Shema Yisrael Podcasts

Called to Restoration

2012-01-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

January 21, 2012 Rabbi Jim presents the prophetic message given by Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn at the Messianic Rabbi's Conference. He explains the amazing implications for the Messianic Movement of the prediction in Acts 3:21 that the return of the Messiah awaits the "restoring of all things". He then challenges us to live up to the call of G-d to do our part in the "restoring of all things".

Guest Speaker Our Founding Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Bernis

2012-01-20T15:48:00.000-08:00

January 14, 2012 Guest speaker, our founding Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Bernis shares a word of encouragement from Jeremiah 29:11-14. Jonathan is currently the President of Jewish Voice Ministries International.

Forgiveness

2012-01-04T08:51:00.000-08:00

December 31, 2011. Rabbi Jim teaches from Parashah Vayigash (He Approached) Genesis 44:18 - 47:27 on the story of Yosef. He focuses on Yosef's brother's repentance and on Yosef forgiving his brothers. The origin of forgiveness in our culture is explored and the progressive revelation in the scriptures of God's forgiveness and man's forgiveness of his fellow man are outlined. Rabbi Jim points out how the B'rit Hadashah (New Covenant) "completes" the teaching of the Tenakh (Hebrew Scriptures) concerning the importance of us forgiving each other. He explains the negative effects of unforgiveness and gives practical understanding of what is meant by Biblical forgiveness.

Mashaikh Ben Yosef

2011-12-29T14:41:00.000-08:00

December 24, 2011 Rabbi Jim teaches from Parashah Mikeitz (At The End) Genesis 41:1 - 44:17. The ancient rabbi's were expecting Mashiakh Ben Yosef, a Mashiakh who would be like Yosef (Joseph), who suffered as a servant and saved his people from famine. According to the B'rit Hadashah (New Covenant) Yeshua fulfilled these expectations of a suffering Mashiakh. Therefore we should be able to learn something about the Mashiakh from the account of Yosef in Genesis. In studying Yosef's story we learn that his greatest suffering was due to his being separated from his father who loved him. This insight helps us to understand that the greatest source of Yeshua's suffering was from His being separated from His Father God especially while He was atoning for the sins of the world and also during the entire time He spent here on Earth. Rabbi Jim ends with an insight on how Yeshua was able to connect with His Father G-d during the last three years He was here, and how we must learn to connect with Our Father in Heaven in the same way.

To Be A Maccabee

2011-12-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

December 17, 2011 Chanukkah. Rabbi Ben speaks about Chanukkah from the book of 1 Maccabees. He applies the lessons of Chanukkah to our society today.

Torah of Messiah

2011-12-15T12:08:00.000-08:00

December 10, 2011. Rabbi Jim teaches from Parashah Vayishlach (He Sent) Genesis 32:4 - 36:43. This teaching focuses on the rape of Dinah and explains how lawless society was in those days. Rabbi Jim explains that our law abiding society didn't just happen, but came about as a result of our forefathers receiving and applying God's law. He then defines the meaning of the Hebrew word Torah as instruction, rather than simply law, pointing out passages in the Books of Moses that deal with subjects other than laws. B'rit Hadashah (New Covenant) Scriptures are then brought forth that show that the B'rit Hadashah clarifies and adds to God's laws given in the Tenakh (Hebrew Scriptures). Rabbi Jim concludes with David Stern's translation of Hebrews 8:6 which states that the B'rit Hadashah "has been given (by G-d) as Torah" and explores the implications of that statement.

Adonai Tzva'ot (The Lord of Armies)

2011-12-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

December 3, 2011. Rabbi Jim teaches from Parashah Vayetze (He Went Out) Genesis 28:10 - 32:3. This teaching is about Ya'akov's dream in which he saw angels ascending and descending on a stairway that stretched from Earth to heaven. These angels are our poweful ally in our battle against Ha Satan (the Adversary). They are G-d's spirit army. Rabbi Jim describes this army, its numbers, its powers, its role in our lives and its commander and he encourages us to have incrreased confidence in our efforts to destroy Ha Satan's kingdom because we have this army as our ally.

Talents

2011-11-30T20:01:00.001-08:00

November 26, 2011 Rabbi Jim teaches on the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. The first few minutes of this message did not get recorded so it is presented here in written form. Also, the audio quality is poor for the first few recorded minutes. After that it clears up. Sorry for the inconvenience.
We've looked at three parables so far: The Thief in the Night, The Faithful Servant and The Ten Bridesmaids. Here are the lessons we've gleaned from those parables.

1. Messiah will return when we are not expecting Him, so always be ready to meet Him.

2. Don’t be doing something you wouldn’t want Him to find you doing when He returns.
3. Do the things you would be glad for Him to find you doing when He returns.
4. Take care of the responsibilities He has given you while you wait for His return, caring for His people, caring for His kingdom, praying, loving & witnessing to family, friends, co-workers, neighbors.
5. Live as if Yeshua could return today, but be prepared to carry on obeying & serving Him for as long as it takes for Him to return.
6. Stay filled with the Ruakh HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) while you await His return, because you’ll need His Ruakh to get through these difficult days.
7. Live with the hope of heaven – a better, more beautiful place where there will be no more death, mourning, pain, tears.
Let's look at the 4^th parable to find further instruction - The Parable of the Talents
Yeshua said of His return
Matthew 25:14 "For it will be like a man about to leave home for awhile, who entrusted his possessions to his servants.
The symbolism in the parable is that the Lord is the one who has left for a while, and we, His followers, are His servants entrusted with caring for His possessions, His Kingdom.

Choose Life

2011-11-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

September 24, 2011 Rabbi Jim teaches from Parashah Nitzavim Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20 on the three reasons people turn away from following after G-d and on the incredible privilege of free will He has given each of us. The L-rd passionately desires that we use our free will to choose life and He explains how we can choose life in this parashah.

The Word Is Life

2011-11-10T10:10:00.001-08:00

September 17, 2011 Rabbi Ben Rogers teaches from Parashah Ki Tavo.

Who Rules the World

2011-11-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

September 29, 2011. Rabbi Ben teaches on Rosh Hashanah

Jealousy, Envy and Covetousness - Erev Rosh Hashanah

2011-11-10T07:47:00.000-08:00

Septembre 28, 2011 Rabbi Jim teaches about envy, jealousy and covetousness on Erev Rosh Hashanah from the account of the birth of Yitzakh (Isaac) in Genesis 21. He focuses on Yishma'el's (Ishmael) jealousy of Yitzakh which led to he and his mother being expelled from Avraham's family. 4000 years later this jealousy, over who is the true "child of the promise" is the root of the present Arab - Israeli conflict. The difference between jealousy and envy is explained and the great danger of jealousy, envy and covetousness in our lives is revealed. Finally we are shown the Biblical way of dealing with this iniquity.

True Atonement - Kol Nidre

2011-11-10T06:47:00.000-08:00

October 7, 2011. Rabbi Ben talks about the purpose of Yom Kippur, to gain atonement for our sins. He looks at what is written in Leviticus about how atonement was made, and then compares that with what traditional Judaism teaches about atonement today. Finally he brings into sight what true atonement is, through the blood sacrifice of the Messiah, and how we today can receive it with the same confidence as Israel did during the times of the temple.

