Messianic Congregation Shema Yisrael Boise Idaho Announcements and Events

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Who is wise? He who learns from every person. Who is strong? He who subdues his personal inclination. Who is rich? He who is happy with his lot. Who is honored? He who honors others.
--A well-known Mishnah in Avot (4:1)

High Holidays!

September is the month in which the Biblical calendar is full of God's reminders to us to bring us closer to Him.

Rosh Hashanah

Literally, this means "Head of the Year" and is considered the New Year. It signals the beginning of a series of events that last for an entire month, beginning with a deep examination of ourselves in preparation for the Day of Atonement. Rosh Hashanah is characterized by a special blowing of the shofar as a call to repentence, the practice of Tashlikh or "casting off sins", often performed at a creek or river, and eathing apples with honey as a symbol of a sweet new year.

We will be having a Rosh Hashanah service at our Meridian worship location on Thursday, September 9th starting at 6:30 p.m.

Yom Kippur

This is the Day of Atonement and is considered the most important, holy, and solemn day in the Biblical calendar. In ancient times, this was the one day of the year when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and later in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, to offer atonement for the entire nation of Israel. Today, in Judaism, it is a day to deeply contemplate our sins and to practice Teshuvah, or a return to God, and to make amends with anyone we may have sinned against.

As worshippers of Yeshua (Jesus), we realize our sins have been atoned for by the sacrifice of Messiah on the execution stake, but we also realize that we, as human beings, continue to sin. We take this opportunity to repair our damaged relationships, both with God and with people, to learn to be closer to God and to have a closer walk of faith.

I recently wrote a blog article called Yom Kippur: The Wedding Anniversary expressing some of my thoughts on this year's commemorative event.

This year Yom Kippur begins on Friday evening, September 17th at sundown. Our congregation traditionally does not hold a Kol Nidre service as you will find in many Jewish synagogue, and our Yom Kippur service will begin at 9 a.m. on the Shabbat, Saturday, September 18th. While we don't normally fast on the Shabbat, when Yom Kippur occurs on a Shabbat, it is considered a Shabbat Shabbatot and fasting is required from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. We will be conducting a Yom Kippur liturgy which incorporates portions of the Kol Nidre service, and perform the special Torah readings for the day.

Sukkot

Sukkot is a very happy time of year. It's the second harvest festival on the Biblical calendar and a time when we celebrate God's providence in our lives, often by building a shelter or sukkah on our yards. It's traditional to take meals and even sleep in the sukkah and part of the tradition is to invite guests to celebrate our joy with us.

The first day of Sukkot is Thursday, September 23rd. We tentatively will be having a sukkah building party on Wednesday the 22nd and then a service on the evening of the 23rd, but plans aren't confirmed as yet. I'll update this page as the dates and times firm up.

Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

Shemini Atzeret is considered the "extra" day of Sukkot, although it's actually a separate holiday. It's also often linked to Simchat Torah which is the celebration of the end of one Torah cycle and the beginning of another.

We will be combining these holidays with the shabbat service on Saturday, October 2nd which starts at 9 a.m. performing the last readings of the book of Deuteronomy and then beginning our readings in Genesis.

We hope that you will come and celebrate God's special times with our congregation.

Hebrew 101: Hebrew for the Beginner

This class begins on Monday September 13th going from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will be held on each Monday afterwards.

Students learn all the letters and vowel markings of the Hebrew alphabet. Students also learn how to read Hebrew as well as some basic vocabulary and roots of some Hebrew words commonly used in scripture and prayer.

No prior knowledge of Hebrew is needed for this class. Class fee is $15 per student. Lesson books are provided.

Recommended materials: notebook, pen or pencil, Hebrew/English dictionary (Webster's New World Hebrew Dictionary is strongly recommended).

You must RSVP no later than September 6th to be entered into class, and we must have at least three students to be able to hold this class. To RSVP Contact Us by phone or email.

Hebrew 102: Hebrew Prayers

Classes will held on a weekly basis every Saturday from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and the current session will begin on September 11, 2010. The deadline to register is September 3rd and fees will be accepted the first night of class.

Prior knowledge of Hebrew is a requirement for this class. Students either need to have graduated from Congregation Shema Yisrael's Hebrew 101 class, or have prior approval by the teacher. Each session will be $25 per student. Lesson books will be provided.

This class teaches the common prayers used in both traditional as well as Messianic Jewish worship services. It is divided up into three, 12-week sessions. Each session explores three prayers in Jewish prayer books. Students can expect an interactive class which will help them to further develop vocabulary of Hebrew words while expanding their understanding of Jewish prayers.

Required materials: notebook, pen or pencil.

Recommended materials include Webster's New World Hebrew Dictionary and First Steps in Hebrew Prayer.

Also, learn how language and liturgy can offer you a unique way to connect to God in prayer by going to our Hebrew Prayers page.

Congregation Shema Yisrael Blog!

We started a new blog last spring and it is currently flourishing, offering a platform for articles and teachings from our congregation to our members, guests, and anyone yearning to learn the truth about Torah study and the Hebraic view of Messiah Yeshua. Visit our new blog at shema-yisrael.org/blogspot.

To find the link to the blog in our main navigation bar, just hover over the Torah Classes link until the menu appears, then click on Blog.

 

Congregation Shema Yisrael is a 501(c)(3) corporation and your contributions are fully tax-deductible.