underestimated how significant this was for a lot of people. For the next several weeks, it seems like it was wall-to-wall Kanye. Kanye releases a Gospel album. Kanye leads worship services. Kanye makes a guest […] Source

This week’s parasha is the eighth reading in Genesis, and is entitled Vayishlach, meaning “and he sent”. It takes us from Genesis 32-36. The title comes from the first verse of the reading, which says, “Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir…” Jacob had just come through […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn covered Isaiah 60 continuing the study of Isaiah. Source

John was one of the greatest men who ever lived. He was a member of the Chosen People. He was privileged to be alive when the Son of God came into this world. He met Messiah, responded to Messiah, followed Messiah and became one of His most important disciples. He became an apostle, one of […] Source

This week’s Torah portion is VaYetzei, which means “and he went out.” It covers Genesis 28:10–32:3. In Chapter 28, we find Jacob departing from his home in Beersheba and heading to Haran, his ancestral homeland. He ends up spending the night in an open area where he sees a vision of a great ladder descending […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn continued the study of Isaiah with Isaiah 59. Source

Shabbat Shalom, This week’s parasha is Tol’Dot, “Generations” and covers Genesis 25:19-28:9. Our passage starts out noting the generations of Isaac. Isaac took Rebekah to be his wife when he was 40, and she was barren. He prayed to the Lord that she would be able to have children. The Lord granted his prayer, but […] Source

This letter was written by the elder, whom tradition says was John. It was written to a lady he knew. It was written toward the end of the first century, around 95 AD. John would have been an old man by then. Messiah’s Community would have been around 60 years old. This letter was one […] Source

We’ve heard two great messages on giving thanks, why it is important and how it is a response to God’s mercy. This morning I would like to talk about the importance of giving thanks every day to Adonai, and to those around us. Let’s begin with Luke 17:11-19, which unfortunately reveals how most human beings […] Source

Just this past month, on October 2, the trial of former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger came to a close. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder of Botham Jean, a man who lived in the same apartment complex. On September 6, 2018, returning home from work, Guyger walked into Jean’s […] Source

The name of this week’s parasha is Chayei Sarah, which means “the life of Sarah”, and covers Genesis 23:1 through 25:18.  In this parasha, we learn about Sarah’s death and burial, Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah, Abraham’s death and burial, and Ishmael’s sons and his death.  The parasha begins with the death of Sarah at 127 […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn covered Isaiah 58 (with corollary readings in Isaiah 1, Zechariah 7 and Matthew 23). Source

One day, two little kids, brothers, were playing “Noah’s Ark” in the bathtub, and they made an impromptu ark with a few animals. After the “flood” subsided (meaning bath time was over), and they were in their pajamas, they decided to also act out Noah’s sacrifice when he came off the ark. One of the […] Source

This week our Torah portion is Vayera, which means “And He Appeared.” Vayera covers Genesis 18:1-22:24. Genesis 18 begins with the Lord and two angels appearing to Abraham disguised as men. Abraham greets them and immediately offers his hospitality. During their meal of bread, meat, and milk, the Lord promises Abraham this time next year […] Source