Entrance Essay

It is a pivotal point in a person's life at which he takes a look at himself and seeks to understand his place among humanity. This occurs during adolescence. When passing life cycles. At the perceived beginning of mid-life. In old age. And every single day. The Talmud in Tractate Rosh Hashana has a debate as to how often a person's deeds are weighed in judgement by Heaven. The first opinion is that this occurs on Rosh Hashanah. The next opinion is that it occurs daily. The third opinion is that it occurs every second. As in all of Talmudic dispute – there is no dispute. All the opinions are true. Just as we are constantly weighing our self-worth and second-guessing our successes. Just as we look reflectively at ourselves at the end of the year when the passage of time calls things into perspective. And just as life cycles call our actions and accomplishments to the fore of our minds. Just the same-our Creator views us and our actions in the context of self, time, and events. At this point in time I see my goals and responsibilities calling me to be a student and a teacher. I want to gain knowledge for the purpose of imparting that knowledge and more importantly to become a more knowledgeable source of everything I espouse. With these newfound goals I approach Gratz with my application. Gratz would serve my need as an online gateway to education. My varied responsibilities and time constraints make it all but impossible to attend a campus. Gratz's reputation as an online campus assures me that the online program receives the full attention and commitment of the faculty. I will know that I am an important, albeit invisible part of the student body. Knowing that I am attending a school of religious studies and that this school is inclusive and committed to the tenets of the Jewish faith assures me that the years of Talmudic learning that I bring with me will be recognized respected and cherished. I know that holidays are observed and schedules are arranged with these days in mind. I know that I will be free to think and rethink and I will be protected from the newest wave of free-speech and free-think emerging on campus today, which seeks to stymie all views other than the academic thought-de-jur. The Jewish people have invented discourse and debate. We have practiced it through the darkest millennia of world history. And while we may never hurt any creature's feelings with our views, we have never applied this rule selectively. In Jewish debate there is no room for unbridled emotions, ad hominims, discrimination, or quelling of thought. In fact, the Talmud describes in the most severe criticism the one who knows a truth and chooses to quell it. At the same time knowledge is considered useless if it is contained within a person who does not act with dignity or humaneness.