Congregation Shema Yisrael

To understand ourselves and the world we live in, we need to know our history. We need to know what happened before the Flood, God’s judgment on human wickedness, the survival of Noah and his family, the Lord’s covenant with Noah, the origin of the nations, the rebellion at Babel and, finally, God’s call of […] Source

This week Rabbi Jerry begins a two part study on Extrabiblical literature. In this study he provides an overview of the subject and examines one popular text known as 1 Enoch. He discusses why 1 Enoch is not Scripture and the dangerous obsession with hidden or secret truth. Click here for Rabbi Jerry’s notes. Watch […] Source

Before I talk about this week’s parasha, Beresheet, In The Beginning, I want to talk about what happened before the beginning. The Word of God reveals that important things happened before the beginning, things we should know about. Before the beginning, the Father and the Son enjoyed an eternal relationship of love and glory. At […] Source

This week Rabbi Jerry examines Romans 1 and where we can find America in God’s Word. Click here for Rabbi Jerry’s notes. Watch Below:   Source

Psalm 139 teaches us that God knows us completely, is with us everywhere and cares about every part of our lives. These truths bring us comfort and awe, but they also call us to holiness. Therefore we should invite the Lord to search our hearts, expose anything that offends Him, and lead us on the […] Source

This week’s Parasha is entitled V’Zot HaB’racha, meaning “This is the blessing.” Taken from Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12, this records the final acts of Moses as leader of Israel, first in the form of blessings and then in the account of his death. Before Moses gives his final blessings to the tribes, he reminds Israel of who […] Source

This week Rabbi Jerry teaches on Philippians 4 and finding joy and peace in the Lord. Click here for Rabbi Jerry’s notes. Watch Below:   Source

This week Rabbi Glenn shared a study on the holiday of Sukkot. Click here for Rabbi Glenn’s notes. Watch Below:   Source

This week’s Parasha is entitled HaAzeenu which means “Give Ear”.  It covers Deuteronomy, chapter 32, and consists primarily of the Song of Moses, which can be seen as both a love song to Adonai, and a chastisement of the people of Israel. Today’s parasha falls on the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It’s […] Source

This week Rabbi Jerry discusses repentance and forgiveness among the worst kings in Judah. Click here for Rabbi Jerry’s notes. Watch Below:   Source

In a few minutes we will hear the Shofar. The sound of the Shofar shares many truths with us. This evening I want to focus on one specific truth. The Shofar’s blast thunders the truth that God’s power transforms us in life and in death. Rabbi Paul, through the Holy Spirit, shared this truth with […] Source

This week Rabbi Jerry teaches on Judges 18 and the consequences of Micah’s idolatry. Click here for Rabbi Jerry’s notes. Source

This week’s we have a double parasha.  Nitzavim, meaning “Standing,” covers Deuteronomy 29:10 – 30:20.  Vayelech, meaning, “And He Went,” covers Deuteronomy 31:1 – 31:30. In chapter 29, the people are gathered before the Lord to enter into covenant with Him.   In verse 15, we find that not only does this covenant involve those present […] Source

Psalm 89 Psalm 89 is about the defeat and humiliation of the Davidic king. The likely historical setting is the invasion of Judah by Shishak, king of Egypt, during the reign of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. After Solomon died, the kingdom of Israel divided, which was a huge problem for the Davidic king. In addition, in […] Source

This week Rabbi Jerry continues in Judges and discusses the idolatry of Micah in Judges 17. Click here for Rabbi Jerry’s notes. Watch Below:   Source

David was one of the greatest men who ever lived. He was a warrior, a military commander, a songwriter, a musician and a prophet, a man God spoke to directly and clearly. He was the founder of the royal dynasty of the Chosen People, a dynasty that finds its ultimate King in Messiah Yeshua. He […] Source

Here in the United States the Messianic Jewish movement is small. We have only a few hundred congregations, many of them small and many theologically unhealthy. In Israel, Messianic Jews make up less than 1% of the population. The world does not like us, the Jewish community does not like us, and much of the […] Source

The prophet Zephaniah wrote this amazing prophecy: Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live […] Source

The parasha for this Shabbat, entitled Pinchas, covers Numbers chapters 25-29, and is named after a man some might suggest took the law into his own hands. In the previous chapters, the King of Moab attempted to hire Balaam to curse Israel – something God was never going to allow, since He had already blessed […] Source

This week, we have a double parasha.  Chukat, which means “statute,” Numbers, 19:1 – 22:1, and Balak, Numbers 22:2 – 25:9, the Moabite king who wants to destroy Israel. I’m just going to focus on some major points from each parasha. Chapter 19 explains the sacrifice of the red heifer. The red heifer was designated […] Source

Shabbat Shalom. Last week, we saw one man of God, Elijah, confront 450 false prophets of Baal. In a contest for the ages, the Lord answered Elijah’s simple prayer and demonstrated His infinite power to everyone present. 1 Kings 18 ended with all 450 prophets dead, our people repenting of their sins, and the countrywide […] Source

This week Rabbi Jerry finishes his discussion of God’s Will by looking at the lives of Balaam and Balak. Watch Below: Source

This morning, I would like to begin with a question, a potentially dangerous and frustrating question that has been asked for centuries. “What do you want to eat?” We have all had this question drag us into an endless, frustrating debate. Someone says they don’t care, you go back and forth proposing ideas, only to […] Source

This week’s parasha is titled Korach, named for the leader of one of the largest and most severe revolts against the leadership of Moses and Aaron during the wilderness journey.  Our passage for this week covers Numbers, Chapter 16:1 – Chapter 18:32. While all those who served at the Tabernacle and later at the Temple […] Source

This week Rabbi Jerry Continues to discuss God’s Will. He uses D.A. Carson’s, Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspective in Tension to discuss the tension between our wills and God’s Will. Click here for Rabbi Jerry’s notes. Watch Below:   Source