Inspiring People to Realize Their Potential w/ Rabbi Daniel Cohen

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There are few things that make people successful.

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Taking a step forward to change their lives is one successful trait, but it takes some

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time to get there.

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How do you move forward to greet the success that awaits you?

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Welcome to Next Steps Forward with host Chris Meek.

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Each week, Chris brings on another guest who has successfully taken the next steps forward.

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Now here is Chris Meek.

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Hello, I'm Chris Meek, and you've tuned to this week's episode of Next Steps Forward.

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As always, it's a pleasure to have you with us.

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Our special guest today is Rabbi Daniel Cohen.

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Rabbi Cohen is a popular motivator, mentor, and inspirational speaker.

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His unique blend of authenticity, humor, wisdom, and insight has helped many others to better

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navigate contemporary society and lead lives of legacy.

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He has served in the Rabbinate for more than 30 years.

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Rabbi Cohen is author of What Would They Say About You When You Were Gone?

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Creating a Life of Legacy, and the newly released book, The Secret of the Light.

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Engaging in hundreds of end-of-life conversations and delivering thousands of eulogies provide

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him with a unique perspective on the essence of a meaningful life.

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As a result, Rabbi Cohen is a sought-after national speaker on leading a life of legacy.

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He's also the co-host with Reverend Greg Dahl of the nationally syndicated radio show,

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The Rabbi and the Reverend.

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And here's the part I love, he enjoys doing magic shows, playing sports, writing, searching

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for God, and living life with joy and an ever-present smile.

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Rabbi Daniel Cohen, welcome to Next Steps Forward.

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Thank you very much.

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It's so wonderful to be here, especially a fellow guy from Connect.

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We're neighbors in Stanford, so I appreciate you taking the time, but ironically enough,

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you're not in Stanford today, but we'll get to that in a few minutes.

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Rabbi, America was founded as a beacon of hope, justice, freedom, and good, and yet

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there's been a noticeable rise in anti-Semitism in this country in recent years.

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That's been evidenced by an increase in violent attacks, hate speech, and vandalism targeting

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Jewish communities and institutions.

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Is America still living up to its historical role of being a beacon of good today?

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So first of all, I'm a big believer.

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My grandmother immigrated, as most of my grandparents did actually, from Europe.

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One of the things they always talked to me is about the Statue of Liberty, the blessings

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of our country.

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When it was the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, my grandmother got for all of

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the grandkids little coins.

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She wrote letters, saying, give me your tired, your poor, your hungry.

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I believe that America has been a beacon, and God only will continue to be a beacon

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of freedom, liberty.

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I'm actually, as you noted before, in D.C., and I was just at the memorial for Thomas

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Jefferson, and just thinking about the underlying Judeo-Christian values and what our country

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has to offer.

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That doesn't mean, of course, that every country is perfect, and that doesn't mean we can't

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continue to aspire to those values.

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I do believe that the diminishment of faith in our country has led in many ways to a rise

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in bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism, which unfortunately continues to emerge.

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But I do think we haven't lost hope, and I haven't, in what America is all about.

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We have to continue to fight for those values and really do what we can to see the face

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of God in every human being.

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America certainly, I believe, is a place where we can still do that, and God willing, we'll

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do more so in the days ahead.

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As a follow-up to that, with our widening political and social divisions, does America

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risk losing its moral standing in the global community and its moral compass here at home?

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Look, I think that when you think about what America has to offer to the world, and again,

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the values, this notion that we are, and we don't say it enough, one nation, under God,

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indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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We have to continue to aspire to that and affirm that.

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I think America has been a leader over the past 200 years.

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I think in many ways, America needs to not diminish its role.

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We're living in a time which is more dangerous than ever, where we have a lot of nefarious

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actors that are trying to really bring the world into a more negative place.

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But I think that while we have to examine our mistakes, we can't shirk our responsibility

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to continue to mine the values that our country was founded on, and also continue to think

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about what it means to be a country that is united under one God.

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That means that regardless of a person's economic status, regardless of a person's race, creed,

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culture, or faith, we believe in the equal rights of every human being to freedom and

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to the pursuit of happiness.

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So again, as I said, I haven't lost faith in it, and I think that it's important to

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try to move forward.

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We can beat ourselves up, but that doesn't accomplish anything.

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Have time for self-reflection, and then try to move forward.

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America, as we know, has been a refuge for persecuted peoples.

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You mentioned your grandparents coming over here.

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You talked about the Statue of Liberty.

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I love that story where it says, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses

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yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

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So we opened our arms, again, for those persecuted.

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But at the same time, America has its own history of slavery, discrimination, and ongoing

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inequality.

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How can we reconcile America as a moral beacon with those deep flaws?

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So I think when you think about, look, at the time when America was founded, unfortunately,

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we are living, I think, in the broader theme of things.