G-d's Chosen Fast

2011-11-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

October 10, 2011. Rabbi Jim teaches on Yom Kippor from Isaiah 58:3-9 bringing a new understanding that Yom Kippor is a day for breaking bondages. He identifies external bondages on other people that we should be seeking to break. He also uncovers bondages we ourselves are in through the deceptive tactics of the adversary. The message ends with prayer to break any bondages on ourselves that the Ruakh Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) shines His light upon.

Simcha Torah 2011

2011-11-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

October 22, 2011. Parashah Beresheet, Genesis 1:1 - 6:8. Rabbi Jim teaches on Simcha Torah. This teaching is a continuation of the teaching on October 15. It covers the events leading up to the battle of Jerusalem predicted in Zechariah 12 and the events following the Millenial Kingdom of Messiah. Rabbi Jim then teaches on how we are to understand Yeshua's instruction to "lift up our heads" when we see these times drawing near, applying the Parables of the Thief in the Night and the Unfaithful Servant.

Passionate Relationship

2011-11-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

October 29, 2011. Parashah Noakh Genesis 6:9-11:32, Rabbi Ben looks at how the flood of Noah looks to and is compared with the return of the Messiah in Matthew 24:37-39. He then begins to examine what it means to be ready for his return, and what it looks like to be saved. He give greater understanding of how G-d and Yeshua are pursuing us, and how we can begin pursuing them in a passionate love relationship!

G-d's Provision Through Jezreel International

2011-11-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

August 27, 2011 Special guest speaker Messianic Rabbi Barry Feinman the founder and director of the humanitarian aid ministry Jezreel International. Each week this ministry collects and ships a tractor trailer load of humanitarian aid to needy people all around the world, especially to those in Israel. Rabbi Barry shares the amazing story of the founding of Jezreel and G-d's ongoing provision for the poor through them. He also teaches from Isaiah 58 about G-d's heart for the poor and how He blesses those who care for the poor.

Not Under the Law

2011-10-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

On August 6, 2011 Rabbi Jim teaches a second session on the translational differences between most English translations and David Stern's Complete Jewish Bible (CJB). This teaching was inspired by the recent publishing of the Tree of Life Version (TLV). Unfortunately, the first 5 minutes of this teaching were not recorded so they are written out below for you to read before you listen to the teaching.
You can hear the first session on the podcast entitled "Is the Law Abolished?"
I am recommending the TLV, for its team translation, beautiful illustrations, excellent section headings and family friendly vocabulary. But a few very important verses in TLV differ from CJB which I’ve been using to teach from for about 12 years.
These verses are on issues are vitally important to our walks with the Lord.
Concerning Bible translation in general, words in one language don’t necessarily have their equivalent in another language. This is true of Greek & Hebrew to English translations. Therefore there is a range of Bible translations, from literal or word for word translations, to formally equivalent, to dynamically equivalent translations. In a dynamically equivalent translation additional English words are added when needed to convey the meaning of the Greek or Hebrew. These translations are sometimes called paraphrases.
With this understanding the difference between CJB & TLV is that the TLV is a word for word translation, while the CJB is a paraphrase.
We looked at one verse last week effecting an important subject, our understanding of our relationship to God’s law. This understanding effects our fear of the Lord, therefore our wisdom.
We started by looking at 2 passages that are foundational to what we’re going to study.
The first is Ephesians 2:8 – 10
People are saved, born from above, become citizens of Kingdom of God, forgiven, enter into a personal relationship with God by God’s grace through trusting or faith. Salvation is a gift of God. The only action needed is to make a decision with our free will to put our trust in Messiah’s atoning sacrifice.
Once we are saved we have a purpose, to live a life of good actions
The recorded message picks up here.

Don't Add or Subtract

2011-08-26T05:43:00.000-07:00

August 20, 2011. Parashah Va'etchanan (I Pleaded) Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11. This message is the third in a series on our relationship with the laws of G-d. First Rabbi Jim connects the command not to add or subract from G-d's words in Deuteronomy 4:1-2 with Yeshua's statement that He did not come to abolish the Torah in Matthew 5:17. He points out that if Yeshua had added or subtracted from the Torah He could not have been the Messiah. Next, Mark 7:1-23 is explained and the commonly held understanding that Yeshua did away with the laws of Kashrut (food laws) is shown to be incorrect. Finally Rabbi Jim applies this understanding of how the laws of God still effect us to the spiritual warfare we all must engage in to renew our minds and prevent our adversary, ha satan, from gaining power over us.

G-d's Inseparable Relationship With Israel

2011-08-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

June 18, 2011. Rabbi Ron Goldberg teaches from Genesis 15 on the blood covenant G-d made with Avraham. He explains that when a blood covenant was made it meant that those participating in the covenant were covenanting to keep the promises they've made to each other on pain of death symbolized by the death of the sacrificed, cut up and separated animals they walked between. In the covenant recorded in Genesis 15 G-d promised Avraham and his descendants the land of Israel and only G-d passed between the cut up animals. Ron explained the meaning of this ceremony is that if G-d were to break this covenant with Avraham, legally He would have to die, which of course is impossible. Therefore, God's covenant with Avraham will never be broken.

Second Paradigm Shift

2011-08-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

June 4, 2011 Parashah Naso (To Take) Numbers 4:21 - 7:89. Rabbi Jim teaches from this week's Haftorah, Judges 13:2-25 the story of the birth of Shimshon (Sampson) and the life of Shimshon through Judges 16. He points out the spirit of lust behind Shimshon's fall and explains how people dealt with such spirits in those days through repentance. He then points out a significant difference in the B'rit Hadashah (New Covenant) where Yeshua frequently dealt with such spirits by removing them. This power to deliver people and the gift of the Ruakh Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) to discern the spirits involved constitute a paradigm shift from the Mosaic Covenant to the New Covenant. It enabled people to experience deliverance and freedom. Rabbi Jim concludes the message with some personal experiences he has had with deliverance.

Identity And Transition

2011-08-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

July 9, 2011 Parashah Balak Numbers 22:2 - 25:9. Elder Kathy Turiano teaches about Balak's attempts to curse Israel at the request of the King of Moab. She points out that Israel was in a time of transition from wandering in the desert to moving into the Promised Land. It was also a time when Israel needed to learn to walk in her G-d given identitiy as God's chosen people. In this time of transition Israel was vulnerable to attack and deception concerning her identity. God protected Israel from Balak's attempted curses during this transition, but he eventually did great harm to Israel by counseling the King of Moab to send women into the Israelite camp to tempt the men to worship the gods of the Moabites. Kathy applies the lessons of this parashah to our congregational & personal lives. We learn that as we as individuals go through transitions and as our congregations go through transitions we need to persevere through the changes and walk in our G-d given identity.

Rebellion

2011-08-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

June 25, 2011 Parashah Korach Numbers 16 -18. Elder Mike Turiano teaches about the different attitudes people have about their leaders. He gives a clear description of both negative and postive attitudes. The dangers of a negative attitude and the blessings of a positive attitude are explained and we are encouraged to be on guard against a negative attitude.

