91传媒

In a parsha we read two weeks ago, God tasked Moses and Aaron with finding a red heifer to sacrifice. This wasn鈥檛 any ordinary cow 鈥� it had to be perfect, without blemish or defect, and 鈥渙n which no yoke has been laid.鈥�听 In other words, it wasn鈥檛 just its color that made it seemingly unattainable. Moses and his brother were ordered to find a living embodiment of perfection. Of course, in the Bible, anything is possible, and they ultimately identified and sacrificed such a specimen.

The aspiration to flawlessness can be seen throughout the Torah. When God first called out to Abram, telling him that his new name would be Abraham and that he would be the progenitor of a great nation, he was told not only to walk with God, but to be perfect. Changing your name is easy; chasing perfection is an entirely different matter.

But isn鈥檛 it a worthy goal?听 Think how often we hear slogans such as 鈥淕ood enough isn鈥檛 good enough,鈥� 鈥淣ever give up your dreams鈥� and 鈥淪hoot for the stars.鈥�

In his celebrated commencement address, Steve Jobs told the Stanford class of 2005 that 鈥溾�� the only way to do great work is to love what you do.听 If you haven鈥檛 found it yet, keep looking 鈥� and don鈥檛 settle.听 As with all matters of the heart, you鈥檒l know it when you find it鈥� So keep looking.听 Don鈥檛 settle.鈥�

That is a message that the millennials in the audience have been hearing throughout their lives.听 But constantly seeking perfection comes at a price, and while Gen Z seems to attract the most attention, it is members of the millennial generation (who are currently between 30 and 45) who have been paying it.听

Data suggest that they have less job satisfaction, less fulfilling personal relationships and greater mental health challenges. Surveys indicate that almost half of millennials report feeling burnt out. A comprehensive analysis reviewed 77 separate studies and concluded that millennials struggle with perfectionism more than previous generations. They are taunted by unrealistic standards, and subject themselves to harsher self-criticism. I don鈥檛 think that guilt and anxiety were what Steve Jobs had in mind when he advised those students to never settle.

And Jobs is certainly not alone with his advice.听 Many of us are complicit.

When my millennial daughter graduated college, the college president said something I think of often. She cautioned the students to never take the first parking spot they see 鈥� a better one will surely come along.

I suppose that鈥檚 accurate, until it isn鈥檛.听 And while you can usually circle the block and return to the parking spot you passed up, is that also true when choosing jobs and spouses? I doubt it. I am forever grateful that my wife of over 40 years didn鈥檛 hold out for perfection when I proposed!

It reminds me of Voltaire鈥檚 famous line:听 鈥淒on鈥檛 let the perfect be the enemy of the good.鈥�

While the search for perfection may occasionally lead to greatness, an important part of life is learning when good enough is actually good enough.

I play guitar and one of my favorite songs to sing is Leonard Cohen鈥檚 masterpiece, “Hallelujah.”

Cohen labored over it for five years, composing more than 150 drafts until he finally decided it was ready to be released.听 Not because he thought the song was perfect 鈥� he didn鈥檛.听 He 鈥渟ettled鈥� and gave up trying to make it any better.

Leonard Cohen implicitly understood a fundamental principle of economics 鈥� the law of diminishing returns.听 Declare victory when further effort simply isn鈥檛 worth the cost.听 Perhaps that had been the case earlier than five years 鈥� we will never know.听 But what is certain is that we were greatly enriched when Cohen did the equivalent of pressing 鈥渟end鈥� rather than 鈥渄elete.鈥�

Millennials, and the rest of us, could benefit by learning that lesson.听 鈥淪ettling鈥� doesn鈥檛 necessarily imply capitulation.听 It might just mean that it鈥檚 time to move on.

And while there鈥檚 nothing wrong with keeping your eyes on the horizon for that magical heifer to appear, be sure to appreciate what you already have.

Abraham turned out to be far from perfect, but he was truly extraordinary.

Morton Schapiro served for more than 22 years as President of Northwestern University and Williams College. He taught almost 7,000 undergraduates over his more than 40 years as an economics professor.

In the wake of celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence, we should remember that the Revolution was not won exclusively by the 鈥渘ame brand鈥� Founders, like George Washington and John Adams. We should also consider the role of lesser-known revolutionaries, like Thomas Paine and the great 91传媒 patriot Haym Salomon.

Salomon and Paine were both recent refugees from Europe. In the 1700s before our national safe harbor was created, few Jews sought refuge here. There were only an estimated two to three thousand Jews in the colonies at the time of the Revolution. Nevertheless, those relative few left their mark. Although never achieving fame, Colonels Salomon Bush and David Franks and Lieutenant Isaac Franks distinguished themselves in combat leadership roles. More famously鈥攁nd more in the tradition of our tribe鈥攖he greatest 91传媒 revolutionary was financier Haym Salomon. One need go no farther than his statue in Los Angeles鈥檚 Pan Pacific Park to find recognition of Salomon鈥檚 importance. His role in financing the new government and its army proved critical, particularly supplying resources to the Continental army for the final decisive battle at Yorktown.