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If you look at world history over the past 2,000 years, we're living in a time of greater

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economic freedom and greater uplift for more people in the world than ever before.

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Does that mean that part of that journey and part of that process, there wasn't slavery?

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There was.

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I mean, the reality is, in other countries, there also was as well.

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America was an exceptional case.

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I also think that with the Civil War and with the civil rights movements and with fighting

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for freedom and welcoming people who are being persecuted to our shores, overall, America

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has been a strong beacon.

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And I think it's important also to really try to encourage people, regardless of how

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they were born or what community they were born into, not to see themselves as victims.

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The reality is, is that each person is empowered with choosing freedom.

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You know, Viktor Frankl, who I'm a big fan of in Man's Search for Meaning, says, what

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cannot be taken from a person is the choices they make given the circumstances that they

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are in.

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And everybody, again, we do believe in the value, and I believe in the value of a, you

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know, one of my mentors, my Jonathan Sachs, a great Jewish philosopher, he said, I believe

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in capitalism with a conscience.

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So I believe that everybody needs to do the best that they can to economically do better.

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That doesn't mean we shouldn't have safety nets.

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Of course, we should have safety nets.

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We also don't want people to feel tied to those.

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We want to recognize that everybody does have unique talents, and together, hopefully, everybody

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can rise.

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And I think we've seen it happen in our country.

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I think that, God willing, we'll see more of that.

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And I think, yes, we've had our challenges over the past 200 years.

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But overall, with everyone's support, America has certainly been a fertile ground for people

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really to rise above the challenges that they may have been born into, to be able to achieve

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great things in their life.

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As we look specifically at the current rise in anti-Semitism in America, how does it compare

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to previous periods in American history?

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Are there any parallels or key differences?

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Yeah, it's interesting.

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I think that we were very blessed for a number of decades, really, in America.

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I mean, take, for example, anti-Semitism, which has been, unfortunately, a plague for

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the Jewish people for hundreds of years.

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But I do think that, again, going back to what I said before, when generally faith is

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strong in a country and people recognize the Judeo-Christian values that America is on,

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there's a sense that, you know what, every human being is created in God's image.

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Whether I go to church, synagogue, or a mosque on Sunday, the reality is I need to see the

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sparks of holiness in everybody.

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But what has happened in our country, again, going back to this, is that with the separation,

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which I think is important, of course, of church and state, but the diminishment of

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faith, there's been a virus that has emerged, which is really, again, looking at people

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not for who they are internally, but again, for the color of their skin.

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There's scapegoating.

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There's racism.

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But I think we can, you know, turn the tide.

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And I would say, look, there was a lot of sympathy that was generated for the Jewish

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people after the Holocaust.

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I mean, clearly, the Jewish people were tremendously persecuted.

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And I would say there was a time when there was real acceptance, and there has been, you

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know, of the Jewish people within mainstream society.

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Yet unfortunately, again, this virus has emerged a little bit, certainly tied a little bit

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to what's going on in Israel.

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But I think we cannot allow what's happening today a little bit too frequently to happen.

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It's not America.

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It is not a place that has ever, America is a place that accepts people for who they are,

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that values citizens regardless of their faith, creed, or culture, that really celebrates

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what unites us, not what divides us.

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And I think we have to reclaim that history within America, and God willing, that destiny

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as well.

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How has the rise of anti-Semitism affected the way Jewish Americans live their daily

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lives?

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I mean, my son plays basketball at our local Jewish community center.

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Every time I go in for practice or a game, there's an armed guard outside, and I'm Christian.

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I can't imagine what it's like as part of that being my everyday life.

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Look, I mean, I would say there's definitely been a shift.

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I mean, when I first started in the Rabbinate in Stanford, Connecticut, people would just

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walk in the building.

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I mean, there was no security there, other than on holidays, you just walked in.

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But unfortunately, you know, it's not only anti-Semitism.

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I mean, there's been a rise in violence in general in America, and that is really tragic.

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We see it all the time.

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We don't need to go through it.

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And I think there's a recognition that we need to offer more security.

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At the same time, I'll take Stanford for example.

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I don't think people in Stanford walk around in fear.

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People walk around wearing their Star of David publicly, wearing a yarmulke publicly.

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The majority of people, I believe, are law-abiding people, good people out there.

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But I would say, again, it's a little unnerving that we have to live in a society where we

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do have to have so much security.

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So I think overall, I'd change it.

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Look, one thing I would say, it brings people back to their Jewish identity a little bit.

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Unfortunately, when people are being persecuted or are, to a certain degree, there's a rise

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in anti-Semitism, people are asking themselves the question, if I am being targeted for being

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a Jew, maybe I should find out a little more what it means to be a Jew.

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I've seen people come back to their faith a little more.

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I'll share an anecdote with you.

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I was in Washington a number of months ago.