Stand And Be Counted

2011-08-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

May 28, 2011 Rabbi Ben Rogers teaches from Parashah Bamidbar on our need to have unity in the Messianic Movement both internationally and locally.

Is the Law Abolished?

2011-08-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

July 30,2011 Rabbi Jim teaches about the recently published Tree of Life Version (TLV) New Covenant. First he lays a foundation concerning Bible translation, salvation by faith and our relationship to God's laws. Then he compares the rendering of Ephesians 2:15 by the Complete Jewish Bible and other English translations with the TLV and explains the importance of properly understanding this verse.

Resurging Replacement Theology

2011-07-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

July 16, 2011 Resurging Replacement Theology. Rabbi Jim teaches about Replacement Theology. He begins with a description of this theolgy and covers why it is incorrect, its origin, its effect on Jewish/Christian relations, its effect on other theological issues, its influence on various group's position concerning Israel today and its recent resurgence. He also reveals how the Sprit of G-d guided him to take a class on this subject which revealed some critically important information to him at just the right time.

Life from the Dead

2011-07-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

July 2, 2011 Life from the Dead Paraahah Hukkat (Regulation) Numbers 19-22:1. Rabbi Jim teaches about the meaning of Yeshua's command to His disciples to "raise the dead" and some personal experiences he has had with raising the physically dead. He then explains the spiritual application of this command to bring spiritual life to those who are spiritually dead. The message concludes with a description of the revival that broke out amongst Jewish people in the 1970's and a prophetic revelation concerning a greater revival happening in the near future.

Are We Really Priests?

2011-07-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

May 7, 2011 Parashah Emor (Speak) Leviticus 21 - 24. Rabbi Jim continues with the subject of the Messiah's Cohanim (Priests). He explains how we, as Messiah's Cohanim can learn much about our roles and responsibilities from the scriptures discussing the Aaronic Cohanim. Our organizational structure and specialization of duties are similar. Our roles of teaching, judging controversies, and interpreting G-d's laws are also similar. The role of the Ruakh Ha Kodesh in guiding Messiah's Cohanim is also discussed and an in depth explanation is given of the gift of discerning of spirits.

Firstfruits/Resurrection

2011-05-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

April 24, 2011. Rabbi Jim teaches on the moad (Appointed Time) of Firstfruits. He explains how Yeshua's resurrection fulfilled this moad by His being the firstfruits of those who will rise from the dead. G-d's purposes in arranging for the resurrection to fall on Firstfruits is explained as being to remind us that we who are His followers will also be resurrected as the "latter" fruits. The teaching also explains the "mighty strength" G-d exerted in raising Yeshua from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in heaven. Finally we are exhorted to trust in that mighty strength to work in our lives.

Jubilee

2011-05-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

May 14, 2011 Parashah B’har (On the Mountain) Leviticus 25-26:2. Rabbi Jim teaches on Leviticus 25 and the amazing wisdom for finances in G-d's instructions for the Sh'mitah (Release) & Yovale (Jubilee) years. He also discusses G-d's instructions for humane treatment of people who have to work off debts they cannot repay. Jeremiah 34 records a time when these instructions for humane treatment were violated by many. In that chapter King Tzidkiyahu discerned a cause & effect relationship between those violations and a great trial coming upon the nation. Rabbi Jim explains how there is often a spiritual cause to a trial we are experiencing. In the past he had taught about finding the spiritual causes or roots of sickness. In this message he teaches about the spiritual roots of other kinds of trials. In conclusion, the effects of the spiritual root of not honoring our parents is explained.

Shabbat HaGadol

2011-05-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

April 16, 2011. Rabbi Jim teaches from the special Haftorah portion for the Shabbat before Pesakh (Passover). Mal'akhi 3:4-24 (English Bibles 3:4-4:6).
Strangely, although this passage is always read on the Shabbat before Pesakh it doesn't speak about Pesakh. However, Rabbi Jim shows there is a strong correlation between this passage and what Yeshua did in the days just before Pesakh in the year of His crucifixion and resurrection. In addition, the three verses just before this passage, Mal'akhi 3:1-3 contain two very powerful Messianic prophesies that were actually fulfilled by Yeshua on those days just before Pesakh, in that same year. The teaching concludes with a discussion of the difference between two Hebrew words that are translated as freedom. Khofesh, freedom from restraint, and khayru, freedom to do what is right.

The Wheat and the Weeds

2011-04-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

April 9, 2011. Parashah M’tzora (Person Afflicted with Tzara’at/Leprosy) Leviticus 14-15. Rabbi Jim teaches from Leviticus 15 on the laws concerning uncleanness. He shows the significant influence of these laws on Biblical culture and then on ancient Israel's relationship with its non-Jewish neighbors. The paradigm shift that occured when the Messiah began His ministry is revealed and explained. That paradigm shift is applied to followers of Yeshua today, with a significant revelation of the difference between the Mosaic and New Covenants. Rabbi Jim then explores a second paradigm shift that occurred when the followers of Yeshua became a majority in the Roman Empire. He explains how the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds was meant to be the guiding principle for how Yeshu'a followers are to treat those who do not receive His message. Finally, Rabbi Jim appies all this to the First Amendment of the US Constitution and concludes with an understanding of the parameters of religious freedom.

Don't Put God in a Box

2011-04-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

April 2, 2011 Rabbi Jim teaches from the Haftorah for Parashah Tazria (She Conceives) focusing on 2 Kings 5:1-19. This is the story of Na'aman the Aramian general who came to Elisha to be healed of an infectious skin disease. The story reveals the working of a "religious spirit" influencing Na'aman to react to Elisha's instruction to him with pride and anger. A religious spirit is defined and examples of it's influence in other parts of the Bible and in the history of the church and the Jewish people are cited. The teaching concludes with prayer for our ability to discern the religious spirit.

Even Intentional Sin

2011-03-31T13:33:00.000-07:00

March 12, 2011. Even Intentional Sin. Parashah Yayikra (He Called) Leviticus 1-5. Rabbi Jim teaches about the atoning sacrifices in Leviticus 4 and 5. He explains how in chapter 4 they were for "sh’gahgah", inadvertent sin, and in chapter 5 they were for certain "pesha", intentional sins, for which restitution could be made. However, in the Laws of Moses there was no atonement available for intentional sin, for which restitution could not be made. The Psalmist in Psalm 103 prophesies a time in the future when pesha would be removed as far as the East is from the West. Isaiah 53 predicted Messiah’s atoning sacrifice would deal with intentional sin. In the B'rit Hadashah (New Covenant) we learn that Yeshua fulfilled these prophesies by sacrificing His life for all sin, even intentional sin. In addition Hebrews tells us that Messiah’s atonement will also cleanse our consciences.

Love, Challenge, Grow

2011-03-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

March 5, 2011. Danielle Howig speaks about discipleship showing the importance of being discipled and of discipling others. She deals with some of the barriers that keep people from seeking to be discipled and from being able to disciple others.

Handling Change

2011-03-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

February 26, 2011. Rabbi Jim teaches about handling the changes that we experience in life. He shows that G-d is often the initiator of change and that we should expect lots of change in a life of following Him. He also gives some suggestions for how to handle change in a g-dly way.

