Explore every episode of the podcast Simchat Yisrael

Mountain Top Experiences 

Dorothy Gitelman 

August 15, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays.

What does it really take to meet God on the mountain?

Moses climbed a mountain to meet God, and so did Abraham and the disciples. It wasn't quick and it wasn't easy. Dorothy shares what her summer trip through the Alps taught her about mountaintop moments in Scripture, and what it looks like to prepare our hearts as we enter Elul.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

Liturgical Contexts and the Outpouring of the Spirit 

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach 

August 8, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays.

Can the Holy Spirit really move in the middle of set liturgy, or only when things are unscripted?

Rabbi Joshua takes on the idea that liturgy is dull and the Spirit only shows up in spontaneous worship. He walks through Solomon's temple dedication, Acts chapter 2, and Numbers 11 to show the Spirit moving right in the middle of structured, liturgical worship, and makes the case that what matters isn't the form of worship but the state of our hearts.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

God's Spirit and His Kingdom 

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach 

August 1, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays.

Did you know the Holy Spirit shows up all over the Tanakh, long before Acts chapter 2?

Rabbi Joshua walks through example after example, from creation to Bezalel to Gideon to Ezekiel's dry bones, to show the spirit at work well before the New Testament. He then looks at what it means to be filled with the spirit today, and unpacks the difference between the fruit of the spirit and the gifts of the spirit and why both matter for the community.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

The Whole Point of Devarim 

Tom Esposito 

July 18, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays.

Are we so busy watching the wolf that we're missing the real story?

Tom uses the three little pigs to make a point about Devarim: it's easy to get distracted by the danger in a story and miss what's actually being said underneath it. He walks through why God chose Israel, what it means that we've entered a renewed covenant through Yeshua, and the purpose we've been given to show God's character to the world.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

40th Anniversary Celebration 

Stewart Weinisch 

July 11, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays.

What does it actually look like to follow God fully for 45 years straight?

This week is Simchat Yisrael's 40th anniversary celebration, and we welcomed back guest speaker Stewart Weinisch, the congregation's first leader, to bring the word. He takes us through the story of Caleb, the spy who trusted God's promise about the land and then waited decades to see it happen, and what it means to follow the Lord fully and be led by the spirit.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

Liturgy as Devotional Prayer

Dorothy Gitelman

June 27, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays. 

What do you actually mean when you say the words of a prayer you've said a hundred times?

Dorothy walks us through why we all walk into shul carrying different backgrounds, habits, and default reactions, and how that shapes the way we pray together. Using the Sim Shalom blessing as a case study, she digs into what peace really means in the text and how putting our own hearts into the fixed words of the siddur can turn recitation into real devotion.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

A Future and a Hope

Rabbi Stewart Winograd

June 13, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays. 

How do you find hope in the middle of Israel's darkest days?

This week we welcomed guest speaker Rabbi Stewart Winograd of Reach Initiative International, who shared firsthand stories from the ground in Israel since October 7th. He talked about the relief, restoration, and redemption work his team does with survivors, grieving families, and Holocaust survivors, and challenged us to live out that same sacrificial, compassionate love right where we are.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

Continuing On in Memory of Rabbi Tony

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach

June 6, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays.

How do you keep going after losing someone like Rabbi Tony?

This week Rabbi Brumbach reflects on the month since Rabbi Tony's passing, drawing on the Torah's account of the Israelites mourning Moses for 30 days and then having to keep moving forward. He talks honestly about grief, why Judaism makes room for it, and what it means for the congregation to carry Rabbi Tony's legacy into Simchat Yisrael's 40th anniversary year.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

Recalibrating Your Spiritual Compass

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach

September 5, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays.

Do your choices actually match what you say you value? This week's message looks at Moses's final words to the whole Jewish people, every generation included, and asks us to line up our daily choices with the values we claim to hold. With Rosh Hashanah just a week out, Rabbi Brumbach walks through what real repentance looks like versus "cheap grace," and why the small, daily choice to draw near to God is what this season is really about.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

Samson, Desire, and the Derailments of Life 

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach 

May 30, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays. 

How does someone with so much promise end up so derailed?

