Between Two Worlds

As an observant Jew who entered the academy later in life, I encounter many different ontologies and epistemologies quite different from my own, often finding those outlooks in competition with each other, and tensions arise when needing to commit ‘pen to paper’ as choices about whose worldview gets priority. This experimental piece tries to let two voices inside me speak, giving honor to the scholarly work I have read while not trying to let it define or dominate my Jewish outlook and way of viewing the world (ontology and epistemology). The scholar tries to stay true to scholarship, and the Rabbi stays true to his nature.