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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.
Tazria, Metzora, and Social Distancing 2020
Tazria, Metzora, and Social Distancing- 2020 Rabbi Bonnie Koppell An unknown illness erupts. Waiting for a diagnosis, and then,...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Apr 28, 20203 min read
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Nadav, Avihu, and COVID-19
I trust everyone had a good Pesach and our Torah reading this week, Shemini, finds us exactly half-way through the Torah. It is AMAZING...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Apr 18, 20203 min read
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Shabbat Parah: Clean Hands and a Pure Heart
March 26th will be the first day of the month of Nisan, the month in which Passover occurs. That means that next Shabbat, March 21, is...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Mar 12, 20203 min read
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I Know That Valentine's Day is NOT a Jewish Holiday. . . .
I remember a few years ago- I was standing in the lobby, having just returned from a period of military service. I think I might have...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Feb 20, 20203 min read
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Locusts, Trees, and Tu Bishvat
Did you know that the word Elohim, God, and the word ha-tevah, nature, have the same numerical value in Hebrew? While Jews are not...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Feb 9, 20204 min read
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Judaism By The Numbers
Talk delivered at Community Church of the Verdes, 27 January, 2020, Rabbi Bonnie Koppell Well, it is a daunting task that you have set...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Jan 28, 202015 min read
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Vayigash: "Being Right/Being Happy"
A couple of weeks ago, Ron and I were pondering a challenging situation, and he said something that I can’t stop thinking about. His...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Jan 6, 20203 min read
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Let’s make every day Thanksgiving
Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving, the quintessential American holiday focused on gratitude and based on the Biblical holiday of...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Dec 3, 20193 min read
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Two Inspiring Stories
SAM AND DEDE/LAURAL AND ARNIE This is the story of Laural and Arnie Sigal and Dede and Sam Harris- how they became friends, how that...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Nov 27, 20196 min read
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Mussar and Mindfulness
Rosh HaShanah- what a gift! What a luxury! What a joy! Looking around this room, we are each so grateful for the blessing of our...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Nov 27, 20196 min read
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Remember Me Like This
We could all die tomorrow, or, in fact tonight. The reality is that we don’t know and so it is easy to avoid thinking about. On this...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Nov 27, 20199 min read
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Neuroscience and Happiness
Perhaps you have had an MRI to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of a serious medical issue? Through the miracle of this technology,...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Oct 8, 20193 min read
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The High Holidays and Mayonnaise
I’ve been thinking about mayonnaise. We tried one of those meal in a box services that have become so popular, and the ingredients...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Oct 3, 20192 min read
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Jonah and the Cactus: Evanescence
The book of Jonah, which we read on Yom Kippur, ends on an absurd note. Jonah storms out of the city to sulk. He had been sent to call...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Sep 15, 20192 min read
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The Rabbi's Struggle With Faith
This is probably an odd confession for a rabbi- I struggle with a sense of faith. As someone who is too often in the human tragedy...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Jul 24, 20193 min read
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B'Har and Social Responsibility
Parshat B’har speaks of fundamental issues of justice and equality. “And you shall proclaim liberty to all the inhabitants of the land,...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
May 26, 20193 min read
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KonMari Your Passover
Spring cleaning has always been a Jewish thing. Except we call it Passover cleaning. It’s a good thing, at least occasionally, to take...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Mar 31, 20193 min read
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Purim and Anti-Semitism
This year at Purim, one verse of the Megillah especially resonated with me. In Chapter Three, Verse 8, Haman seeks permission from...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Mar 26, 20193 min read
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Tetzaveh and Interrupting
Is it kosher to interrupt someone? According to an article by Kira Bindrim, “There are times when it’s okay to interrupt someone. If...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Feb 18, 20194 min read
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Vayechi and the Meaning of Life
We come to the final parsha in the book of Genesis- Vayechi- And he lived, referring to the patriarch Jacob. It is ironic that there are...
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Jan 9, 20193 min read
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