Congregation Shema Yisrael

After being a follower of the Lord for 43 years, and after serving Him in full-time ministry for 38 years, it’s become crystal clear to me that it’s impossible for a person to grow to spiritual maturity apart from being an active member of a local community of Messiah’s followers. There are reasons for this: […] Source

This week’s parasha is entitled, B’Shalach, which means “when he let go” and covers Exodus 13:17 – 17:16.  When he let go refers to pharaoh letting the Israelis depart from Egypt after the 10th plague, the death of the first born. After their release, the Lord does not lead the Israelis in a direct route […] Source

This week was a special study dedicated to Isaiah 52:13-53:12 with a Q/A as well. Source

This week our parasha is “Bo”, which translates to Go, and covers Exodus 10:1-13:16.  In this parasha we will see our people finally leave Egypt and the foolishness of trying to thwart the will of Adonai. We begin in Exodus 10, with Pharaoh still refusing to let our people go.  The Lord tells Moses to […] Source

When it comes to professional sports, let me just go on record as saying: Detroit is the place to live if you enjoy despondency! 2018 was another rough year for our teams. In spite of a lot of talented players, the Lions had a dismal season. The Tigers weren’t much better. It’s been 10 years […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn covered Isaiah 10:20-11:10. Source

Introduction: Picture this: you’re taking a family road trip with your kids. Now, parents, I know you’ll be able to answer this question: What are the four words you DO NOT want to hear out of their precious little mouths?. That’s right “Are we there yet?” When our kids were little, Alexandra and I used […] Source

The name of this week’s parasha is Va’era, which means “and I appeared,” and covers Exodus 6:2 through 9:35.  God tells Moses that He had established His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and He has remembered His covenant.  Moses is to tell the Israelis that Adonai will rescue them from Egyptian slavery and bring […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn covered Isaiah 9:8-10:19, in the second session he covered the Messianic prophecy found in Isaiah 50:6. Source

This morning, I want to talk about something that the Word of God mentions quite a bit, and that is Yirat Adonai, the fear of the Lord. When it comes to persons, there are two kinds of fear: a good, healthy kind of fear and a bad, unhealthy kind of fear. The good kind of […] Source

This week our parasha is Shemot meaning “names” and begins the book of Exodus.  Shemot is also the Hebrew name for this book.  It begins with the birth of Moses and takes us through chapter 6:1 where he has his first confrontation with Pharaoh.  In this parasha we will see the great commission the Lord […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn reviewed the historical context of Isaiah 8, the coming Assyrian invasion, and went on to study Isaiah 9:1-7.  In the second session, the messianic prophecy studied was Isaiah 49:5-7. Source

Joy To The World, The Lord Is Come, Let Earth Receive Her King. “Joy To The World”, is a hymn I’ve heard sung too many times to count and I bet you have as well.  Like many songs associated with Christmas it tends to go in one ear and out another.  In many ways I […] Source

“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near!” – Isaiah 55:6 “You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.” – Deuteronomy 4:29/Jeremiah 29:13 One of the most exciting bits of news I got as a young boy of about 11, was […] Source

This week’s parasha is entitled Vayechi, meaning, “and he lived.” It covers Genesis 47:28-50:26 and this completes the book of Genesis. Israel and his sons were now living comfortably in Egypt, though due to the ongoing famine, the Egyptians were impoverished in their own land. It is interesting to note that Joseph spent the first […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn reviewed 2 Chronicles 28, a summary of Ahaz’s kingship and failed alliance with Assyria.  He then reviewed Isaiah 7:1-16, and then proceeded to complete the rest of Isaiah 7 and all of Isaiah 8 8.  The second session was the prophecy of Isaiah 42:1-7, God’s righteous, compassionate Servant who brings His […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn studied Isaiah 7:1-16, the prophecy of Immanuel. In the second session, he continued with Isaiah 7:14 and also read Matthew 1:18-25 to see its fulfillment. Source

We come into this world selfish, self-absorbed, thinking only of ourselves. A baby is all about itself, its desires, its wants, its needs being met. As we mature, we become more concerned about the needs of others. This is love – being concerned about the needs of others; wanting what is good for others. Love […] Source

Last week’s Torah portion was entitled, Vayeshev, which means, “and he settled.”  It covers Genesis 37: 1-40:23. After more than 20 years of being away, Jacob returns to the Promised Land and settles in Hebron.  In Chapter 37, we are introduced to Joseph, who is Jacob’s favorite son, born of Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife.  Jacob gives this favorite son […] Source

When asked, “What is the miracle of Chanukkah?” the common response is: “Chanukkah is about a miracle that took place when the Jewish people fought against the Syrians who had invaded Jerusalem and desecrated the Temple. The Temple was dedicated to Zeus and pigs were sacrificed there. The Syrians forbid the Jewish people from practicing […] Source

The parasha for this week is entitled MiKetz, meaning “at the conclusion” and covers Genesis 41:1-44:17. Joseph has been in prison in Egypt on a bogus rape charge. Poor Joseph; betrayed by his brothers, enslaved in Egypt, imprisoned on false charges. Yet everywhere he went, Joseph conducted himself with integrity, and God gave him favor. […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn studied Isaiah 6, discussing the great vision, and Isaiah’s calling to be a prophet. In the second session the prophecy of Isaiah 28:16 (the Stone laid in Zion) was compared with Psalm 118:22 (the Stone the builders rejected). Source

Shabbat Shalom.  Tomorrow night begins the holiday of Chanukkah, a time of eating way too many fried foods and hopefully getting some presents that are not clothing, for certain family members listening to this message please take note. But what is Chanukkah about? The typical story of Chanukkah which I was taught in Hebrew school, […] Source

Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14:6). Jerry has described our need to cultivate courage and persistence through the example of […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn reviewed selections from Isaiah 3 (Judah’s transgressions in light of what the Torah teaches about widows, orphans, aliens), and the Vineyard song of 5:1-7. Then he went on to complete Isaiah 5 (verses 8-30). Source