Ordained Cohanim (Priests)

2011-03-18T09:13:00.000-07:00

February 12, 2011. Rabbi Jim teaches from Parashah Tetzaveh (Tou Are to Order) Leviticus 27-30:10. This parashah contains the instructions G-d gave to Moshe for ordaining Aharon and his sons as cohanim (priests). The requirements and roles of the cohanim are explained. Followers of the Messiah, who Peter calls a royal priesthood, are challenged o live up to these priestly requirements and fulfill these priestly roles. The message ends with an ordination ceremony for these royal cohanim.

Something to Boast About

2011-02-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

February 5, 2011. Tom Burgo speaks from Romans 5:2 about the great things Messiah Yeshua has for those who put their trust in Him. In particular he helps those of us who trust in Him to appreciate our forgiveness and the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. The Bible speaks of the Spirit's presence in us as "Messiah in you, the hope of glory". Tom goes on to explain that the glory of God is His goodness, mercy, grace and justice. Thus, we are being transformed to be more & more like Him each day as the Fruit of the Holy Spirit grows in us. He concludes that all this that G-d is doing is something we should be boasting about.

Women In Leadership

2011-02-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

January 29, 2011 Parashah Mishapatim (Rulings) Exodus 21:1-24:18. Rabbi Jim teaches about the roles of women in congregational leadership. He applies our understanding of Jewish traditions in the first century to reconcile the seeming contradictions in Rabbi Sha'ul's instructions concerning the roles of women the B'rit Hadashah (New Covenant).

Being Discipled

2011-02-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

January 15, 2011. Parashah Beshalakh (He Sent) Exodus 14:17 – 17:16. Rabbi Jim teaches on the 20 discipling lessons the people of Israel were taught as they traveled from Egypt to Mt. Sinai. The lessons were necessary to prepare the people to take the Promised Land. Rabbi Jim applies these lessons to our lives and challenges us to see if we have learned them so we can each take our personal Promised Land.

Organizing Disciples

2011-01-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

January 22, 2011. Parashah Yitro (Jethro) Exodus 18-20. Rabbi Jim teaches about Yitro's important advise to Moses. After observing Moses giving counsel to each individual person in need, Yitro told Moses to organize Israel with a multi-level leadership structure based on competency, reverance, faithfulness & incorruptibility. This structure was radically different from the existing leadership structure based on the right of the first born to lead. Rabbi Jim applies this advice to the organization of the local congregation.

Cut Off From Israel

2011-01-14T12:12:00.000-08:00

January 8, 2011. Parashah Bo (Enter) Exodus 10:1 - 13:16. Rabbi Jim teaches about G-d's commands to Israel to keep Pesakh (Passover) as a remembrance forever. In particular he points out the consequence of disobeying these commands is to be "cut off from Israel". These commands have been obeyed by the Jewish people for thousands of years in spite of terrible persecution. Rabbi Jim gives a short history of the Spanish Inquisition and explains how Jewish people who were forced to convert to Catholicism were spied on and tortured to see if they were still keeping G-d's commands concerning Shabbat or Pesakh. The purpose of the spying & torturing was to determine if their conversions were genuine. This terrible persecution by the church of those Jewish converts who attempted to continue keeping G-d's commands led to the belief that it was impossible to be Jewish and believe in Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah. In the past 40 years the Messianic Jewish movement has developed as a visible public witness that it is possible to be Jewish and believe in Yeshua.

Understanding Our Hearts

2011-01-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

January 1, 2011. Rabbi Jim teaches on Parashah Va'era (I Appeared) Exodus 6:2-9:35. This parashah contains the account of most of the plagues sent on Egypt. Starting with an explanation of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, the meaning of the word "heart" in the scriptures is explored. A recording of part of a teaching by Dr. Caroline Leaf, a neuro-scientist, is included in which Dr. Leaf explains amazing new scientific findings about human hearts and how these findings confirm the way the Bible uses this word.

Why Messiah Came As A Cell

2010-12-31T11:54:00.000-08:00

December 25,2010. Rabbi Jim teaches about the conception and birth of the Messiah. He points out that the real miracle, as predicted by the prophet Isaiah, was the conception. The question of why Messiah came among us as an infant, rather than as a full grown adult is then addressed. Three reasons for Him coming as an infant are explained. The third reason encourages us to seek the Lord's help in every area of our lives and gives us a reason to have faith that He will be able to help us.

Banishing Unbelief

2010-12-23T12:19:00.000-08:00

December 18, 2010. Judith Benhamou speaks about overcoming unbelief and doubt. She shares about her experiences in overcoming unbelief in the area of personal finances. We can read the L-ord's many promises to us in the Bible, but that doesn't mean we are capable of standing on those promises. The trials we go through serve to train us to stand on His promises to us.

Our Thorny Problem

2010-12-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

December 11, 2010 Vayigash (He Approached) Genesis 44 vs 18 thru 47 vs 27. Rabbi Jim continues with the story of Yosef describing how the lives of both Yosef and his brother Y'hudah speak prophetically of the life and purpose of Messiah. He also explains the great value of these prophetic pictures in helping us recognize the Messiah and appropriate the full power of His work. Other Messianic prophecies in Isaiah, predicting the power of Messiah's life, are discussed as well as two revelations in the B'rit Hadashah (New Covenant). Last week's teaching on neuro-science is reviewed explaining how toxic thoughts are like thorns in our minds. The message concludes by connecting the concept of "thorns in our minds" to the purpose of Yeshua having to suffer wearing a crown of thorns.

Chanukah Temple Cleansing

2010-12-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

December 4, 2010. Chanukah. Rabbi Jim teaches about the background of Chanukah focusing on the two step process that was used to cleanse the Temple; removing that which was defiled, and replacing it with that which was pure. He applies this process to cleansing the temples within us. We learn that we will not be successful at cleansing our inner temples if we just work at removing defiling ways of thinking. We have to replace those toxic thoughts with healthy thoughts. His amazingly simple conclusion is that study of the Bible, worship, Shabbat, prayer and fellowship are our main source for healthy, G_dly thoughts, and therefore that these practices are of great value in keeping us physically, emotionally, mentally and relationally healthy.

Leah Finds Love

2010-11-26T13:35:00.000-08:00

November 13, 2010 Parashah Vayetze (He Went Out) Genesis 28:10 - 32:3. Rabbi Jim teaches about the account of the birth of the twelve sons of Israel. He focuses on the homely Leah, who bore six of those sons and who faced much rejection from her beautiful sister Rakhel and her father and husband. The text reveals that Leah eventually overcame all that rejection by finding the love of the L-rd, the true source of all love and acceptance. The story also demonstrates how G-d can use the least likely person to accomplish very important tasks. Leah's legacy was of profound important in that two of her sons were Levi, the ancestor of Moses and the priestly line, & Y'hudah the ancestor of the kings of Israel and the Messiah.

