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“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…
My Life in Quotes- #6 “The great fault of us all is that we force logic on facts, whereas it is facts themselves that create logic.”- ibid. (D.T. Suzuki, Zen Buddhism) You have to face the facts. There’s no hiding from that reality. We don’t have to like the…
“Those seekers of wide learning are like hairs (i.e. too many), whereas those who understand the truth are like horns (i.e. too few).”- ibid.- I use ibid. in my quotes document when I quote the same source in multiple entries, but that doesn’t work when I view them independently. …
My Life in Quotes #4 “. . . through the awakening of love we get a glimpse into the infinity of things. . . “- D.T. Suzuki, Zen Buddhism When I read this quote, I don’t think I had yet experienced love in an adult sense. As a young…
People often confuse Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day. The difference between them is crucial. In fact, we might say that it’s the difference between life and death. Veteran’s Day honors all who have served in the US military. Anyone who ever wore the uniform is recognized with our deepest…
My Life in Quotes– #3 “The eye with which I see God is the same with which God sees me.”- Meister Eckhart, quoted in D.T. Suzuki, Zen Buddhism There I was majoring in Judaic Studies and Philosophy, and expanding my horizons beyond my insulated Jewish upbringing in Brooklyn. It…
I love words. I love when a word exactly captures the moment, the feeling. How it precisely describes something that you experienced but didn’t know exactly how to express. It’s like a warm bath or a deeply satisfying meal. And beyond that- a collection of words. A deeply insightful…
My Life in Quotes– #2 “The only immovable point is the unlimited freedom to change, to preserve freedom without content.”- Paul Tillich, The Courage to Be Following graduation from John Dewey HS, I went on to Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. I knew that I wanted to be a…
Serious Enforcement of Background Checks, Mandatory Training and a Restriction on Possession of Assault Weapons September 2, 2024 Rabbi Bonnie Koppell from https://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org/serious-enforcement-of-background-checks-mandatory-training-and-a-restriction-on-possession-of-assault-weapons/ 7. Be reflective if you must be armed. If you carry a weapon in public service, may God bless you and keep you. But know that evils…
THOU SHALT NOT STEAL Rabbi Bonnie Koppell I can summarize what I want to say to you tonight in four words- “Thou shalt not steal.” It’s even easier in Hebrew; only two words- “Lo tignov.” It’s in the top 10 commandments. Thou shalt not steal. My humble theory is…