Contemporary Life

Shabbat Nachamu Now! Rabbi Bonnie Koppell   Shabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat of Comfort.  It’s an actual date ON the Jewish calendar.  It occurs every summer, in the 7 weeks of comfort and [...]

Korach, The National Week of Conversation, Antisemitism, and Us Rabbi Bonnie Koppell   This week’s parsha is named for Korach, who, in my humble opinion is one of the people in the Torah who [...]

A year ago when we celebrated Pesach, I don’t think we realized that we were actually ENTERING Egypt, Mitzrayim, the narrow place, the place of confinement.   A year later, we read the Haggadah [...]

Alex Trebek and Parshat Bo Rabbi Bonnie Koppell   You may have missed a sad, recent event in the news.  Overshadowed by current events, the death of Alex Trebek, long time host of [...]

New Year’s Day 2021- Chazak, Chazak. . . Rabbi Bonnie Koppell   Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek- that’s what we’ll say at the end of this week’s parsha, and it seems to be a good prayer [...]

Judaism and Christianity:  A Rabbi’s Christmas Sermon Rabbi Bonnie Koppell Temple Chai- Phoenix, Arizona Dec. 25, 2020   It’s impossible to ignore today’s date.  December 25th.  As a [...]

September 11, 2020          It’s Sept. 11th.  You just can’t ignore that date.  Or maybe you can?  It’s hard to believe it was 19 years ago, [...]

         I want to invite you to take a breath.  A deep breath.  Let it out slowly and luxuriously.  Pause now, and, at your leisure, inhale [...]

Talk delivered at Community Church of the Verdes, 27 January, 2020, Rabbi Bonnie Koppell          Well, it is a daunting task that you have set for [...]

         Is it kosher to interrupt someone?  According to an article by Kira Bindrim, “There are times when it’s okay to interrupt someone.  If [...]