At the Association for Jewish Studies Annual Meeting, we presented an edited volume to my mentor, Professor Shaye Cohen (Harvard University): Strength to Strength: Essays in Honor of Shaye J. D. Cohen (Brown Judaic Studies). It was a warm and wonderful event. Isaiah Gafni and I each spoke briefly and then Shaye offered his own funny and touching reflections. Below are the remarks that I gave. As the editor I am of course biased, but it really is a great volume that can be ordered here.
It was really a great privilege for me to work on this volume. Although weighing in at over 700 pages – which probably could have doubled if we openly solicited articles, and thus ruined the surprise – this was the easiest volume that I ever edited. I don’t fully know why the all the contributors were so cooperative and timely – not a small thing – although I suspect it is due to the high regard in which they all hold Shaye. So let me begin with my thanks to all of the contributors, both those who are here and the many who sent their regrets, and to Shaye, whose reputation made my work so easy.
I am sure that many of you have noticed that I have chosen not to use the term Festschrift for this volume. That was a deliberate choice, made for two reasons. The first is that outside of a tiny, really tiny, sliver of people, nobody actually knows what a Festschrift is. Why take a fantastic volume and prominently label it with a weird, off-putting German word? Second, the “Festschrift” originated as a way not just to honor an academic colleague, but to do so on the occasion of some celebratory event. This is usually a retirement or aged birthday, capping the end of a glorious career. In Shaye’s case, I felt, neither fits. While we all join in celebrating Shaye’s accomplishments to date, we also look forward to continuing to enjoy them for many years to come.
This also relates to another word missing from the volume’s title, “From.” Obviously, the well-known phrase is “From strength to strength,” and I do realize that leaving off that “From” makes the title seem a bit naked. But I also felt that there was something too linear to the phrase, as if one jumps from one strength to the next, leaving the first in the past. To my mind, that is very much not Shaye. One of Shaye’s great strengths is his ability to weave in and out not just of personal strengths but also dialogue. Shaye’s writings – rigorous, clear, and provocative – have always seemed to me to be intended not to set the record straight, although perhaps some have, as they do make us reconsider what we thought we knew, and to draw us into a deeper dialogue. I remember a colleague once commenting to me that he was astounded, and jealous, by the number of articles that Shaye had written that remain foundational, igniting a series of scholarly conversations in multiple areas. The title cannot capture the degree to which Shaye’s work inspires interactivity, dialogue, and even the formation of intellectual communities – something that in his administrative roles he has always been concerned to foster – but it is at least an attempt to gesture toward it.
Let me now say a few words directly to Shaye. You have been, and continue to be, an exemplar – mostly positive – to more than one generation of scholars and students. You have taught us to treat the work that we do, as well as each other, with respect and professionalism. You have taught us that there is little excuse for scholarly sloppiness; that our thinking needs to sharp and critical; and that even a brilliant idea withers if it is not expressed clearly. You have taught us to take our responsibilities as mentors seriously; to respond to their budding ideas with engagement in a timely manner. You have taught us that we all have responsibilities, to our colleagues, our teachers, and the profession. You have taught us to stay playful even when serious, and to learn from each other even when we disagree. And, most visibly, you have taught us something about the power of a whimsical tie to spice up our often drab sartorial choices. We – or now it is better for me to speak only for myself – I, do not always take these lessons to heart – particularly but not only the one about the ties – but do know that this is do more to my own failings than your example. You have inspired and challenged us, and we look forward to many, many more years of you continuing to do so.
So with that, it is my great honor, on behalf of your many admiring colleagues, to present you with two copies of your non-Festschrift.