Another rejection

Last time I updated here on my Levitical Cities paper, it had just been rejected from a fairly prominent Israeli Tanach journal, and I was planning on moving on to a lower tier Tanach journal which is more conservative in its positions, as it's a Dati-founded-and-run journal. However, since then my academic advisor recommended trying at another fairly prominent journal, one which we (well, technically he) had decided originally would reject it. But after many subsequent edits to the original draft, he now thought it might have a chance.

That chance started in May when I sent it in. I had hoped that the fact that it took them just over two months to get back to me meant that it had a very good chance, but unfortunately earlier today I was informed that it had been rejected yet again. So on to the Dati journal (basically because there aren't a lot of journals in Israel, and essentially only three that focus on Tanach). I feel let-down because I had too high-hopes that it had a good chance in one of the other two journals, but from the peer notes from both journals it doesn't really sound like that. And besides, it could also be rejected from the third journal.

Academia is really hard and frustrating.

I put my heart and soul into this paper for over two years. Sigh.

Comments

  1. ALehodiaSeptember 10, 2024 at 11:16 PM

    Don't give up. Every letter is another ring in the ladder. Remember who you are really writing for: H" Elokeinu H" Echad. Only H" knows who is righteous and who is not (yet). Double sigh... Empathizing; its hard to exclude the potential of tomorrow while living through today. The last article I published was about Rosh Chodesh and it's treasurehouse for women. That was the only article I had for print that was rescheduled before publication. The publishers would have had no way of knowing that it published on the day I had to bury my second son who was born on R"Ch, and the symbolism was profound. H" knows everything and it all means something. Everything - it ALL means something. We just need to learn how to listen. Sometimes we're not ready (yet). Sometimes the person not ready is the writer(s). That was the last published article I've written.
    Sometimes the person or people not ready is/are the reader. (Currently I"m living in "exile") Only H" knows everything always everywhere all the time. But someday when we're ready (or not) we'll ALL know. So I think the thing to do now for the sake of H' who is crying for ALL of us meanwhile, is to pray for that day to come speedily in our days, A-men 🙏🏻 See you in Yerushalayim!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HarelSeptember 11, 2024 at 11:29 PM

      Thank you for the kind words. Sad to read about your son.

      Delete
    2. ALehodiaSeptember 12, 2024 at 6:14 AM

      Thank YOU. I am grateful for the years we had before he ascended. You are wise and kind and think deeply. I have no doubt you will succeed and likely exceed your own expectations. May H" return and amplify your efforts greatly with expansive deah leading to great reward both in this world and for joy and wisdom in the world to come, and may the empathy/pain that you share for the suffering of others lower the level of suffering you will need to experience in your close circles and protect you for all of your days. And may your works come in to print prolifically! A gut gebentcht un mazeldike yar v'chol tuv!

      Delete

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