Congregation Shema Yisrael

In a few minutes, we will sound the Shofar a final time and then go and break our fasts.  As we come to the end of Yom Kippur and the Days of Awe I hope this has been a meaningful time for you.  Hopefully, a time for self-reflection through prayer, reading God’s Word and even […] Source

A wise and godly man once observed: “Pride is the dandelion of the soul. Its root goes deep; only a little left behind sprouts again. Its seeds lodge in the tiniest encouraging cracks. And it flourishes in good soil. The danger of pride is that it feeds on goodness.” Perhaps no parable illustrates this as […] Source

To this day I don’t remember what even started it, but back in the 6th grade me and one of my best friends Steve Frumkin got into an argument, and it escalated, and we decided we would settle it after school with a fist fight. All that day, people chose sides. The way everyone was […] Source

This week’s parasha is entitled Vayeilech, which means, “And He Went.”  It covers Deuteronomy, Chapter 31:1 – 31:30.  As the parasha opens, we find out that this day will be Moses’ last day on earth.  As Moses mentions in verse 2:  I am a hundred and twenty years old today; I am no longer able […] Source

L’shana Tova.  During our Rosh HaShanah services we read Twelve Reasons Why We Blow The Shofar.  We blow the shofar for a variety of reasons, from remembering the binding of Isaac to the return of Messiah Yeshua.  We may blow the shofar for a variety of reasons, but the shofar essentially has a straightforward purpose. […] Source

In ancient times, the Jewish people blew the shofar for many reasons. One reason was, when an enemy was approaching, the watchman blew the shofar to warn the people so they had time to find a place of safety. There are valuable lessons to be learned from the watchman. In Ezekiel 33, the Lord gave […] Source

The name of this week’s parasha is Nitzavim, which means “those taking a stand,” and covers Deuteronomy 29:9 through 30:20.  Moses stresses to the Israelis the importance of following the terms of this covenant.  Everyone there was standing in Adonai’s presence to enter a covenant with Him affirming they will be His people, and He […] Source

Tomorrow evening begins Yom T’ruah, the Holiday of Trumpets, more commonly known as Rosh HaShanah, and with it the High Holidays and the beginning of the new year 5779. My hope is that it won’t be a “new year – same old” scenario, but rather that Adonai will continue transforming us from the inside out, […] Source

Rabbi Glenn this week decided to cover some of his biggest “Pet Peeve” verses. Those that are most likely to be taken out of context. Source

This week Rabbi Loren and Rebbetzin Martha Jacobs, along with Rabbi Glenn and Rebbetzin Alexandra Harris discussed Proverbs 16. Source

Several years ago I was on an Orthodox Jewish website doing some research. During my browsing I discovered their “Ask the Rabbi” section and an article caught my eye. The question concerned whether motives mattered when giving tzedakah. The person writing was concerned because they had been giving regularly, but lately were giving in the […] Source

Jerry Weinstein covered the Bible study this week for Rabbi Glenn. He surveyed briefly scriptures involving false teachers and teachings.  He also shared and discussed this article from the Gospel Coalition on 7 Traits of False Teachers. Source

Not too long ago, someone from Shema attended a church service in which the pastor said God is not a fighter. His purposes are not achieved through fighting, but through sacrifice, sharing and generosity. The implication is that we should not be fighters too. While at first hearing it sounds right, it’s not right. Here’s […] Source

This week’s Parasha is Ki Teitzei, translated: “When You Go Out”. It covers Deuteronomy 21-25:19. In these chapters, we find 72 of the Torah’s 613 commandments. Chapter 21 includes the command that when you went to war against your enemy, and the Lord delivered them into your hands; if you saw a beautiful woman, and […] Source

A.W. Tozer believed that the truest measure of a man is how he thinks about God. Perhaps the truest measure of a nation is how its judicial system functions. When innocent people go to prison because ambitious prosecutors suppress evidence, or officials commit perjury, or judges allow their political biases to influence cases, the judicial […] Source

Yeshua is the Most Amazing Man Who Ever Lived. I like so many things about Him. Here are some of the things I like about Him that come from the biography written about Him by His friend and disciple, John. I like when a king makes a grand entrance. I especially like Yeshua’s triumphal entry […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn covered Scripture Twisting exposing misuses of Scripture by cults (and even some well-meaning Christians). Source

Our parasha passage for today is entitled Re’eh, meaning “See” and covers Deuteronomy 11:26 – 16:17.  The title “see” comes from the first verse of the parasha, where Moses reminds the people, saying, “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse…” And this is the key theme of the parasha.  Blessings […] Source

Serving the needs of Messiah’s Holy Community and those outside the Faith Good morning, and welcome to the sermon everybody dreads: what it means to serve. You’ll recall that last Shabbat I spoke about the amazing system of water cycles that Adonai has designed into Creation. Every lake and ocean in the world is both […] Source

This week Rabbi Glenn completed the study in the Life of David by recapping his life, the lessons we can take from it, and the ways in which David foreshadowed Messiah Yeshua. Source

This morning I’ll be sharing the first of a two-part message on what it means to serve; serving within Messiah’s Community, and serving those outside the Faith. Serving, not grudgingly, but gratefully. And to illustrate how crucial it is to your soul that you serve others, let’s talk about water. I grew up in southern […] Source

This week our parasha is Eikev, which means “consequence”, and covers Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25.  In this parasha we will see the importance of making choices and the consequences that it brings depending on how we choose. Our parasha begins in chapter 7 continuing the speech Moses is giving our people before we begin to take possession […] Source

This week the study covered 1 Kings 1:1-2:12, completing the life of David. Source

Many interesting people have lived during the past 6,000 years. My brother-in-law David loves biographies, learning about some of those interesting people and the interesting things they have said and done. I asked him for his three favorite biographies, and he responded: Wow. I have many – but if I had to pick three I […] Source

The name of this week’s parasha is Vaetchanan, which means “and I pleaded”, and covers Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11. Moses asked God to allow him to enter the Promised Land, but Adonai was angry with him because of his conduct at Meribah in Numbers 20. Because Moses hadn’t honored God for providing the Jewish people water there, […] Source