Rabbi Koppell’s Writings
51. “The myth represents as outward that which occurred inwardly.”- ibid., Soren Kierkegaard, The Concept of Dread I don’t recall the context of this observation. Yet I think that Kierkegaard is on to something, explaining the universal appeal of the myth, connecting it with universal themes in the human…
“If one refuses, even, to sit down at the chessboard and make a move, one cannot, of course, be checkmated.”- F.C. Copleston Truth. Being engaged is a risk. Whether it’s pursuing a relationship, a work project, a social cause, the safest thing is to stay home and not get…
31. “The great thing is not to be this or that but to be oneself.”- Soren Kierkegaard, Either/Or Vol. II Entering the Kierkegaard phase. Finding who we are and living that truth is certainly not easy. In fact, in can be the challenge of a lifetime. A classic…
“The trees are better than men, for the trees sigh and are silent- men whisper.”- ibid., Soren Kierkegaard, Either/Or Vol. It is very hard for most people to keep a secret. Another quote to explain a quote- “A fool with a secret goes through agony like a woman in…
God Was In This Place God is IN This Place Rabbi Bonnie Koppell As our parsha opens, Jacob is scared, and rightfully so. Jacob had stolen the blessing of the firstborn that belonged to his brother. His brother, Esav, is so hurt and angry that he is ready…
Thanksgiving IS a Jewish Holiday Rabbi Bonnie Koppell Thanksgiving is a quintessentially Jewish holiday. First of all, there is traditionally a family gathering with lots of food. But beyond that, giving thanks is A, I might say, THE, foundational Jewish value. Hakarat ha-tov, recognizing, appreciating, and giving thanks for the…
“Ah, Harry, we have to stumble through so much dirt and humbug before we reach home. And we have no one guide us. Our only guide is our homesickness.”- Hermann Hesse, Steppenwolf If we are really blessed, home is a place of comfort and acceptance, of warmth and love. …
“All births mean separation from the All, the confinement within limitation, the separation from God, the pangs of being born ever anew. The return into the All, the dissolution of painful individuation, the reunion with God means the expansion of the soul until it is able once more the embrace…
“One only understands the things that one tames.”. . . “What is essential is invisible to the eye.”. . . “You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”. . . “but the eyes are blind, one must look with the heart.”- Antoine de St. Exupery, The Little Prince …
“Mankind? It is an abstraction. There are, always have been, and always will be men and only men.”- Goethe Whatever our grand ideas are of humanity and the human enterprise, Goethe once again brings us into the ordinary world of our everyday lives. That is where the real challenge…