Everybody, Everybody Wants to Be Loved- Gala Weekend, Friday Night, 2022
On being honored at the Temple Chai gala- I am feeling so much love in this room right now that it is a bit overwhelming. It’s too much...
top of page
Featured Post
The God Show Podcast With Pat McMahon - Ep. 282 Israel under attack. How could it happen?
Ask an Army Colonel. Ask a Rabbi. Ask a woman. They are all.
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Apr 6, 2022
- 5 min
Jews and Fools: A Rabbi's Perspective on April Fool's Day
I’m not sure what the origin of April Fool’s Day is, and I AM sure that it’s NOT a Jewish holiday, but I am also sure that I am ready for...
0 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Mar 13, 2022
- 2 min
Putin IS Amalek
Shabbat Zachor- the Shabbat of Remembering. That’s the special name given to this Shabbas, the Shabbat before Purim. So what, exactly,...
2 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Mar 13, 2022
- 2 min
Purim 2022: A deadly serious celebration
This Wednesday night we will come together for the light and joyous holiday of Purim. Purim comes on the 14th of Adar, the final full...
2 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Feb 26, 2022
- 1 min
Our Hearts Are in Ukraine
Dear Friends, I can’t stop thinking about Babi Yar this week, a ravine in the Ukraine where 75,000 Jews were slaughtered in...
4 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Dec 29, 2021
- 3 min
When Christmas Eve and Shabbat Coincide
It’s a quiet night for the Jewish community tonight. 65% of the population in the United States identify as Christian and our neighbors...
0 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Nov 7, 2021
- 4 min
The Sense of Geese
Creation, the beauty of the creation, is a foundation of Kabbalat Shabbat. We begin with 6 psalms, one representing each day of the...
1 view0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Oct 31, 2021
- 2 min
Commas and Shabbat
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...
0 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Sep 26, 2021
- 3 min
What's the Hardest Mitzvah?
What is the hardest mitzvah for you? Is it not eating shrimp or bacon? Is it remembering to light shabbat candles each week? Is it...
0 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Sep 19, 2021
- 9 min
What I've Learned in 40 Years as a Rabbi
The number of days from the beginning of the month of Elul until Yom Kippur The number of days that it rained on Noah and the ark The...
2 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Sep 19, 2021
- 7 min
Tevye Explains It All: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Judaism Can Be Learned From "Fiddler on the Roof"
Erev Rosh HaShanah 2021, Temple Chai, Phoenix, AZ A Fiddler on the Roof? Sounds crazy, no? In 1905, Shalom Aleichem published his...
0 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Aug 22, 2021
- 3 min
Taps for Private Jason Daniel Hasenauer/Taps for Afghanistan
At Kabbalat Shabbat we reflect on the week that is drawing to a close. My week has been consumed by images of Afghanistan, where I was...
1 view0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Aug 8, 2021
- 3 min
Healing and Peace
Tonight we come together to pray for healing for our beloved community. We have been through an incredibly challenging time in the...
0 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Jul 24, 2021
- 3 min
"I'm Begging You"- Vaetchanan
The name of this week’s Torah portion is “Vaetchanan.” The word can be translated as- “I begged, I pleaded, I entreated.” It is a...
0 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Jul 11, 2021
- 3 min
Anger is One Letter Short of Danger- a perspective on Matot/Masey
There is a lot of anger in this week’s Torah portion. Beginning with verbal commitments made by women which can be nullified by the men...
0 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Jun 20, 2021
- 3 min
Shabbat Nachamu Now!
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...
2 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Jun 13, 2021
- 4 min
Korach, The National Week of Conversation, Antisemitism, and Us
This week’s parsha is named for Korach, who, in my humble opinion is one of the people in the Torah who gets a bad rap. What did Korach...
1 view0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Apr 9, 2021
- 3 min
Parashat Shemini: Do You Need to Apologize? Be Sure to Listen First
JCC Association | April 8, 2021 How hard, or easy, is it for you to say, “I was wrong, I apologize, please forgive me.” For me, and for...
0 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Apr 4, 2021
- 3 min
The Pandemic and the Seder- 2021
A year ago when we celebrated Pesach, I don’t think we realized that we were actually ENTERING Egypt, Mitzrayim, the narrow place, the...
0 views0 comments
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
- Mar 11, 2021
- 3 min
Beetle Bailey and Ki Tissa
Here are a couple of interesting numbers: 14, 981 17, 896 23, 746 Any idea what they represent? These are the number of days that each...
0 views0 comments
bottom of page