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It was the first ever Christian-Jewish alliance lobbying on Capitol Hill for Israel.

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There were many Christian Zionists that came to support Israel.

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One of them was from an organization in upstate New York in Buffalo called Eagles Wings.

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I said to him, what motivated you to be a Christian Zionist?

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He said to me that he started at a church in Massachusetts, and he wanted to connect

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with the Jewish community.

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So somebody said, why don't you do an event to support Israel?

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So he did a night to support Israel.

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The morning after the event, somebody threw a rock into his church and broke the glass

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to basically protest the fact that he was supporting Israel.

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He literally said, if somebody hates Israel that much, that they're going to break a glass

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on the morning after a church has had an event to support Israel, I need to understand what's

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worth fighting for.

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I need to understand what makes Israel so supportive.

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He flew to Israel.

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He understood a little more of why Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people.

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He got more connected with the Bible that says those who bless you will be blessed and

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those who curse you will be cursed.

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And it led to a whole new pathway in his life to be a religious Zionist.

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I've been especially concerned about the aggressive surge in anti-Semitism speech and violence

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on college campuses across the country since last October 7th.

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In many interviews, protesters don't even know the history or the facts behind the conflict

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and either don't understand or really just don't seem to care about the meaning of the

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phrase from the river to the sea when they use it.

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I understand the motivation of many Arab Americans, but what's driving the involvement of uninformed

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young people who have joined that cause?

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So I think that there's oftentimes a way too simplistic understanding that young people

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have and in general, which is oppressed, oppressor numbers, and just looking at things

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without any sense of moral bearing.

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The reality is, is that unfortunately there were many innocent lives have been lost thousands

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in Gaza.

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But the reality is, is the blame is to be laid at Hamas on October 6th, for example,

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you know, Israel was doing its thing, Arabs are doing its thing.

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People need to remember the history here.

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The Jews were forcibly evacuated from Gaza to give a opportunity for that area to build

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an economically viable place.

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Hamas, though, unfortunately, instead of investing millions, if not billions of dollars in infrastructure

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to create an economically viable place, they invested in tunnels and invested in terror.

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And Hamas is absolutely no interested in innocent Palestinians.

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They're hiding, you know, Jews will use missiles to protect their civilians.

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Hamas will use civilians to protect their missiles.

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So for somebody who doesn't understand the broad thing, they'll say, well, 50,000 Gazans

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died.

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It's tragic.

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But as I've always said, if Israel put down its weapons, Hamas would destroy Israel.

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If Hamas put down its weapons, there will be peace.

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And I think unfortunately we're living in a world of soundbites, living in a world of

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simplistic equations.

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But again, Hamas beheaded, raped through babies in ovens and burned them alive on October

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7th.

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That didn't have to happen.

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There's still hostages that are there.

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If Hamas right now said we'll return the hostages, we'll put down our weapons.

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Let's focus on living together in the Abrahamic vision.

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Let's build a better life for future generations.

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I think it's possible.

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But unfortunately, there's been a generational indoctrination.

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It's happened on our college campuses as well.

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And we have to work very hard to combat that.

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I've not lost faith, and neither have many people, in the possibility of light over a

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moment of darkness, in living in a world where we can truly live side by side in peace.

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You mentioned the indoctrination on college campuses.

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Is what's happening on these campuses a preview of a fight for Western values?

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100%.

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And anybody that thinks that this is only against Israel is naive.

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I mean, they're burning not only Israeli flags, but they're burning American flags.

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I mean, to me, it's really tragic when people come to monuments in our country and put a

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keffiyeh on it and deface it.

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I mean, again, this is not America.

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I don't think it represents a large group, but I think it represents a group that really

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needs to be held in check and say, this is not who we are.

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I mean, the reality is that, of course, America welcomes immigrants.

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It should.

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But if you're going to be here, you need to also embody the values of what America stands

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for.

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And that's not the values that America stands for.

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In your view, what should colleges and universities be doing to combat anti-Semitism while still

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protecting free speech?

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So I think that, you know, again, this is something I've talked to, you know, governmental

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leaders about it.

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I had a fruitful conversation with Senator Blumenthal, who's a close friend, who's the

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senator in Connecticut about it.

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We believe in free speech.

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At the same time, we don't believe in free speech that is, you know, genocidal.

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The reality is, is that when somebody says from the river to the sea, Palestine should

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be free, that's a call for the eradication of the Jewish people in Israel.

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Anybody that says that I'm against Zionism, but I'm not an anti-Semite doesn't understand

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the connection of Zionism to Judaism.

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If somebody is a Jew and says, I'm not a Zionist, they're actually a heretic.

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The basis of Judaism is a belief in a homeland.

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And I think that, again, people have a right to free speech, but not to call for the eradication

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of a people, eradication of a state.

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Obviously, people can disagree with policies in Israel.