Like most colonial era Jews, Salomon was Sephardic, though he emigrated to New York from a brief refuge in Poland. He became a revolutionary shortly after his arrival, joining the local chapter of the Sons of Liberty. Salomon and his revolutionary brethren owed much to Paine whose landmark pamphlet 鈥淐ommon Sense鈥� was published soon after Salomon鈥檚 arrival in New York.

Despite the 250 years since its publication, its roughly fifty pages remain surprisingly accessible to the modern reader. Paine鈥檚 clarity of speech and his willingness to criticize, satirize and even brutally caricature King George III fueled its success. A clever polemicist, Paine invoked every conceivable argument against the monarch and British rule. Turning to the Old Testament, he invoked the book of Samuel to portray royalty as contrary to divine will. He poked at the legitimacy of 听George III and the Hannover Kings, noting their descent from William I, 鈥渁 French bastard.鈥� He cited the unnatural condition of a small island like Britain holding sway over a large continent. Most importantly, Paine repeatedly asserted the inevitability of American independence and the need to avoid passing the pain of the struggle for liberty to future generations.

A modern reader, considering Paine鈥檚 appeal to generational responsibility, can only ponder what he might think of our current national debt, our budget deficit, and the failure to address the threat of global warming.

Given the outrageous political rhetoric of our time, a modern reader may struggle to 听appreciate Paine鈥檚 stark departure from the genteel and respectful tone more typical of his age. Still, we should appreciate the opportunity to read the very words that inspired the Founders as well as the rank and file to the cause of liberty. In a tribute to Paine鈥檚 ability to capture the revolutionary moment, his pamphlet 鈥渨ent viral鈥� in colonial terms, selling over 120,000 copies in a few months.

Still, we should appreciate the opportunity to read the very words that inspired the Founders as well as the rank and file to the cause of liberty.

Though Common Sense contributed enough for a lifetime, Paine did not stop there. His set of essays, 鈥淭he American Crisis,鈥� boosted morale during some of the darkest hours of the Revolution. Essay number one began with the immortal line, 鈥淭hese are the times that try men鈥檚 souls.鈥� The collection was published during the bitter winter of 1776, and Washington found Paine鈥檚 exhortation to overcome patriot sufferings so moving that he ordered it read to his troops. A few days later, early in the morning after Christmas, the impassioned troops crossed the icy Delaware river and overwhelmed the surprised Hessian mercenaries at the Battle of Trenton. It was the first decisive American military victory in our history and forever destroyed the myth of British invulnerability.

Paine left the newly formed nation not long after independence. Improbably, he was elected as a deputy to the French National Convention where he participated in the French Revolution, narrowly escaping the guillotine. Although he ultimately returned to the United States, Paine never regained his former prominence.

As we continue to celebrate these 250 years, Paine鈥檚 career should remind us of the power of words to change destiny. And, with Haym Salomon, we should recall that words often depend on the practical world of finance to help forge a new reality.

Dr. Daniel Stone is Regional Medical Director of Cedars-Sinai Valley Network and a practicing internist and geriatrician with Cedars Sinai Medical Group. The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of Cedars-Sinai.

鈥淚f you can鈥檛 solve a problem, make it bigger.鈥�

We have all spent the weeks surrounding America鈥檚 250th anniversary being reminded, encouraged and sometimes inspired by lessons from this country鈥檚 fight for independence. But the above quote comes from a military leader of somewhat more recent vintage, former president Dwight Eisenhower, who offers advice for those who feel like we鈥檙e facing a seemingly unresolvable challenge. Many of us have become frustrated or perhaps frightened by the growing scourge of antisemitism that has reemerged over the last few years, but perhaps there are lessons in Eisenhower鈥檚 counsel that can help us move forward.

鈥淢ake it bigger鈥� is Ike鈥檚 way of telling us that the outlines of a solution often appear when a problem is viewed within its broader context. And what problem could be bigger than antisemitism?

We often regard this type of noxious bigotry as our own singular challenge, and we have been consumed by ongoing debates about how and whether to fight back, over the false choice between assimilation and isolation, and the most effective methods to ensure our protection, safety and security. But Eisenhower鈥檚 advice reminds us that the heightened threat of hatred against the 91传媒 people is but one aspect of a much larger crisis in which our society has become increasingly polarized and dangerously divided.

It鈥檚 possible that the best way to effectively confront this one intensely personal type of intolerance is by becoming part of a larger effort to improve the environment in which such anger now thrives. If we agree that antisemitism is only one example of a widespread and pernicious instinct toward division and 鈥渙ther-ization,鈥� then it becomes clear that we can only eradicate these animosities as part of a far broader effort.

Jews are certainly not the only underrepresented community in this country that suffers from irrational prejudice and bias. But even beyond the other minority groups that must navigate an overly and unnecessarily hostile landscape, there is a much larger population of exhausted Americans who are waiting and hoping for a level of public discourse that is more civil, more respectful and more enjoyable than the bitterness and acrimony to which we have become accustomed.