This week Rabbi Brumbach walks through the wild story of Samson, a guy given incredible strength who spent most of his life spoiled, chasing whatever he wanted, and answering to no one. He points out how that pattern of getting used to always getting your way can quietly become arrogance, and finds hope in the one humble prayer Samson finally prays at the very end.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

Shavuot (2nd Day): An Opportunity for Spiritual Renewal

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach

May 23, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays. 

Sinai, Numbers 11, Acts 2, same Spirit, same promise.

This week Rabbi Brumbach traces the outpouring of the Spirit from Mount Sinai through Numbers 11 to Acts 2, showing how Shavuot ties them all together as one continuous promise. He walks through what the renewed covenant in Jeremiah 31 really means, and makes the case that the Spirit isn't just given for our own comfort, it's given to send us out to do the work of the kingdom.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

Numbers, Shavuot, and the Purpose of Community

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach

May 16, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays. 

What holds a community together when everyone has their own idea of what matters?

This week Rabbi Brumbach opens the book of Numbers and shows how the census was really about dignity, every person counted equally and none left out. He connects that to Shavuot and the early believers in Acts 2, who stayed devoted to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer with a real singleness of purpose, and asks what our own community's purpose should be.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

Remembering Rabbi Tony Eaton

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach

May 9, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays. 

This week, we mourn Rabbi Tony Eaton, a righteous man and a friend.

This week Rabbi Brumbach set aside the usual teaching to remember Rabbi Tony Eaton, who passed away just days before. He shares personal memories of their friendship, what Rabbi Tony meant to him through hard seasons of his own life, and how the heroes of faith shaped how he's thinking about Rabbi Tony's legacy now.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

Emor: Intimacy and Serving as a Priestly Remnant
Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach
May 2, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays.

What if holiness isn't about distance from people, but closeness to God?

This week Rabbi Brumbach digs into the Hebrew behind "they shall be holy" and finds something surprising: the priests weren't set apart to stand back, they were set apart to draw near. He traces that idea of closeness through the word for sacrifice, the Akedah, and into what it means for all of us today, as a "royal priesthood," to actually live out our faith instead of just talking about it.

For more information visit www. simchatyisrael.org

Ki Tavo: Preparation and Return

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach

August 29, 2026

Are you ready for the shofar to actually wake you up?

This week's message starts in Ki Tavo, with first fruits and entering the land, then moves into why Elul is a month-long heads up before the High Holidays. Rabbi Brumbach traces the shofar tradition back to Moses on Mount Sinai, then turns to 1 Corinthians 12 to talk about how we're all one body, responsible for each other, and why real teshuvah starts now, not later.

For more information visit www.simchatyisrael.org

A More Balanced View of Divorce (Matthew 19:1-12)

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach
April 25, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays.

What Does a More Balanced View of Divorce Actually Look Like?

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach tackles a hard topic and pushes back on building a whole theology of divorce off a single verse. He looks beyond the well known passage in Matthew to what Deuteronomy says about protecting a wife from abuse, neglect, or abandonment, and makes the case that scripture was never meant to trap people in harmful relationships.

For more information visit www. simchatyisrael.org

Healthy Confrontation (Matthew 18)
Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach
April 18, 2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays.

How Do You Confront Someone Without Making It Worse?

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach walks through Yeshua's three step process for healthy conflict, starting with a private conversation, then bringing in witnesses, and only as a last resort involving the whole community. He shares practical, personal advice for having hard conversations well, and why avoiding conflict usually just makes it worse.

For more information visit www. simchatyisrael.org

Shemini: We Are What We Eat Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach April 11,2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays.

Why Would God Care What You Eat?

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach explores kashrut, the biblical dietary laws, and why they're about far more than a list of dos and don'ts. He explains kashrut as a diet for the soul, a way we honor God, stay connected to our Jewish identity, and pursue holiness in something as ordinary as a meal.

For more information visit www. simchatyisrael.org

Passover Redemption Draws Nigh

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach
March 28,2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays.

Are You Ready to Be Redeemed?

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach unpacks the deeper meaning of Passover on Shabbat Hagadol, from the Passover lamb's striking parallels to Yeshua's crucifixion to what it really means to clear the chametz out of our lives, not just out of our homes. He shares a moving story from a seder with Holocaust survivors that reshaped how he understands freedom and redemption.

