Last night, Jewish New Year started, and it has been a wonderful experience of singingwith the choir and being with my community. The holidays are a wonderful time for reflection, and they make me deeply contented, despite having to dredge up in the process many things about myself I am dissatisfied with and want to change. I am doing it with others, and singing, which I love to do.
This year, the rabbi has had some intriguing things to talk about. Last night he discussed a book the title of which I do not quite remember, although it was written by a famous mathematician Hoffstetner?, and was called something like The Strange Loop. It was about how individuals change each others' ways of thinking and the entire social organism.
Today he made a terrific speech about incivility and how people on all sides of all issues in this society do not consider adequately the impact of their words. Considering that we had been discussing this only the other day on Lou's blog, it was welcome fodder for thought, and he tied it in interesting ways to Torah.
Tomorrow I go back to service again and sing. I am buried under papers and haven't planned next week's class. I have a student with swine flu, and I don't know what to do about it. I'm sure it won't be the last one. There has to be some kind of policy for this problem. Too much to think about... .
4 comments:
Hofstadter, Golden Braid?
Happy New Year!
Thanks!
Happy New Year, Robbi!
You already have a student w/ swine flu? Hope you get a chance to check with the college medical staff on policy soon. My experience was that the nurse on staff at IVC is very responsive and great, and I bet she will be able to guide you through the policy issues.
Actually, he doesn't officially have swine flu. He is too sick even to leave his house and hasn't been to the doctor, according to him. This is a very good student, so I believe him. He is so concerned with grades he would never miss a draft due date otherwise!
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