One of the oldest and most unsolvable discussions in the 91传媒 community is over how special we are. Some argue that because we are God鈥檚 chosen people, the challenges we face and the obstacles we must confront are fundamentally different that those of other underrepresented communities. Others maintain that our unique status does not absolve us of the obligation to work with others navigating similar difficulties. But the qualities that make us distinct allow us to lead, and the universality of our goals can allow us to join forces with those whose objectives are comparable 鈥� but not identical 鈥� to ours.

Even as we celebrated the Fourth of July last week, the word 鈥淯nited鈥� that is the most important element of our country鈥檚 name may have seemed almost taunting for many of us. We recognize that we are deeply politically and culturally divided, and the path back toward reestablishing that sense of unity will be a long and difficult one. But the first step on that path requires outreach to those who are different, a tolerance to hear them when they disagree with us, and a willingness to find common ground with those who share many 鈥� but not all 鈥� of our desires and dreams.

Call it patriotism, or if that term itself now seems too divisive, call it civic-mindedness or community-building or any other less challenging language. In addition to our current efforts to fight antisemitism, that will require us to join and to lead these types of broader bridge-building efforts, to be part of projects that create an environment where discrimination and division is less comfortable and where antisemitism is no longer welcome. Achieving such a utopian vision is admittedly improbable, but even the efforts to move even slightly in that direction can be a big solution to the sort of big problem that our former president was encouraging us to meet.

Dan Schnur is the U.S. Politics Editor for the 91传媒 Journal. He teaches courses in politics, communications, and leadership at UC Berkeley, USC and Pepperdine. He hosts the monthly webinar 鈥淭he Dan Schnur Political Report” for the Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall. Follow Dan’s work at

For centuries, the 91传媒 people have served as history’s earliest warning system. Long before persecution engulfs entire societies, it almost invariably begins with Jews. The pattern is so consistent that one might expect humanity to have learned from it. Instead, each generation persuades itself that this time is different.

It never is.

I am frequently asked to explain antisemitism. The question is usually framed as though it were a political problem, a cultural anomaly or a social pathology awaiting the proper remedy.

History suggests otherwise.

Most people do not want the history. They do not want the origins. They certainly do not want 2,000 years of expulsions, blood libels, pogroms, ghettos, quotas, concentration camps and today’s resurgence of open antisemitism across Europe and North America.

They want the executive summary.

During a recent television interview, the host interrupted.

“Give it to me in a couple of sentences.”

A couple of sentences.

Two thousand years of history 鈥� compressed into a sound bite.

It cannot be done. Nor should it be.

Antisemitism is more than hatred directed at Jews. It is one manifestation of a far older and more dangerous reality: evil.

Evil is repeatedly misunderstood because civilized societies instinctively judge others through the lens of their own moral framework. They assume that adversaries share a common moral vocabulary, that reason will ultimately prevail and that coexistence is the natural destination of human affairs. History repeatedly demonstrates that such assumptions are seldom warranted. When one side remains bound by ethical restraint while the other rejects those same restraints, judgment yields to wishful thinking rather than evidence.

The danger lies not only in the existence of evil, but in humanity’s recurring tendency to misjudge its nature, its intentions and its willingness to act.

Evil does not negotiate. It does not compromise. It does not discover a conscience. Left unopposed, it advances. History has demonstrated this with relentless consistency.

Judaism teaches the sanctity of life, and the dignity of every human being created B’Tselem Elohim 鈥� in the image of God. It also teaches that moral restraint is not synonymous with passivity. Ethical societies have both the right and the obligation to defend themselves against those who reject every moral restraint.

For 2,000 years, Jews have repeatedly been assured that accommodation would bring acceptance, that assimilation would produce safety, and that reason would ultimately prevail over hatred. Expulsions, blood libels, pogroms, ghettos, quotas, concentration camps and today’s resurgence of open antisemitism across Europe and North America testify otherwise.

History’s verdict is unmistakable.

Last summer, a first cousin walking along Drottninggatan, Stockholm’s busiest pedestrian street, witnessed a young Hasidic Jew running for his life while three men pursued him, screaming antisemitic slurs and hurling bricks at his head. My cousin demanded that a nearby police officer intervene. According to my cousin, the officer replied, “Why? It’s just a Jew.”

Civilized societies rarely collapse overnight. They erode incrementally. They first normalize language once considered unacceptable. Then conduct once considered unthinkable. Eventually, they learn to look away.

That progression should sound familiar.

The lesson extends well beyond the 91传媒 experience. Evil rarely arrives wearing a uniform or carrying a flag. More often, it appears disguised as grievance, indifference, rationalization or fashionable moral confusion. It advances each time decent people persuade themselves that someone else will confront it.

History does not lack evidence. It lacks those willing to learn from it.

The 20th century demonstrated what happens when evil is underestimated. The 21st century is testing whether we remember.

History has already rendered its judgment.

Evil does not negotiate.

It does not compromise.

Left unopposed, it advances.

Steven J. Manning is an author, publisher, speaker, broadcaster, business leader and son of Holocaust survivors whose work explores leadership, business, politics, technology, history, and the moral, cultural, and intellectual currents that shape civilizations 鈥� and, at times, imperil them.