For more information visit www. simchatyisrael.org

A Messianic Jewish Approach to Halakhah (Mt. 16)

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach
March 21,2026

As we enter Elul, we're using this season of preparation to catch up on messages from the past few months, works we don't want anyone to miss before the High Holidays.

What Makes a Messianic Jewish Approach to Halakah Different?

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach explores halakah (Hebrew for "walk,") and what it means to live out our faith, not just believe the right things. He traces how Yeshua gave his disciples authority to guide these decisions, and how the Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council carries that work forward for communities like Simchat Yisrael today.

For more information visit www. simchatyisrael.org

Elul Preparations

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach

August 22, 2026

Are You Ready for a Divine Encounter?

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach walks through the meaning of Elul, the month of preparation before the High Holidays, and what it looks like to take an honest accounting of our souls. Listen in as he shares three practical steps for this season: reflection, teshuvah, and prayer. Let’s prepare for the High Holidays together.

For more information visit www. simchatyisrael.org

As news breaks of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Hezbollah, this Shabbat Zakhor message calls us to hold two truths at once: the biblical call to pursue peace, and the sobering reality that sometimes war becomes unavoidable. Drawing from Deuteronomy, Exodus, the Prophets, the New Testament, and the story of Purim, we explore what it means to remember Amalek—not as ancient history, but as a spiritual pattern that resurfaces in every generation.

This teaching reminds us that while enemies rise, God’s covenant faithfulness endures. We pray for protection, for swift victory, and for the lasting peace that only Messiah can bring.

For more information, visit simchatyisrael.org.

Yeshua and the Shabbat Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach February 21, 2026 Most people skim Matthew 12 — but hidden in this chapter is a halakhic debate that could make or break Yeshua’s Messianic identity. In this teaching, Rabbi Brumbach walks through the grainfield incident and the healing of the man with the withered hand to show why these moments are anything but trivial. Through David’s example, priestly service, and the principles of pikuach nefesh, kal v’chomer, and relational halakhah, Yeshua demonstrates that His actions do not violate Shabbat but instead uphold Torah with compassion and precision. This message reveals how Yeshua prioritizes human dignity, clarifies what is truly permitted on Shabbat, and teaches us that when commandments collide, the mitzvot that restore life and relationship take precedence. It’s a powerful reminder that Shabbat is not only about rest, but about seeing people as God sees them — and acting accordingly. For more information, visit simchatyisrael.org.

Is Yeshua really the Messiah, and how can anyone be sure when doubt creeps in at the hardest moments? In Matthew 11, John the Immerser asks this very question from prison, and Yeshua responds not with a simple claim, but with visible signs of God’s kingdom at work. This message explores how expectations can blind us to what God is actually doing, and why recognizing His movement requires attention, humility, and faith. The teaching invites us to become spiritually attentive people who learn to recognize the moments that matter instead of missing them. For more information, visit simchatyisrael.org.

What if the song our ancestors sang at the sea is the same song echoing before God’s throne in Revelation? In this Shabbat Shirah drash, Rabbi Dr. Brumbach uncovers the powerful thread connecting Exodus 15 and Revelation 15 — showing how the Song of the Sea becomes the blueprint for understanding redemption, identity, and the future hope promised to Israel and the nations. He explores how Jewish liturgy preserves this story through daily prayer, and why communal singing is essential to remembering who we are, where we come from, and where God is leading us. For more information, visit simchatyisrael.org.

In this week’s message, Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach brings us to the closing moments of Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount, where His teachings shift from inspiration to invitation, calling each of us to choose the path of faithful obedience. This teaching challenges, encourages, and equips listeners to examine the foundations of their lives and walk with renewed intention in the way of Messiah. For more information, visit simchatyisrael.org.

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach shares how gratitude is not about perfect situations but a choice to see blessings even in difficulty. This message encourages shifting perspective from challenges to everyday joys, strengthening faith, and finding peace through thankfulness. It’s an invitation to live with resilience and hope, no matter what life brings. For more information, visit simchatyisrael.org.

How do we respond when God calls us? In this teaching, Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach explores the contrasting ways people answer a divine invitation—either with faith and obedience or with hesitation and rejection—and what those choices mean for our lives today.

For more information, visit simchatyisrael.org.