Holidays

  When Jessie was pregnant with Helena, we had a baby shower for her.  Cards were passed out, and among the questions was, “I hope that you always remember, fill in the blank.”  What is it [...]

What’s The Hardest Mitzvah? Rabbi Bonnie Koppell Temple Chai, September 2021 What is the hardest mitzvah for you?  Is it not eating shrimp or bacon?  Is it remembering to light shabbat [...]

Tevye Explains It All:  Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Judaism Can Be Learned  From “Fiddler on the Roof” Rabbi Bonnier Koppell Erev Rosh HaShanah 2021, Temple Chai, [...]

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 [...]

It’s a 3-Day Purim! Rabbi Bonnie Koppell It’s still Purim!  Shushan Purim is a thing every year.  Even in the time of Mordecai and Esther, Purim was celebrated on a different day in Shushan [...]

Esther, Vashti, and Women Leaders Rabbi Bonnie Koppell   We can still talk about Purim, right?  Purim may have officially  ended when we lit candles and entered into Shabbat.  However, in [...]

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 [...]

National Day of Listening- Rabbi Bonnie Koppell Did you know that today is a holiday?  And I don’t mean “Black Friday?”  I only recently learned that StoryCorps has informally designated today, [...]

        A member of our community recently shared with me his frustration that he had apologized to someone, “I’m sorry, please forgive me,” and he sensed that [...]

This I Believe- Rabbi Bonnie Koppell         A few lyrics- “I believe the children are our future.”  So sings Whitney Houston, and I am inclined to [...]