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But the other thing is that the college campuses certainly have to clamp down on the way that

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unfortunately some of these rallies have gone out of hand where they prevent Jews, like

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in UCLA or different places, that there should be no Jew-free zones.

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God forbid if somebody said there should be a black-free zone or a gay-free zone on campus,

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there will be outrage.

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Same thing can't happen to the Jewish people either.

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So I think we're at a pivotal moment.

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And I think if we, again, stand strong and understand, again, what the values of our

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country are, there are, by the way, universities that have stood strong and they're dealing

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with it.

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And I think we shouldn't have universities that are afraid of the masses.

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It should never be that the inmates are running the asylum.

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Not that I'm calling university asylums, of course.

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But the point is, they're good.

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Anyway, you get what I'm saying.

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Absolutely get it.

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Absolutely get it.

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So in the bigger picture, social media has made it so much easier to spread anti-Semitic

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ideas.

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Are we simply going to have to accept that's the way things are going to be from now on?

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Or do you believe there can be an effective way to use social media to combat online hate

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and misinformation?

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Because the reality is, is that social media has been a way to connect people, to inspire

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people.

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And I think that it connects people also around very positive ideas as well.

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And one of those ideas, I'll give you an example.

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We did something in Stanford we continue to do, which is called the Elijah Moment campaign,

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which is basically inspiring people to do flash mobs of kindness.

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It really emanates from the book that we'll talk about a little bit later.

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But imagine, for example, using social media to say, you know what, there's a person here

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who needs something.

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Let's all support this organization.

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Let's all get engaged.

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Look, so I think that social media has been dangerous because people can hide behind anonymity.

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They can spread lies.

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They can spread anti-Semitic conspiracies.

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But at the same time, I'd rather go with responsible social media than not have it at all.

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How can we better understand and confront anti-Semitism in all its forms, whether it's

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coming from the far right or the far left?

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And what can non-Jews do to be better allies to the Jewish community during this troubling

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rise in anti-Semitism?

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So I think that, first of all, I appreciate this question a lot.

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We're kindred spirits and regardless of what our faith is, the reality is we want to create

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a better society.

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So I think that one of the ways to help is to reach out to the Jewish community, to reach

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out to synagogues, let them know you're thinking about them.

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Maybe it's support for Israel in different ways.

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I think also, and this is important, the more friendships we create, the more bridges we

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create among communities, we really understand that there's so much more in common than not.

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I've said this actually with one of my close friends is Reverend Greg Dahl, who is the

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head of the Narotan Presbyterian Church in Darien.

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And just bringing together around, you know, the community around good works.

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It's hard to hate somebody who's a friend of yours, who's somebody that you know.

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So I think saying to the leaders of your faith communities, why don't we do an event with

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the Jewish community?

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Why don't we help the homeless, you know, in our community?

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Why don't we help, you know, single moms, whatever that is?

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I think that would be a big help.

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I also think that visits to Israel are important.

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I've done, you know, visits with, you know, interfaith groups and going.

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There's nothing like seeing, meeting Israelis, appreciating, you know, what the homeland

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is all about is also a wonderful way to connect.

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We oftentimes think that our country is defined by the extremes.

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The reality is, is a very large swath of center people, people who aren't left, who aren't

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extreme right, who really want to come together around the values that we actually all share.

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So I think there are a lot of pathways forward for that.

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I couldn't agree with you more.

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I've always said that America is really a bell curve and you've got the 10% in the far

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left and 10% in the far right and 80% are in the middle who will agree to disagree.

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So I completely appreciate your viewpoint on that.

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You know, are there specific books or websites you'd recommend for our listeners if they

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wanted to go to, to learn more about the history of Judaism?

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Yeah, a couple of things.

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I mean, first of all, I would recommend something called Stand With Us, which is a great website

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that actually focuses on combating antisemitism and support for Israel.

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So that's another great one.

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Another one is called AISH, A-I-S-H.com.

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If you want to learn more about Judaism, it's actually based in Jerusalem.

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They have a wonderful website, all about the holidays, about principles of Jewish faith.

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And it's a great, great website as well.

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And people can always reach out to me.

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I mean, as I think we're going to talk about, I put together a podcast with a friend of

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mine called Judaism in the 21st Century, but I'll let you talk about that, it's a great

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entry point as well.

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Great.

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Thank you for that.

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We've been talking to Rabbi Daniel Cohen and we'll be right back after a short break.

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You are listening to Next Steps Forward.

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To reach Chris Meek or his guest on the show today, please call in to 1-888-346-9141.

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That's 1-888-346-9141.

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Or send an email to chrisatnextstepsforward.com.

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Now back to this week's show.

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And we are back.

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I'm Chris Meek, host of Next Steps Forward.

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My guest today is Rabbi Daniel Cohen.

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Rabbi Cohen is a popular motivator, mentor, and inspirational speaker.