Like Father Like Son

2010-11-11T11:57:00.000-08:00

November 6, 2010. Parashah Tol'dot (The History) Genesis 25:19-28:9. Rabbi Jim discusses some incidences in the lives of Avraham and Yitzakh and points out their similar reactions that get them both into trouble. He concludes that there are attitudes, fears and traits that were passed down from one generation to the next. These generational transfers are further explained in terms of G-d's promise in Exodus to visit the iniquities of the fathers on the sons. This "visiting" is known as generational curses. Finally the New Covenant provision to break curses is explained and applied.

Little People Big Job

2010-11-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

October 30, 2010. Andrea Rogers, who teaches the pre-school class in our Shabbat School, speaks about the importance of "training up the children in the way they should go". She describes the personal rewards of teaching young children and how we grow in our walk with the Lord when we learn to "be like little children". She also challenges all of us to pray for the children and teachers and to consider being part of this vitally important ministry.

An Oath Sworn by G-d

2010-10-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

October 23, 2010. Parashah Vayera (He Appeared) Genesis 18-22. Rabbi Jim teaches on the Akidah (Binding) of Yitzakh. He brings new insight into the difficulty Avraham faced in obeying G-d's command to sacrifice Yitzakh. He also discusses Yitzakh's obedience. Their trust in the L-rd resulted in the renewal of G-d's promises and in G-d swearing an oath by Himself that these promises would be fulfilled. The need for the oath is explained and the connection is made between our obedience and the surety of G-d's promises to us.

Avraham's Faith

2010-10-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

October 16, 2010 Parashah Lekh L'kha (Get Yourself Out) Genesis 12:1-17:27. Rabbi Jim teaches on Avraham's walk with the Lord focusing on the meaning of Genesis 15:6 "He beleived in Adonai, and he credited it to him as righteousness". He examines the meaning of the words "righteousness" and "believed in". Guidelines for keeping Shabbat and Avraham's encounter with Malki-Tzedek are also discussed.

Secret Sins

2010-10-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

September 8, 2010. Erev Rosh Hashanah. Rabbi Jim teaches that G-d's purpose for the Ten Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippor is to help us uncover our secret sins. These sins are not hidden from God but from us. He focuses on uncovering hidden bitterness in our lives and dealing with it.

Secret Iniquities Part 2

2010-09-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

September 18, 2010. Yom Kippor. Rabbi Jim teaches about the atonement made on Yom Kippor in the days of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. He reasons that the L-rd appointed Yom Kippor to be ten days after Rosh Hashanah because a long time is needed to get us to see our hidden iniquity. He then focuses on two areas of very hidden iniquity, bitterness toward God and unforgiveness toward ourselves, the latter of which results in shame and a guilty conscience. Several verses in the Book of Hebrews are explained which tell us that the Mashiakh's sacrifice will even cleanse our guilty consciences.

G-d's Heart for Yom Kippor

2010-09-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

September 17, 2010. Kol Nidre (All Vows) Service. Ben Rogers speaks about G-d's purpose for Yom Kippor. He explains that the day was meant to make atonement for the nation of Israel so that G-d's manifest presence could dwell in their midst. Atonement, that is "covering", was required because without the sin of the people being covered G-d's holy presence would consume the people. So, Yom Kippor is really about cleansing us to enable us to be in His presence. Removing sin and iniquity from our lives so the Ruakh Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) can dwell in us.

Anniversaries

2010-09-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

September 11, 2010. Shabbat T'shuvah (The Shabbat of Repentance) Dave & Daniel Howig speak on the importance of having days of remembering like anniversaries. This Shabbat T'shuvah was the anniversary of 9/11. They also speak about how the L-rd is pleased with us when we remember and repent of our sins, so we shouldn't be fearful of coming to Him with repentant hearts.

Day of Hope

2010-09-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

September 9, 2010 Rosh Hashanah. Pastor Donita Painter speaks about hope from 1 Samuel 1-2. Hannah had great hope for a baby, but after years of barrenness that brought humiliation and ridicule, her hope had turned to bitterness. The infuriating thing is that God caused her barrenness! If God is so good, why would he do this? Because He needed her hope to reach the place of aligning with His plans for her (that did involve a baby) and his purposes for the Nation of Israel. God gives us great hope for things, but sometimes life does a greater job of beating them down. Or they get delayed. Hannah’s story shows us how to keep our hope alive and even move our hope into faith.

The Privilege and Power of Prayer

2010-09-10T12:54:00.001-07:00

September 4, 2010 Pastor Ray Viola of Koinonia Fellowship teaches on prayer.

Inalienable Rights

2010-09-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

August 24, 2010 Parashah Ki Tavo (When You Come) Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29:8. Kate Boss teaches about the instructions given by G-d to the people of Israel as they were about to take possession of the promised land. She connects these instructions to the founding documents of the United States, in particular the Declaration of Independence and it's memorable statement declaring a G-d given right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".

Biblical vs. Greek Thinking

2010-08-18T12:03:00.000-07:00

August 14, 2010. Parashah Shoftim (Judges) Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9. Rabbi Jim teaches about the difference between Biblical and Greek thinking. When the church separated itself from its Jewish Roots it replaced Biblcal thinking with Greek thinking. Rabbi Jim shows how the Bible contains many paradoxes that are difficult to accept for Western minds trained in Greek thinking. These same paradoxes don't seem to bother the Biblical authors, whose thinking was not as influenced by Greek thinking, in particular logic and reasoning. This understanding is applied to our personal and organizational lives where he shows that Greek thinking, which insists upon a logical solution to every problem, can lead to frustration when we are facing unsolveable problems. If we apply Biblical thinking to these unsolvable problems we can accept that some problems do not have logical solutions. Once we accept this conclusion we can look for ways of managing these problems instead of solving them.

A Holocaust Survivor's Story

2010-08-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

August 7, 2010. Renate Kaufmann, a Messianic Jewish Holocaust survivor shares her life story in prose and poetry.

Christian Anti-Semitism

2010-08-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

August 10, 2010. Dan Hennessy, who regularly lectures on the Holocaust teaches on Christian Anti-Semitism. Dan is not Jewish and has been trained and commissioned to teach about the Holocaust by the Holocaust Museum in Washington.

More Love

2010-08-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

July 31, 2010. Parashah 'Ekev (Because) Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25. In this teaching Rabbi Jim focuses on 7:12-15 where G-d promises to love & bless the people of Israel if they are obedient to His commandments. He also promises to remove all sickness from their midst. We see in this passage that the G-d of Israel is a god of love. The message reviews a teaching called "All You Need Is Love" posted April 21, 2010 about our need to be regularly experiencing G-d's love, and adds to that teaching a discussion of the greatest obstacle to being able to receive His love. The teaching ends with an explanation of the value of worship in helping us experience His love.

Covenants

2010-07-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

July 24, 2010. Rabbi Jim teaches from Parashah Va'etchanan (I Pleaded) Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11. First, some additions to last week's teaching on "Going Around the Mountain" are presented. Rabbi Jim then explains that Deuteronomy is a recounting of the covenant given in the first 4 books of Moshe, focusing on 4:23-24 where we are told not to forget the covenant. He explains why we are prone to forget, and how the L-rd included provision in the covenant to renew it, to keep us from forgetting it. Similarly the B'rit Hadashah (New Covenant) also has provision for renewal which Rabbi Jim reviews. At Congregation Shema Yisrael we also have a membership covenant which people are also prone to forget, so our membership covenant is reviewed and explained.

