Aspen Columnist Argues Havruta Study Method Fixes Local Governance

Aspen —"I’m better at explaining pepperoni pizza than the Middle East."

That is the headline of a new column in the Aspen Times, and it is the kind of self-aware admission that should make every policy wonk in the valley sweat a little. The author, Schwartz, isn’t just talking about food; he’s talking about the gap between the complex, messy reality of a region and the simplified narratives we serve up on a plate.

For context, Schwartz grew up on the East Coast, where his identity was wrapped tightly in the collective. He describes a world where being Jewish was a package deal — synagogues on every corner, a shared worldview, and a consensus that functioned like an unwritten rule. It was comfortable. It was familiar. It was, in his words, "inherited and inflexible."

Then he moved here.

Let’s do the math on that shift. On the East Coast, you were part of a crowd. Here, in the Mountain West, the spaces are vast, and the crowds are thin. Schwartz notes that encountering a minyan out here is as elusive as spotting a nesting bald eagle. That scarcity changes how you process information. You stop relying on the group to define your reality and start carving out your own.

He credits a traditional Jewish practice called havruta for helping him navigate this transition. It’s a method of study where partners question, debate, and challenge each other’s certainties. The goal isn’t immediate consensus; it’s the rigorous testing of ideas. It is, essentially, the antidote to the "blind faith doubled down with loud chanting" that Schwartz argues plagues modern politics.

On paper, havruta sounds like a perfect tool for local governance. We could use it to dissect zoning laws, budget allocations, and infrastructure plans without the pressure to agree immediately. In practice, though, it requires patience and a willingness to be wrong. It asks you to hold your certainty loosely, to let it be challenged before you stake your reputation on it.

Schwartz’s column is a reminder that our understanding of complex issues — whether it’s the Middle East or a local development project, is often built on assumptions we haven’t tested. We consume the narrative because it’s convenient, because it fits the story we’ve already told ourselves. But convenience is not accuracy.

The practical bottom line for folks around here is simple: stop accepting the easy explanation. When a developer promises a "world-class amenity," ask what that actually costs. When an official cites "economic growth," ask who is growing. Use the havruta approach. Find a neighbor, a colleague, a skeptic. Ask them to poke holes in the narrative. Debate the numbers. Challenge the premises.

If you can’t explain the Middle East, maybe you shouldn’t be explaining the budget. But you should definitely be questioning it.