Kesher Kafe Couples Night – March 21, 7 pm

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Kesher Kafe invites couples to a special evening designed to encourage connection, conversation, and community.

In the midst of busy schedules, it’s easy for relationships to get pushed aside. This evening provides a welcoming space for couples to slow down, enjoy time together, and build meaningful friendships with others in our community.

Expect a relaxed café-style atmosphere filled with conversation, laughter, and opportunities to grow stronger together.

Whether you are newly married or have been together for many years, this will be a refreshing night to reconnect and build relationships.

Kesher Kafe – Where Connection Begins

Young Adults Purim Party-March 14, 7 pm

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Kesher Kafe invites young adults ages 20–39 to join us for a special Purim Party on Friday, March 14 at 7:00 PM at Beth Emanuel (Exit 61 off the LIE).

Purim is a joyful holiday that celebrates God’s deliverance of the Jewish people in the days of Queen Esther. It’s traditionally marked with celebration, costumes, laughter, and community—and we want to celebrate together!

Come dressed in costume if you’d like and enjoy a relaxed evening with other young adults. Whether you’re already connected to Beth Emanuel or just looking to meet new people and build community, this will be a fun and welcoming night.

Kesher Kafe exists to create spaces where young adults can connect, build friendships, and grow in community.

We hope you’ll join us for a festive evening as we celebrate Purim together!

📅 March 14 | 7:00 PM
📍 Beth Emanuel – Exit 61 off the LIE

UNMASKED

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So often we hide behind roles, expectations, or fear, but Purim reminds us that God works powerfully even in the hidden places.

Join us this Saturday, February 14, at 11 am as we begin UnMasked, a Purim message series exploring courage, identity, and trusting God when the path isn’t clear. Come early for coffee and connection at Kesher Kafe, then stay for worship and teaching.

Whether you’ve been part of our community for years or are looking for a place to belong, you’re welcome here.

Hope to see you Saturday! 💙

Join us at Kesher Kafe this year.

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Effective Prayer Flows Through a Genuine Relationship with God

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by Rabbi Michael Calise

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. (Yochanan 15:7)

Throughout the Scriptures, God reveals that covenant always precedes blessing. His promises are never detached from relationship. Yeshua speaks these words not as a formula for success, but as an invitation into an abiding union, into a living, covenantal walk with Him. To “abide” echoes the language of dwelling found throughout scripture: God desires not visitation, but habitation.

Effective prayer does not begin with our needs; it begins with our nearness. Yeshua connects answered prayer to a life continually shaped by His presence and filled with His words. When His teachings and the whole counsel of scripture make their home within us, they reshape what we love, refine why we ask, and bring our hearts into harmony with the will of the Father. Prayer then becomes far more than offering petitions, it becomes the natural expression of a life lived before God.

In Jewish thought, to “hear” is to respond, to obey, to align. God calls His people first to Shema, to listen deeply, before they speak boldly. As His word dwells richly in us, our prayers mature from reaction into fellowship, from urgency into agreement. We do not simply speak to God; we learn to speak with God.

Our prayer life will never exceed our devotion to His word. Where scripture and the testimony of Yeshua are cherished, prayer flows naturally. Where Scripture is neglected, prayer often becomes strained and uncertain. But when we abide, rooted in covenant, grounded in truth, and yielded to the Ruach, prayer flows with clarity, confidence, and spiritual power.

Reflection:
Am I cultivating a daily walk of abiding, listening to His word, welcoming His correction, and delighting in His presence? Or have I tried to claim His promises without tending the relationship they flow from?

Prayer:
Avinu Malkeinu, our Father and our King, teach me to dwell in You. Let Your instructions and the words of Messiah live richly within me. Align my heart with Yours, that my prayers would rise in agreement with heaven and bring glory to Your Name, through Yeshua our Messiah. Amen.

Nourished by the Word: A Call to Read Scripture

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by Rabbi Carol Calise

On Shabbat, I encouraged us to commit to reading through the Bible this year. The psalmist reminds us, “Your word is a lamp for my foot and a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105). Adonai has given us the Scriptures to help us navigate the journey of life. Throughout the Bible, we are shown the importance of God’s Word; it is spiritual nourishment, a source of promises to hold onto, and practical instruction for how to live.


Joshua 1:8 encourages us: “Keep this book of the Torah on your lips, and meditate on it day and night, so that you will take care to act according to everything written in it. Then your undertakings will prosper, and you will succeed.” When we follow the principles found in Scripture, they guide us toward a life of wisdom and blessing.

I have been so encouraged hearing from many of you who have already started using the reading guide and are excited to be in the Word. Two ladies even shared how they read the daily selections together over the phone and encouraged one another. Others have been writing down questions and are eager to send them to Michael and me. What a beautiful picture of community and growth.


When we neglect reading the Word, we are starving ourselves spiritually. The Bible is food for our spirits; it strengthens us in difficult seasons and sustains us in joyful ones. I’ve shared this story many times at the congregation and even referenced it again this past weekend, but I want to repeat it here because it so clearly demonstrates the power of God’s Word.


On January 9, 1989, my father graduated from this earth to his heavenly reward. I was very close with my dad, and his passing was deeply difficult. I went home for his funeral and stayed for a month as my siblings and I helped my mother sort through insurance, finances, and other responsibilities. During that time of grief and sorrow, I did not read the Bible at all.


On my return trip, during a long layover in Pittsburgh, I pulled out my Bible along with a reading plan (I always use one to help me read through the Scriptures each year). That particular plan began with the book of Job, which is not the most uplifting place to start. Yet, after reading for about half an hour, I closed my Bible and realized that I felt strengthened in my inner being. Nothing dramatic stood out, and I didn’t receive a specific “word” from the Lord, but I felt different. I knew it was because I had been in the Word.


Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, and whatever your current habit of Bible reading may be, I want to encourage you to take a simple step toward growth in this area. You can visit the page below to learn more about the importance of reading Scripture and to download the Bible reading plan we are using together. Just click on the picture of the Torah.

Prayer is our opportunity to partner with G-d

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by Rabbi Carol Calise

In part one of our series, Prayer Can Change Your Life, we were encouraged on four purposes of prayer. In this devotional, I want to focus on two of them.

Prayer is the primary way we communicate with G-d. Only when we truly understand our relationship with Him can we communicate honestly and with an expectation of answered prayer. There are two aspects of our relationship that are important to consider.

First, in John 15, Yeshua calls us His friends. Friends are able to speak openly and honestly with one another. Second, Adonai is our heavenly Father. As a loving Father, He delights not only in hearing our prayers, but in answering them. In fact, Luke 11:11–13 uses this imagery when it says, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, would give him a snake? … If you then, though you are imperfect, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give to those who ask Him?”

Do you hear that—how much more! Our Father in heaven wants to give to us.

The other purpose I want to highlight is that prayer is how we cooperate with G-d. Through prayer, we partner with the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and He invites us to participate in what He is doing in the world. Prayer is powerful and unstoppable—not because of who we are, but because of who we are praying to.

He is not a distant G-d, seated on a high and lofty throne, uninterested in the details of our lives. He is a loving Father who desires to move in our world today, establishing His purposes and plans. He is all-powerful. As the prophet Jeremiah declared, “Ah, Adonai G-d! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm; nothing is too hard for You.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

As we enter 2026 with a renewed focus on prayer, let us expect G-d to act—in our personal lives, in our congregation, in our nation, and in the world. He is waiting for us to partner with Him. Let us not merely talk about prayer, read about prayer, or hear sermons on prayer, but let us put it into practice.

Prayer Can Change Your Life

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Join us as we begin the new year with a week of prayer.

High Holy Days 2025

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The High Holy Day season is a sacred invitation for our Jewish community to return, reflect, and renew. As we gather in unity, we look back on the year with humility and examine our hearts before Adonai, seeking His grace and mercy. This shared journey draws us closer to HaShem and to one another, strengthening the bonds of faith and community as we step into the days of awe with reverence and hope.

Beth Emanuel High Holy Day Schedule 2025

ELUL – A Time to seek Adonai

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by Rabbi Carol Calise

We just began the month of Elul.  This month is traditionally considered a month of spiritual preparation as we anticipate the coming Holy Days.  The name “Elul” is thought by many to be an acronym for:

    אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי

“Ani L’Dodi for Dodi Li” – I am My Beloved’s and My Beloved is Mine from Shir haShirim (Song of Songs) 6.3.  This is thought by the sages to summarize the relationship between Adonai and His people. Obviously, the heart of G-d is for each person to receive His love and to walk in close communion with Him. 

Traditions associated with this month are the recitation of s’lichot (prayers of repentance) and the daily sounding of the shofar directing us towards the kingship of Adonai.  The sages also believe that Adonai is nearer to us in this month as they believe “the King is in the field” meaning that G-d is more accessible to His creation.  In addition, Tehillim (Psalms) 27 is read every day throughout this month.

We know that G-d is always near us and watching over us. So, as we enter the month of Elul, I would encourage each one of us to focus on a few things:

  • Examine the state of our love relationship with Adonai. Have we drawn near with consistency, or allowed distractions to pull us away? In what ways have we nurtured that bond—and where have we neglected it? Just as any relationship requires attention, so too does our connection with the Divine. This season invites us to return, to rekindle devotion, and to strengthen our relationship with Adonai.
  • Reflect on our relationships with others. Elul is a time to reflect deeply on our relationships. As we prepare our hearts for Rosh HaShanah, this season calls us to examine not only ourselves, but also how we relate to others. Our connection with G-d is intertwined with our connection to those around us—unresolved conflict or broken fellowship can hinder our approach to Him. Reconciliation, humility, and forgiveness are sacred steps on the path toward renewal.
  • Make time to read Tehillim (Psalms) 27—ideally daily, or at least weekly—and let its truths settle deeply in your heart. As you meditate on each verse, invite Adonai to speak encouragement into your spirit. Ask Him not only for understanding, but for the grace to live out these words in your daily walk.

With many of us involved in end-of-summer activities, the beginning of the new school year planning, and preparation for the Holy Days, it is easy to forget what this season and life is all about.   These things can consume our hearts and mind.  We need to remember that life is about staying connected to Adonai and walking in step with His Ruach.  Personally, let this season be a time of renewing our relationship with HaShem and taking care of any issues that have hindered us or as the writer of the book of Messianic Jews (Hebrews) puts it, taking care of  “those things that have easily entangled us.”  For our Jewish people who we are reaching out to share the Besorah of Messiah Yeshua, it is about directing them to the love of their Creator who has established a plan for the atonement of their sins if they would simply do teshuvah – repentance – and turn from their sin and accept Adonai’s way of salvation.

I think the heart of Tehillim 27 is found in verse 8:  “My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek.”  May this be a time where we truly seek Adonai.  May we hear the longing of our hearts and of His heart towards us and set aside that time to draw near to G-d and receive His love for us.  May we seek His face just because we love Him and not because we have a list of things we need Him to do for us.  (Yes, He is interested in helping us with our lists, but that is such a small part of what He desires for us.)  Let’s prepare our hearts for the High Holy Day season and experience G-d in a greater way this year.  May we each have the heart of King David:  “Just one thing have I asked of ADONAI; only this will I seek: to live in the house of ADONAI all the days of my life, to see the beauty of ADONAI and visit in His temple.”  (Tehillim 27.4)