Going Around the Mountain

2010-07-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

July 17, 2010. Rabbi Jim teaches from Parashah D'varim (Words) Deuteronomy 1-3:22. We learn in this Parashah that the people of Israel had to circle Mt. Seir for 38 years after they refused to obey the L-rd at Kadesh Barnea and go up into the Promised Land of Cana'an. Over those 38 years the entire generation that refused to go up died in the desert. Rabbi Jim makes the application to our lives that all followers of the L-rd are on a journey to their own Promised Land. That Promised Land is not heaven, but all that G-d wants to do through and in you in this life. We also come to our own personal Kadesh Barneas when we arrive at a decision point and have to decide whether to obey G-d or not. If we decide not to obey we also have to "go around the mountain" until our old nature is put to death before we can move on toward our Promised Land. The lesson goes on to help us identify the works of the old nature in our lives.

Intercession

2010-07-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

July 10, 2010. Visiting Messianic Rabbi Ron Goldberg from Tampa, Florida teaches on intercessory prayer from 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. He brings insight to the meaning of strongholds, arguments and arrogance in these verses and how they apply to intercession. Rabbi Ron also gives an update on his ministry in Tampa.

Claiming Your Inheritance

2010-07-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

July 3, 2010 Mike Turiano teaches from Parashah Pinchas (Phinehas) Numbers 25:10-30:1, focusing on the story of the five daughters of Tz'lof'khad (Zelophedad) in chapter 27. Their father had died and they had no brothers, so, as women, they were not going to receive an inheritance in Israel. They brought their case to Moshe who brought it to the L-rd who instructed that they should receive their inheritance. Mike makes the application to our lives showing that we each have an inheritance in the Kingdom of God; relationships, fruit, talents, purpose, and all that G-d wants to do in and through us. He then encourages us by showing that we too have to stand up and claim our inheritance in the face of opposition from the enemy and that it takes fortitude and G-d's grace for us to receive our complete inheritance.

Desert Betrayal

2010-06-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

June 12, 2010. Parashah Korach (Korah) Numbers 16-18. Have you ever been “stabbed in the back” by a friend, family member, colleague, boss or employee? Who hasn’t? It can leave us shocked, confused, hurt, angry and bitter. If we aren’t careful, it can even keep us from moving ahead in our lives. Unfortunately, betrayal is a part of life; we can expect it. The good news is that we can learn how to respond so it won’t derail us. Moses shows us how in his desert betrayal.

Taking the Land

2010-06-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

June 5, 2010. Ben Rogers speaks on Parashah Shlach L'kha (Send On Your Behalf) Numbers 13 - 15. This recording begins in the middle of a discussion of the name Y'hoshua (Joshua) in Numbers 13:16. Ben goes on to talk about the report of the 12 spies on their return from exploring the Promised Land and the reaction of the people of Israel to that report. He applies this teaching to our lives today by showing that G-d has promised each of His followers a good land and that we need to step out in faith to take that land.

Dealing With Opposition

2010-06-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

May 29, 2010 Parashah B'ha'alotkha (When You Set Up) Numbers 8:1-12:16. This parashah records some of the opposition experienced by Moshe as he led the people of Israel to the Promised Land. It also tells how Moshe and the L-rd dealt with that opposition. Rabbi Jim explains that all who attempt to follow G-d's plan for their lives will experience opposition from the adversary in the same way Moshe did. Opposition will come from those who publicly oppose us, those whom we are trying to help, those who are supposed to be our supporters and from within ourselves. Moshe and the L-rd dealt with each kind of opposition in a different way. We can learn from Moshe's experience to deal with these kinds of opposition as he did.

The Biggest Shavuot Miracle

2010-05-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

May 23, 2010 Shavuot and Parshah Naso (Take) Numbers 4:21-7:89. Rabbi Jim teaches on the holiness of G-d revealed in this Parshah in Numbers 5:2-3 where the L-rd commands that all who are unclean must be expelled from the camp of Israel for Him to dwell amongst them. Human iniquity is then explained and this understanding of G-d's holiness is applied to show that the greatest Shavuot miracle was the coming of the Ruakh Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) to actually dwell in the followers of Yeshua. This understanding gives us a greater appreciation of what it means to be filled with the Ruakh.

Greater Than The Greatest

2010-05-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

Mat 15, 2010 Parshah B'midbar (In the Desert) Numbers 1:1-4:20. Rabbi Jim teaches on the Pidyon Ha Ben (Redemption of the Firstborn) and how G-d valued each person. He makes the application to our lives of how much G-d values each of us. Several scriptures from the Tenakh and B'rit Hadashah (New Covenant) are presented and explained that show how much G-d values people. Bowed down and burdened heads will be lifted up by the Ruakh Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) as these scriptures are heard and internalized. He highlights a comparison that Yeshua made between he who is least in the Kingdom of G-d and the greatest prophet who ever lived. You will be surprised by who comes out on top.

A Kingdom of Priests

2010-05-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

May 1, 2010. Rabbi Jim teaches from Parshah Emor (Speak) Leviticus 21-24 and the Haftorah Ezekiel 44:15-31 on the instructions for the Cohanim (priests). He applies these instructions to followers of Yeshua who are called by Kefa (Peter) mamlekhet cohanim (a royal priesthood). The instructions are very valid for today as they cover holy living and responsibilities of believers. The message concludes with an explanation and application of the rewards for cohanim, in Ezekiel 44:28, G-d Himself as their inheritance and possession.

Loving Myself?

2010-04-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

April 24, 2010 Rabbi Jim teaches from Parashot Acharei Mot (After the Death) and K'doshim (Holy People) Leviticus 16-20. This teaching begins with a review of last week's teaching "All You Need Is Love" and a challenge to listeners to be doers of last week's word, that is, to regularly set aside quiet time to seek the Lord and experience His love. Rabbi Jim then gives some further understanding of the power of G-d's love, the difference between knowing about it and knowing it, and how our knowing it effects our interactions with other people. The teaching then focuses on the command in the parshah in Leviticus 19:18 to love our neighbors as ourselves and how we must love ourselves in a Biblical way to fulfill that great command. Finally Rabbi Jim explains the Biblical meaning of humility that clarifies what it means to love ourselves.

All You Need Is Love

2010-04-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

April 17, 2010. Rabbi Jim teaches from Ephesians 3:16-19 on the importance of personally experiencing G-d's love. He explains how knowing we are loved enables us to overcome most of the problems we face in life, whether spiritual, emotional or physical. He also shows that G-d created us to live in an atmosphere of love, how other people fail to meet our needs for love, how G-d Himself will meet our needs for love, and how we can regularly experience G-d's love.

The Spiritually Correct Human Being by Pastor Henry Wright

2010-04-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

April 10, 2010. Pastor Henry Wright of Be In Health was our guest speaker. He taught about what our goal in character development should be from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 and the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5.

