Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
116. “But a man’s own safety is a god that sometimes makes very grim demands.”- George Eliot, Romola, p. 512 George Eliot is right. Many things about which we think- “I could/would never do that,” suddenly become feasible when we feel threatened. Or, when there is a threat to someone…
Our Mussar class recently studied the very challenging, well, challenging to me, at least, middah of Emunah- faith. Thank goodness our tradition focuses much more on action than on belief. We have broad latitude about how we see God, how we connect with God, how we question God. The emphasis…
Have you ever been in a marching band? Played on a sports team? Served in the Army? Very different activities, yet they have one thing in common. Each one mandates a specific uniform. And if you’ve ever dressed in a uniform, perhaps you’ve felt, as I certainly have, that wearing…
I recently received a gift from my daughter Jessie. It was a belated Chanukkah gift that just arrived, but it was worth waiting for. Jessie knows how much Ron and I like decks of cards that ask questions and stimulate conversation at our dinner table. So she bought us…
This morning’s Torah reading is “B’Shallach,” and God sent, and it describes the moments after the exodus from Egypt as God sent the Israelites into the wilderness. This Shabbat is also known as Shabbat Shirah, the Shabbat of Song, because in it we read the words that our ancestors…
Have you ever wanted to stop time—to freeze a moment before it slips away? That impulse feels deeply human. We crave certainty in an uncertain world, stability in the midst of constant change. But time doesn’t pause. Even what appears solid and still is, according to physics, always in motion.…
I’m sure you’ve had this experience. A child asks you for something and it often sounds like this, “Can I have some more lemonade?” And our standard answer, most often, sounds like this, “Sure. What’s the magic word?” “Can I PLEASE have some more lemonade?” We teach our…
What I learned about Chanukkah from the US Army War College- Chanukkah and Warfare Rabbi Bonnie Koppell There are quantitative changes in the nature of warfare, there are qualitative changes in the nature of warfare. There is not a neat line of evolution from primitive hand-to-hand combat, culminating in…
The U.S. Military’s First Female Rabbi Reflects on Veterans Day JCC Association | November 11, 2025 by Rabbi Bonnie Koppell, CH (COL) USAR-Retired Each year on Veterans Day, I pause to remember the privilege—and the weight—of raising my right hand and swearing to defend the Constitution of the United States.…
It’s Kol Nidre. Perhaps the holiest moment of the year. You are about to embark on a luxurious journey that few people get to experience. That is, the journey into yourself, into your own inner self, taking this sacred moment to step out of the hustle and bustle, the…