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His unique blend of authenticity, humor, wisdom, and insight has helped many others to better

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00:27:24,360 --> 00:27:27,120
navigate contemporary society and lead lives of legacy.

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He has served in the rabbinate for more than 30 years and is the author of What Will They

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00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:35,200
Say About You When You Are Gone, Creating a Life of Legacy, and the newly released book,

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The Secret of the Light.

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He is also the co-host with Reverend Greg Dahl of the nationally syndicated radio show,

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The Rabbi and the Reverend.

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Rabbi, many times we think we understand a different religion because we have a 30,000

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foot perspective, but we really don't understand it.

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Or even worse, what we think we know is completely wrong.

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For those unfamiliar with Judaism, what does it mean to be Jewish?

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Is it a religious identity, an ethnic identity, or both?

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So first of all, I would say primarily it's a religious identity.

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I mean, clearly there's ethnicity to it.

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But at the same time, when you go back to the roots of Judaism, you look in the Bible,

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and I'll even go back.

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You know, initially, I'm going to give you like a very quick history lesson.

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Are you ready?

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I'm ready.

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Bring it on.

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You got to bring it on.

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So in the beginning, literally, in the book of Genesis, God's goal in creating humanity,

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Adam and Eve were not Jewish.

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The idea is God wants a relationship with humanity.

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The greatest pleasure we can have in life is to feel a connection to God and our souls,

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and realize that life has meaning, life has purpose.

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Adam and Eve, unfortunately, distance themselves from God with the sin in the Garden of Eden,

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and then God tasks Adam and Eve are out of the Garden of Eden.

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Unfortunately then, humanity descends into a time of violence and hate and murder, and

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that leads to the generation of the flood.

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After the generation of the flood, I'm not sure if you're familiar with this, God gives

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the children of Noah seven Noahide laws.

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You can actually look it up.

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There are people that are called Noahides.

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Noahides are people that abide by seven principles, which basically help them lead a life which

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is rooted in ethical monotheism and justice.

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After that, after that time, then people into still denying God's presence.

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That's where you have the famous story in the Bible of the Tower of Babel.

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God finally, again, you don't say God decides because God is omniscient, but basically he

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tasks Abraham and Sarah with a mission.

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That mission is to go to the land of Israel and develop a society that is rooted in ethical

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monotheism, righteousness, and justice that will then serve as a source of blessing to

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the world.

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The essence of being a Jew is to be a light unto the nations, and God gave the Jewish

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people at Mount Sinai not only the Ten Commandments, but 613, the Torah as we know it, as a way

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to fuel our faith and be true to a purpose, which is really leading a life which is rooted

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in godliness, in seeing the godliness in every human being, in leading a life of integrity,

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honesty, goodness, kindness.

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Being a Jew means embracing that mission.

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Being the chosen people doesn't mean that we're better than anybody else.

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Judaism believes that you don't have to be Jewish to be a righteous person.

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It just means we have a mission, which is to be the bearer of God's light in the world

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and hopefully inspire the entire world to lead a godly life.

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And what are some of the most common misconceptions about Judaism that you encounter, and how

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can we dispel them?

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So, you know, it's interesting.

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I think that, you know, maybe going back to what I said, I mean, Judaism is not a religion

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that believes in isolating itself.

456
00:31:10,100 --> 00:31:13,540
Judaism believes in elevating, and there's a basic difference.

457
00:31:13,540 --> 00:31:18,340
Sometimes people see Jewish people that are insular, and at the end of the day, God says

458
00:31:18,340 --> 00:31:26,980
to Abraham these words, you are a stranger and a citizen in the world.

459
00:31:26,980 --> 00:31:34,020
Stranger means you may eat different foods, you have different codes within certain holidays

460
00:31:34,020 --> 00:31:38,940
and things like that, but at the end of the day, you're a citizen of the world.

461
00:31:38,940 --> 00:31:44,660
You're supposed to be engaged in finding cures to diseases, in harnessing technology

462
00:31:44,660 --> 00:31:50,940
to improve people's lives, in really trying to be a blessing to the world around you.

463
00:31:50,940 --> 00:31:55,780
That major message of what it means to be Jewish people, and I think sometimes people

464
00:31:55,780 --> 00:32:02,260
perceive Jews not necessarily in that universalistic covenant, but that's part of what we're here

465
00:32:02,260 --> 00:32:03,260
to do as well.

466
00:32:03,260 --> 00:32:08,900
Look, I think that there's a lot, Thomas Cahill wrote a book called The Gift of the Jews.

467
00:32:08,900 --> 00:32:13,060
If you think about it, everybody needs a Sabbath.

468
00:32:13,060 --> 00:32:19,300
Whether or not you're Jewish or not, wouldn't it be great, Chris, if 25 hours every week

469
00:32:19,300 --> 00:32:24,580
you turned off your phone and just focused on the people around you?