Secret Wisdom from God

2010-04-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

April 4, 2010 On this Shabbat during the Week of Unleavened Bread Rabbi Jim talks about the similarity in the thinking of Pharaoh and those who conspired to execute Yeshua. He concludes that we all need to seek wisdom from G-d because without it we can make huge mistakes.

The Cups of the Covenant

2010-03-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

March 27, 2010. Rabbi Jim teaches on Pesakh (Passover) from Exodus 6:6-8, going into depth and giving personal applications on the four Cups of the Covenant in the traditional Passover Seder. He also explains the traditional fifth cup, the Cup of the Land and suggests a new tradtion of turning that cup into two cups, the Cup of Discipleship and the Cup of Inheritance and gives personal applications for these two cups.

Offerings

2010-03-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

March 20, 2010. Rabbi Jim teaches from Parshah Vayikra (He Called) Leviticus 1-5. In this teaching the five types of offerings given by the Lord to Israel to enable the people to draw near to G-d are described and explained. An understanding of the difference between the sin offering and the guilt offering is shared. Application is made of the meaning of the five offerings to our worship today.

Temple Maintenance

2010-03-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

March 13, 2010. Rabbi Jim teaches on Parshot Vayak'hel (He Assembled) and P'kudei (Accounts) Exodus 35-40. In this teaching the amazing construction of the Tabernacle in the desert is described with particular emphasis on the work needed to disassemble, pack, move and re-assemble it at each new location. Other descriptions of Tabernacle maintenance, and later in Israel's history, Temple maintenance are also discussed. Rabbi Jim applies this understanding to our personal lives to address our need to maintain our personal temples of G-d's Holy Spirit. He points out the need for ongoing spiritual maintenance and periodic deep spiritual cleansing or sanctification in each of our lives.

Perseverance

2010-03-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

March 6, 2010. James Head teaches on Parshah Ki Tissa (When You Take) Exodus 30:11—34:35 relating the account of the golden calf to our need to have patience and trust in the Lord. He shows how knowledge of the scriptures is the key to persevering throgh to bearing fruit in our lives.

Mordecai's Faith

2010-03-03T08:53:00.000-08:00

February 27, 2010. On the Shabbat before Purim Rabbi Jim tells the story of Esther. Parallels are shown to today's political situation in the Middle East specifically concerning Iran. Mordecai's great faith in G-d's Word is explained and applied as an inspiration to each of us to trust the L-rd in every circumstance

Through the Parokhet (Curtain)

2010-02-25T12:31:00.000-08:00

February 20, 2010. Rabbi Jim teaches from Parshah T'rumah (Contributions) Exodus 25:1-27:19. This teaching discusses the purpose for the parokhet (curtain) that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle. The tearing of this curtain at the time of the death of Yeshua is realated to its purpose in the Tabernacle. The imagery of a torn curtain is then applied to Yeshua's physical body and to the bodies of His followers, individually and collectively.

Cutting the Covenant

2010-02-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

February 13, 2010. Rabbi Jim teaches on Parshah Mishpatim (Rulings) The focus of this message is the cutting of the Mosaic Covenant between G-d and Israel. Rabbi Jim draws a parallel between this defining event in the spiritual history of Israel in Exodus 24 and Yeshua's giving of the B'rit Hadashah (New Covenant) to the people of Israel in the Gospels, especially John.

When In Doubt Transliterate

2010-02-10T08:13:00.000-08:00

February 6, 2010. Rabbi Jim teaches from this week's Haftorah, focusing on Yesheyahu (Isaiah) 9.5-6. After explaining the Messianic implications of this prophesy, and how they point to Yeshua (Jesus) being the Messiah, he reads from three English translations published by non-Messianic Jewish publishers, and points out how they have handled the controversial part of this prophesy by transliterating it rather than translating it. Rabbi Jim also quotes from passages in the Talmud that surprisingly support the Messianic Jewish interpretation of this prophesy.
Quotes from the Talmud are as follows:
R. Jose - Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2 page 82a
R. Tam - Daniel Abrams “The Boundaries of Divine Ontology: The Inclusion and Exclusion of Metatron in the Godhead” (in The Harvard Theological Review, 87:3, 1994), pp. 299,300
Metatron as the voice of G-d - George F. Moore “Intermediaries in Jewish Thought” (in the Harvard Theological Review, 15:1, 1922), p.63

Fighting With Our Hands Up

2010-02-04T07:53:00.000-08:00

January 30, 2010. Rabbi Jim teaches from Parshah B'shallakh (After He Had Let Go) Exodus 13:17 - 17:16. This Parshah describes the trials of the people of Israel after they left Egypt and before they reached Mt. Sinai, & how G-d tested and taught them through these trials. Rabbi Jim applies these accounts to our personal lives to help us understand the trials we face once we've personally come out of Egypt (which represents this world) and become citizens in the Kingdom of G-d, and how G_d uses these trials to teach us to trust Him for our basic needs, with our time and for our protection.

God's Reorganizations

2010-01-27T09:06:00.000-08:00

January 23, 2010. Rabii Jim teaches on Parsha Bo (Go) Exodus 10:1 - 13:16. His teaching focuses on the Pidyon Ha Ben (Redemption of the Firstborn) and understanding what G-d meant when He claimed all the firstborn of Israel as "set apart" for Him. The later exchange of the Levites for the firstborn in Numbers 3 is also explored and its application to leadership today.

Not More Frogs!!

2010-01-20T07:29:00.000-08:00

January 16, 2010 Rabbi Jim teaches on Parshah Va'era (I Appeared) Exodus 6:2-9:35. In this parshah G-d brought seven of the ten plagues on Egypt to make Pharaoh let the people of Israel go free from slavery. Rabbi Jim focuses on Pharaoh's sorcerers who were able to imitate Moshe by conjuring up blood and frogs. This account of their attempts to show that the gods of Egypt had as much power as the G-d of Israel teaches that the forces of Ha Satan (Satan) do have real power, even today. It also warns us that there are modern day "sorcerers" who offer us remedies that keep us from turning to God for help. By temporarily alleviating our sufferings when we are reaping the ruin of sowing to our flesh these helpers can delay our repentance and make our suffering worse.

Your Burning Bush

2010-01-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

On January 9,2010 Rabbi Jim teaches on Parshah Sh'mot (Names) Exodus 1:1 - 6:1. In this teaching Rabbi Jim explains the background of the unpronounceable name of G-d, and his thoughts on it's true meaning. He also discusses what a burning bush really is and how the L-rd has put a burning bush before each of us that beckons us to turn aside and take a closer look.

Sowing White Lies

2010-01-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

January 2, 2010. Rabbi Jim teaches on Parshah Vayekhi (He Lived) Genesis 47:28 - 50:26. This parshah completes the story of Yosef with Yosef's brothers who were unable to believe that Yosef really forgave conspiring to lie to keep him from punishing them. The teaching looks in depth into our struggles with telling the truth and the effect of our telling "white" lies.

Restoring the Jewish Root of Biblical Literacy

2010-01-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

When Christianity was cut off from its Jewish roots nearly 1700 years ago, it lost some key components. Over the past few decades several of these roots have been restored. One Jewish root that God is in the process of restoring is the universal knowledge of His written Word.

