There are two things on my mind today, so completely unrelated that no amount of imaginative bridging will bring them together. They both have weighty implications, but of vastly different kinds. Recently, the University of Chicago announced that it will not be accepting students in its Ph.D. programs in Humanities programs for the 26-27 academic year. There are two exceptions, not explained, for...
Charisma. The word and the concept have always intrigued me for reasons that I think will become clear as you read along. Beginning a piece like this, one is almost obligated to first seek out the definition and the etymological history of the word in a starring role. So, “a compelling attractiveness that can inspire devotion” or “a divinely conferred gift.” It’s derived from the Greek word...
When the bi-monthly issue of Harvard Magazine arrives, I turn immediately to the obituary section. It’s not creepy. On the contrary, it’s celebratory – so many interesting lives that unfolded in such interesting and diverse ways. Although the tilt is definitely toward privilege, there are many examples of lives of service and devotion to tikkun olam, repairing the world. But this month, I was...
I know these Rosh Hashanah words of Rabbi Sharon Brous are already circulating online, but if devoting my blog space to her impassioned expression of moral pain introduces them to one more reader/listener, I will consider it a worthwhile use of that space. Rabbi Brous articulates the spiritual crisis we Jews face today with a passion and clarity that’s unmatched. She is a worthy successor to the...
The evening of the Monday on which you’ll be reading this posting marks the start of the Rosh Hashanah holiday on the Jewish calendar, which in turn begins what is called the Days of Awe – the ten days till the end of Yom Kippur during which one repents for the sins one has committed during the past year and charts an improved course for the year ahead. At least that’s the way I have...