Authors Posts by Erica Brown
Erica Brown
Erica Brown is the Vice Provost for Values and Leadership at Yeshiva University and the founding director of its Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership. Her most recent book is Staying Human: Wartime Fragments of Anguish and Hope (Maggid). Erica was a Jerusalem Fellow, an Avi Chai Fellow, the recipient of the 2009 Covenant Award, and is a faculty member of the Wexner Foundation. She has written 13 books on the Hebrew Bible, spirituality, and leadership, co-authored 2 books, and co-edited one anthology. She has been published in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Tablet, First Things, and The Jewish Review of Books. She wrote a monthly column for the New York Jewish Week and is a consulting editor for the journal Tradition. She currently serves as a community scholar for Congregation Etz Chaim in Livingston, New Jersey. She is the proud mother of four children, four in-law children, and five beautiful grandchildren.
The Great Reckoning: Is It Time to Rethink Higher Education for Jewish Students?
In this next installment in our Israel symposium, Erica Brown argues that for Jewish students after October 7, choosing secular college is just not the choice it used to be.
Madda or Hokhmah? Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on the Integration of Torah and General Wisdom
In the next installment of our Torah u-Madda symposium, Dr. Erica Brown reflects on the concepts and values expressed by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt"l in his discussions on the integration of Torah and secular life.
Joyful Planting: COVID and the Prohibition of Planting During the Three Weeks
Erica Brown considers the little-discussed prohibition on planting during the Nine Days and what it teaches about the nature of mourning and joy.
Get Rid of the Manels – and Panels Too
How should we address the manel issue? Erica Brown contends that we should simply disband panels altogether.
Why Wasn’t Jonah Punished? Reading Jonah during COVID
This year, instead of thinking about the reasons for Jonah’s flight from Nineveh in particular, we can gain a new appreciation for his need to break free altogether. Ahead of Yom Kippur, Erica Brown considers the unique resonance of the book of Jonah in an era marked by isolation and quarantine.
The Power of Secrets: Jacob, Laban, and the Passover Haggadah
What led the Rabbis of the Seder to present Laban as a more diabolical enemy of the Jews than Pharaoh? Erica Brown shows how Laban took advantage of Jacob's insecurities as he arrived empty-handed at Laban's home.
Who Knows? Jewish Leadership in Times of Uncertainty
"Who Knows" seems to have become a recurring question for so many of us. Erica Brown shares personal and biblical reflections on the meaning of this phrase for the age of coronavirus.
Joy at Last: Reflections on the End of Esther
Erica Brown explores the deeper meaning of joy in Megillat Esther and beyond.
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