470
00:32:24,580 --> 00:32:26,060
That's part of what Judaism offers.

471
00:32:26,060 --> 00:32:27,860
It says, you know what?

472
00:32:27,860 --> 00:32:33,780
Turn off the outside world to tune into your inner world.

473
00:32:33,780 --> 00:32:39,300
Because of our faith, we are most joyous in life when we live, there's a great rabbi,

474
00:32:39,300 --> 00:32:47,060
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, he said, live life with radical amazement.

475
00:32:47,060 --> 00:32:49,000
Everything is wondrous.

476
00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:50,580
Everything is beautiful.

477
00:32:50,580 --> 00:32:56,460
The reality is that life is not meant to be a highlight film.

478
00:32:56,460 --> 00:33:01,500
Sometimes when we have a brush with our mortality, we get really excited, but Judaism is there

479
00:33:01,500 --> 00:33:08,460
to cultivate consistent joy and a sense of really appreciating the relationships that

480
00:33:08,460 --> 00:33:10,780
we have.

481
00:33:10,780 --> 00:33:11,780
Radical amazement.

482
00:33:11,780 --> 00:33:13,380
I love that.

483
00:33:13,380 --> 00:33:18,020
You typically don't hear the word radical in something positive, so I appreciate you

484
00:33:18,020 --> 00:33:21,340
sharing that.

485
00:33:21,340 --> 00:33:26,260
We seem to hear a lot about the Muslim's Sharia law, but there's also Jewish law.

486
00:33:26,260 --> 00:33:30,420
What is the role of Halakha in the everyday lives of Jews and how has it shaped moral

487
00:33:30,420 --> 00:33:33,260
and ethical decision-making in the Jewish community?

488
00:33:33,260 --> 00:33:36,060
So Judaism, again, goes back to what I said before.

489
00:33:36,060 --> 00:33:44,420
The word Halakha is Jewish law, but Jewish law was never meant to be penal, to remove

490
00:33:44,420 --> 00:33:46,780
people from society.

491
00:33:46,780 --> 00:33:52,460
There's no obligation for you, somebody who's not Jewish, to abide by Halakha, but the idea

492
00:33:52,460 --> 00:33:58,940
for Halakha was meant to be a guidepost for all of us, certainly within the Jewish community,

493
00:33:58,940 --> 00:34:01,740
to be very true to the values of Judaism.

494
00:34:01,740 --> 00:34:04,580
And I'll give you an example.

495
00:34:04,580 --> 00:34:09,580
Judaism has a lot of laws around the notion of business ethics, for example, honest weights

496
00:34:09,580 --> 00:34:16,180
and measures, paying people on time, caring for the poor, ensuring that you don't take

497
00:34:16,180 --> 00:34:18,140
revenge.

498
00:34:18,140 --> 00:34:23,660
The notion of, again, that is something that we think about a lot in terms of, I'll give

499
00:34:23,660 --> 00:34:26,340
you another example.

500
00:34:26,340 --> 00:34:31,460
Everybody believes in finders, keepers, losers, weepers.

501
00:34:31,460 --> 00:34:37,460
Judaism has a very strong ethic when it comes to repairing lost objects, restoring property

502
00:34:37,460 --> 00:34:40,820
to one's rightful place.

503
00:34:40,820 --> 00:34:44,500
Halakha also guides us in terms of dietary law.

504
00:34:44,500 --> 00:34:51,340
Look, the reality is, is that I can't eat whenever I want, whatever I want, why?

505
00:34:51,340 --> 00:34:55,180
Because Judaism believes that, you know, two different ways of looking at life.

506
00:34:55,180 --> 00:35:00,620
Do we eat to live or do we live to eat?

507
00:35:00,620 --> 00:35:02,460
Many people live to eat.

508
00:35:02,460 --> 00:35:05,260
They're just thinking about their next meal.

509
00:35:05,260 --> 00:35:09,980
Judaism says that eating is going to elevate us.

510
00:35:09,980 --> 00:35:14,540
Mindful eating, making a blessing before I eat, thinking about it, actually not only

511
00:35:14,540 --> 00:35:19,400
fills my stomach more, but actually gives me a sense that I'm here for a higher purpose.

512
00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:23,220
That's a really important guidepost for us.

513
00:35:23,260 --> 00:35:29,420
Another one, I'll give you an example is, you know, the rhythm of blessings.

514
00:35:29,420 --> 00:35:32,260
Make a blessing when I hear, I make a blessing when I see lightning.

515
00:35:32,260 --> 00:35:34,420
I make a blessing when I see a rainbow.

516
00:35:34,420 --> 00:35:39,380
I make a blessing after I leave the bathroom, believe it or not, Chris, did you know that?

517
00:35:39,380 --> 00:35:40,380
Did not know that.

