The Lies of Perception

By Rabbi Mark Borovitz

I have found myself getting less angry and more resolute in being addicted to redemption. When I would read op-eds like the one written last Saturday in the New York Times by Joe Nocera, I would go around ranting and raving about the injustice and insanity of people. Now, I just experience sadness and a shaking of my head. My sadness comes from the knowledge that people want to believe lies and accept, condone and excuse people who are incapable of doing T’Shuvah, true repentance and return.

The article is about Jonah Lehrer who is a plagiarist and has written a new book about love. He has been out of journalism for about a year and has never really done more than say “I'm sorry.” My question is: is he sorry for his betrayal and lies or is he sorry he got caught?

The article goes on to chronicle another disgraced writer, Stephen Glass. Here is a man who has done T’Shuvah, he has been serious and resolute in his repentance. He has changed and is doing work to change the world around him. What is Jonah Lehrer doing? He is trying to make money off of his infamy with no real Repentance/T’Shuvah. Why would anyone buy his book? Why would a publisher even publish it?