Congregation Shema Yisrael

Every so often, the evangelical world is rocked by news of some high-profile leader walking away from the Faith. This past month, it was Joshua Harris (no relation), who first achieved notoriety with his best-selling 1997 book I Kissed Dating Goodbye – published when he was just 19 years of age. It was followed by […] Source

This week our parasha is Devarim, which means words and covers Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22. Parasha Devarim is the first Torah portion of Deuteronomy and is the name for this book in Hebrew. Parasha Devarim teaches us the importance of learning from our past and breaking the cycles of sin that repeat constantly in our lives. The […] Source

Rabbi Glenn continues his study in Isaiah this week with Isaiah 42:20 – 44:8. Source

In 2017 the suicide rate in the U.S. was the highest it has been for at least 50 years, as reported by CBS News. Some experts after reviewing the data attribute this to an “epidemic of hopelessness”, which has lead to more drug related deaths and suicide. Last month the L.A. Times reported on a […] Source

This week, we have a double Torah portion with Mattot, meaning “tribes,” Numbers 30:2 – 32:42, and Masei, meaning “journeys of,” Numbers 33:1 – 36:13. Chapter 30 contains Adonai’s instructions regarding the making of vows to the Lord or the making a binding obligation; in other words a promise that cannot be broken. Both men […] Source

Rabbi Jerry finishes his two part study on Healthy vs. Unhealthy Congregations.  He discusses the need to act in love, discipleship, and inclusion. Source

God is real. He is great. He is so great, we have only the tiniest inkling of how great He is. And He is good. And He is righteous. Everything He does is right, because that is who He is. That’s His nature. Not only is He our Creator, when we joined the rebellion of […] Source

This week’s parasha is entitled Pinchas meaning (Phinehas). Pinchas is also translated as “dark skin”. Our Torah portion covers Numbers 25:10- 30:1 Adonai gives Moses instructions about Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, grandson of Aaron, great nephew of Moses and also the nephew of Nadab and Abihu, whom Adonai killed in the sanctuary […] Source

This week Rabbi Jerry began a two part study on Healthy vs. Unhealthy Congregations.  Using the book Everyone Is Normal Until You Get To Know Them by John Ortberg he discussed being authentic, empathetic, accepting, dealing with conflict, and forgiveness between individuals. Source

Verses 1-2 (author/recipients – note three-fold formula of greeting) Jude, a servant of Messiah Yeshua and a brother of James, to those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Messiah Yeshua: mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. Almost certainly, this is Yehuda or Judas, Yeshua’s earthly […] Source

This week’s parasha is entitled Balak.  The passage is named for the king of the Midianites, Balak, and the name Balak translates as, “Destroyer,” which is a fitting name for a king who wants to destroy Israel.  Our passage today covers Numbers, Chapter 22:2 through Numbers, Chapter 25:9. The passage begins with the Moabites and […] Source

This week Rabbi Jerry covered the Bible Study and led a discussion on hope.  He mostly focused on Psalms 42-43 and explained what biblical hope is. Source

This week Rabbi Glenn covered Isaiah 41:1-42:9. Source

The Lord Yeshua is looking for servants – not church goers, not messianic synagogue goers who go to a worship service, sing some songs, hear a message, donate some money and leave. A servant is someone who has a master and puts his master’s interests before his own. To be Yeshua’s servant, we must know […] Source

The name of this week’s parasha is Chukat, which means “decree of”, and covers Numbers 19:1-22:1.  This parasha covers the ordinance of the red heifer; the Israelis’ journey to the Promised Land; Moses and Aaron’s exclusion from leading the Israelis into the Promised Land; and the Israelis’ conquests.  A red heifer must be unblemished and […] Source

The Torah portion for this Shabbat spans Numbers chapters 16-18 and is called Korach, named after the leader of an infamous rebellion against Moses and Aaron – one which ended catastrophically. This is now the third consecutive challenge to Moses’ leadership. The first was from his own siblings, Aaron and Miriam (on the pretext of […] Source

The Lord Messiah is looking for servants, not church goers, not messianic synagogue goers who go to a worship service, sing some songs, hear a message, donate some money and leave. The Lord Messiah is looking for servants. A servant is someone who has a master and puts his master’s interests before his own. Human […] Source

Think for a moment about the more memorable stories from the Bible; don’t they usually involve men and women who rose to the occasion and showed courage in the face of danger? Those are the stories that make it into children’s Bibles, and into a lot of sermons, precisely because they inspire faith. This morning, […] Source

This week our parasha is Shelach Lecha which means “Send For Yourself”. Parasha Shalech Lecha covers Numbers 13:1 – 15:41. In this parasha we see both the mercy and justice of the Lord. We also see the consequences for constant rebellion. We begin in Numbers 13 with our people near the border of the Promised […] Source

This week Rabbi Jerry taught the Bible Study.  He taught on this week’s parasha, specifically Number 13-14.  He then connected it to Hebrews 3-4.   The theme of this study was the importance of obedience to God’s Will and not rejecting His promises. Source

Introduction: “Safety First” has become almost a mantra in our litigious society. Doesn’t it seem like every TV or radio ad ends with a litany of disclaimers, meant to protect the maker of the product from legal action, should anyone have a bad experience? It seems like every message coming at us urges us to […] 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 covered Isaiah 40:1 – 41:4. Source

We’re doing something a little different today. I’ve expanded the parasha to be our main message this Shabbat. There is a theme woven throughout this section of the Torah, and I felt it deserved our deeper consideration. First, I’ll give an overview of the parasha, then we’ll address that underlying theme, and draw some applications. […] Source

The parasha for last week is entitled Bamidbar, meaning “In The Desert,” and it covers Numbers 1:1 – 4:20. The English name, Numbers, is because this book contains statistics, such as population figures, the totals of the priests and Levites, and other numerical data. And, this name comes from the two census’ that were taken […] Source