518
00:35:40,380 --> 00:35:42,100
After you go to the bathroom, you make a blessing.

519
00:35:42,100 --> 00:35:44,540
Well, I'll tell you why.

520
00:35:44,540 --> 00:35:45,780
I once had a kidney stone.

521
00:35:45,780 --> 00:35:47,740
You ever had a kidney stone before?

522
00:35:47,740 --> 00:35:48,740
But thankfully no.

523
00:35:48,740 --> 00:35:49,740
Okay.

524
00:35:49,740 --> 00:35:52,060
Well, it's really painful.

525
00:35:52,060 --> 00:35:59,260
Now one little thing can wreak havoc, but when it actually passes, you feel tremendous.

526
00:35:59,260 --> 00:36:04,020
So Judaism says, be grateful every time you go to the bathroom.

527
00:36:04,020 --> 00:36:07,180
So when I leave the bathroom, I make the following blessing.

528
00:36:07,180 --> 00:36:15,300
I say, thank you, God, for what is open is open and what is closed is closed and everything

529
00:36:15,300 --> 00:36:17,180
is working properly.

530
00:36:17,180 --> 00:36:22,300
And now I'm inspired because I don't take that for granted.

531
00:36:22,300 --> 00:36:25,020
That's the way it guides me.

532
00:36:25,020 --> 00:36:26,940
I think your producer is going to start doing that.

533
00:36:26,940 --> 00:36:27,940
I can tell.

534
00:36:27,940 --> 00:36:29,420
You're going to start doing a blessing like that.

535
00:36:29,420 --> 00:36:32,700
I'm going to have to go back to the recording and play it so I can learn and keep it in

536
00:36:32,700 --> 00:36:33,700
my head as well.

537
00:36:33,700 --> 00:36:35,740
Can't have the kidney stone.

538
00:36:35,740 --> 00:36:38,460
Please do.

539
00:36:38,460 --> 00:36:45,660
Rabbi, Judaism is obviously practiced in many forms from Orthodox to Reform and Conservative.

540
00:36:45,660 --> 00:36:48,900
What are the differences between these movements and how do they coexist within the broader

541
00:36:48,900 --> 00:36:50,940
Jewish community?

542
00:36:50,940 --> 00:36:57,740
So I think that, you know, one of the challenges as a person of faith is how do I marry my

543
00:36:57,740 --> 00:37:00,540
faith to the modern world?

544
00:37:00,540 --> 00:37:04,860
You know, many people might actually diminish their faith so that they can just be engaged

545
00:37:04,860 --> 00:37:06,820
in everything in the modern world.

546
00:37:06,820 --> 00:37:11,700
The danger of that is, is that we lose our tenets of what faith is all about.

547
00:37:11,700 --> 00:37:18,940
On the other hand, if we are again isolated and not engaged, Judaism's goal is to have

548
00:37:18,940 --> 00:37:20,540
an impact on the world around us.

549
00:37:20,540 --> 00:37:25,580
So when you think about Orthodoxy, I'm a modern Orthodox rabbi.

550
00:37:25,580 --> 00:37:32,580
One of the questions is, do you modify the times to the Torah, which is faith, or do

551
00:37:32,580 --> 00:37:36,620
you modify the Torah to fit the times?

552
00:37:36,620 --> 00:37:44,020
In a more traditional viewpoint like mine, the Torah, God's Word, is eternal, and I have

553
00:37:44,020 --> 00:37:50,540
to figure out how do I keep God's Word in the year 2024 like I did in the year 1924

554
00:37:50,540 --> 00:37:52,300
or the 1500s.

555
00:37:52,300 --> 00:37:57,700
In the Reform movement, they say, look, the Torah was actually inspired by God.

556
00:37:57,700 --> 00:37:58,900
It's man-made.

557
00:37:58,900 --> 00:38:04,540
We can keep the general principles, but we're not bound by those same principles.

558
00:38:04,540 --> 00:38:11,020
I actually believe that in a world that is unmoored, in a world that is very unanchored,

559
00:38:11,020 --> 00:38:18,460
modern Orthodoxy, which seeks to synthesize the traditional values of Torah with the modern

560
00:38:18,460 --> 00:38:26,180
world, is a wonderful path to lead life because it enables me to engage in the modern world.

561
00:38:26,180 --> 00:38:32,540
I can be an accountant, a lawyer, a doctor, a podcast host, whatever it is, but I'm still

562
00:38:32,540 --> 00:38:35,620
rooted in my faith, and I can literally live in two worlds.

563
00:38:35,620 --> 00:38:38,060
That was a plug for you, by the way.

564
00:38:38,060 --> 00:38:39,060
Appreciate that.

565
00:38:39,060 --> 00:38:43,700
Check's in the mail.

566
00:38:43,700 --> 00:38:46,820
So Rabbi, let's talk about your path to the rabbinate.