In Biblical times, Jewish children learned to read Hebrew by studying the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. Then they memorized it by putting melodies to the words and chanting them. By the time they were young teenagers, they had the Torah committed to memory.

This method of Scripture study resulted in much of the population knowing a significant portion of the Bible by heart. This knowledge was very important because access to the written word was very limited. Each village had only one copy of the Bible on scrolls in the synagogue. The scrolls were difficult to transport and it was also difficult to roll and unroll the scrolls to search for a specific passage.

We can see the evidence of this widespread Bible knowledge in the B’rit Hadashah, or New Covenant. Its authors, except for Paul, were not scholars, yet in their writings, they often accurately quoted passages from the Tenakh, or Old Covenant. It also enabled the early followers of Yeshua (Jesus’ Hebrew name), who were not just Biblically literate, but able to quote the Scriptures from memory, to spread the Good News quickly without copies of the Bible to distribute.

When Christianity became Rome’s state religion it was cut off from this Jewish root of encouraging widespread knowledge of God’s word. The Roman leaders followed the practices of pagan religions. Only the leaders were initiated into the “sacred mysteries,” while the common people worshipped in relative ignorance. Only ordained priests could read and interpret the Bible. Later, church leadership also resisted attempts to translate the Bible from Latin into the common languages. In fact, they discouraged people from learning to read at all. By the Middle Ages, most people were illiterate and those who were literate had no access to Scripture. These policies enabled leaders to maintain control over the people and to implement many unbiblical practices. Unfortunately, similar policies are still in place in many parts of the world.

When the printing press was invented, God began re-connecting the Body of Messiah to this vitally important Jewish root. The written Word became much more accessible, many more people learned to read, and the Bible was translated into many languages. The development of books made searching for a specific passage much easier than it had been with scrolls. Now, in the digital age, we are even able to carry electronic versions of the Bible in our pockets to read, and our ability to study the Bible has also been tremendously enhanced with instantaneous word or subject searches with computer software or on the Internet.

Praise the Lord that we live in a time when God has restored this Jewish root of widespread knowledge of His Word, so that today, all who have a hunger to know the Word like our ancestors in Biblical times can easily satisfy that hunger.

Clean Conscience

2009-12-30T09:27:00.000-08:00

September 27, 2009 Kol Nidre. Rabbi Jim teaches on the power of Yeshua's sacrifice to cleanse our consciences.

Y'hudah's Defining Moment

2009-12-30T09:18:00.000-08:00

December 26, 2009. Rabbi Jim teaches on the story of Yosef focusing on the Messianic allegory in Y'hudah's offer to take his brother Binyamin's place as a slave.

Light Connections

2009-12-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

December 19, 2009 Rabbi Jim talks about the season of "lights" that existed in New Covenant times, and the references to the Messiah as the Light of the World that were recorded in scripture during this season. He also explores the deeper meaning of Yeshua being the "Light of the World".

Two Chanukah Miracles

2009-12-12T14:40:00.000-08:00

Chanukah celebrates Israel's victory in 150 B.C.E. over Syrian Greek conquerors who outlawed the Bible. Christmas celebrates the birthday of Yeshua (Jesus), the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the World. They don’t seem to be related, but, amazingly, there is Biblical evidence that the two miracles of Christmas actually happened on Chanukah.

The two miracles usually associated with Christmas are the virgin birth and God coming to earth as a man to dwell among us, which are prophesied in Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

Most would say that a virgin giving birth was one of the great Christmas miracles. But Isaiah says the sign will be that the virgin shall conceive, not that she will give birth. Before a virgin can bear a child she must conceive a child without having had sexual relations. Once conception has occurred, the growth and birth of the child is not a miracle, but the natural consequence of the conception.

How can a woman conceive a child and still be a virgin? The Bible tells us that when a Jewish maiden named Miryam (Mary) was visited by an angel and told she would conceive, she asked the same question. He answered, “The Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) will come over you, the power of HaElyon (the Most High) will cover you. Therefore the holy child born to you will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35)." The first real Christmas miracle was the Ruakh HaKodesh causing Miryam to conceive without the involvement of a man.

Isaiah's prophecy also says the child born to this virgin would be called Immanuel, which means “God with us” in Hebrew. The child would be God Himself come to Earth in human form. But this same prophecy says God would come to Earth, not as a full-grown man, but as a human embryo, a fertilized egg in a virgin’s womb.

The second miracle is seen in the answer to the question, "Who was this person?" He was God come to Earth as a human embryo. This miracle did not happen on the day when the baby was born, but on the day when the baby was conceived. Christmas celebrates Yeshua’s birth, but not His conception. I believe the day we should celebrate as the real miracle is the day of His conception.

When should we celebrate His conception? Since the fourth century, the world has celebrated Yeshua’s birth on December 25 with no Biblical evidence for that being the correct day. But we can discover the date of His birth directly from the Scriptures. From Luke 1:5, 26 and 1 Chronicles 24:5-19, many Bible students now agree Yeshua was born on the first day of Sukkot, the Biblical Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. If He was born in the seventh month, He would have been conceived in the tenth month.

Chanukah, also called the Festival of Lights because of the tradition of lighting a nine-branched menorah, always falls near the end of this tenth month when there is no moonlight.
As it is near the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year, it is also the darkest day of the year. It was during this time that Yeshua, known as the Light of the World, was conceived.

When you see images of the baby in the manger this year, and the light of the Chanukkah candles be thankful that God decided to come to earth as a human embryo to experience the joys and challenges of every stage of life that we also face, and with that understanding, be our Light even during our darkest days.

Grabbing Hold of God

2009-12-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

December 5, 2009. Rabbi Jim teaches on Parshah VaYishlakh Genesis 32:4-36:43 (32:3 in Christian Bibles). According to conventional understanding this Parshah begins with the account of Ya'akov "wrestling" with "a man". Rabbi Jim brings his alternative interpretation that Ya'akov was actually "grabbing hold of God", and encourages us all to "grab hold of God" when we are facing difficulties beyond our power to deal with.

The Stairway to Heaven

2009-12-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

November 28,2009. Rabbi Jim teaches from Parshah Vayetze (He Went Out) on Ya'akov's (Jacob's) vision of the stairway to heaven in Genesis 28, which gives us a glimpse into the spirit world. The teaching discusses the reality of the spirit world, it's effect on the physical world, the two kingdoms in the spirit world, how Satan's attempts to impose his will on human beings and how we can resist his will and follow G-d's will.

The Birthright

2009-11-27T12:12:00.000-08:00

November 21, 2009 Rabbi Jim teaches from Parshah Tol'dot (Generations) Genesis 25:19-28:9 on the importance of the "birthright" that Esau sold to his brother Ya'akov (Jacob). Why was it so important to God? What is your natural and spiritual birthright? Are they still important to God?

Where Do Those Seeds Go?

2009-11-18T09:53:00.000-08:00

November 14, 2009 Rabbi Jim teaches on the parshah Khayyei Sarah (Sarah's Life) and answers the question - where do the seeds go when we sow to the flesh?

The Family of Lot

2009-11-11T11:53:00.000-08:00

November 7, 2009 James Head teaches about Lot's family and God's amazing redemptive love.