567
00:38:46,820 --> 00:38:49,900
Were you always pointing that direction from childhood, or was it a choice you made later

568
00:38:49,900 --> 00:38:51,860
on?

569
00:38:51,860 --> 00:38:55,700
So look, when I was born, I was born in Albert Einstein Hospital.

570
00:38:55,700 --> 00:38:59,860
The first words that I said when I opened up my eyes were, I want to be a rabbi.

571
00:38:59,860 --> 00:39:00,860
Just kidding.

572
00:39:00,860 --> 00:39:08,220
No, but in all seriousness, I grew up in a home in Atlanta.

573
00:39:08,220 --> 00:39:14,860
My father is a rabbi and a Jewish educator, but more importantly, both my mother and father

574
00:39:14,860 --> 00:39:21,060
were deeply committed to Jewish faith, but they also raised me in a home that was pulsating

575
00:39:21,060 --> 00:39:23,700
with positive Jewish values.

576
00:39:23,700 --> 00:39:26,140
I had a strong sense of the tradition.

577
00:39:26,140 --> 00:39:28,540
I had a strong sense we would welcome people into our home.

578
00:39:28,540 --> 00:39:31,940
A big value in Judaism is hospitality.

579
00:39:31,940 --> 00:39:35,460
If somebody, for example, needed a place for the Sabbath, they would come into our home.

580
00:39:35,460 --> 00:39:41,140
I mean, it was full of joy, responsibility, and I have vivid memories of that.

581
00:39:41,140 --> 00:39:46,740
Like I always say that I don't remember a lot of what my parents told me, but the memories

582
00:39:46,740 --> 00:39:48,460
are very strong.

583
00:39:48,460 --> 00:39:54,420
So when I was in high school and going into college, I felt a strong sense of Jewish responsibility

584
00:39:54,500 --> 00:39:59,460
and kind of knew that I wanted to deepen my understanding of Judaism, but it was really

585
00:39:59,460 --> 00:40:08,340
only in college when somebody invited me to participate in helping Jewish actually in

586
00:40:08,340 --> 00:40:13,700
the New England area that I felt that I had a passion for getting involved in Jewish communal

587
00:40:13,700 --> 00:40:14,700
work.

588
00:40:14,700 --> 00:40:21,980
And really my first job, I was getting ordination and I wasn't sure I got involved in Jewish

589
00:40:21,980 --> 00:40:27,860
education, teaching seventh and eighth graders at a Jewish day school.

590
00:40:27,860 --> 00:40:34,100
Simultaneously, I was involved as a rabbinic intern at a synagogue in West Orange, New

591
00:40:34,100 --> 00:40:37,700
Jersey, and I just felt like I gravitated towards synagogue life.

592
00:40:37,700 --> 00:40:41,380
I enjoyed it a lot and that kind of led me on the path.

593
00:40:41,380 --> 00:40:48,140
So it wasn't a specific epiphany, but it was over time I had wonderful role models, both

594
00:40:48,140 --> 00:40:50,780
at home and people that believed in me.

595
00:40:50,780 --> 00:40:55,020
I remember a young person came to me who was probably five years older than me and

596
00:40:55,020 --> 00:40:57,060
said, you know, you're really good at doing that.

597
00:40:57,060 --> 00:40:59,980
You really excel at doing Jewish outreach work.

598
00:40:59,980 --> 00:41:02,500
And over time, I grabbed the intellect.

599
00:41:02,500 --> 00:41:04,500
My wife is my anchor, Diane.

600
00:41:04,500 --> 00:41:10,300
We've been married for, thank God, 34 years and she's a soulmate and has a similar passion

601
00:41:10,300 --> 00:41:12,620
for helping the Jewish people.

602
00:41:12,620 --> 00:41:16,500
You're obviously a very joyous and passionate person.

603
00:41:16,500 --> 00:41:19,700
Where does that wellspring of joy, confidence, and passion come from?

604
00:41:19,700 --> 00:41:20,700
Has it always been with you?

605
00:41:20,700 --> 00:41:22,820
Is it something you had to learn over time?

606
00:41:22,820 --> 00:41:26,820
I mean, my mother, blessed memory, who died many years ago, she was very upbeat.

607
00:41:26,820 --> 00:41:31,900
When people would ask her how she was doing, first of all, I didn't understand this reference.

608
00:41:31,900 --> 00:41:33,820
I'm the oldest of six.

609
00:41:33,820 --> 00:41:39,540
So when people would call the house and it was crazy, she would say, hello, Grand Central

610
00:41:39,540 --> 00:41:42,700
Station because the house was chaotic.

611
00:41:42,700 --> 00:41:47,420
And they would ask her how she was doing and she would say, thank God, fantastic.

612
00:41:47,420 --> 00:41:49,980
A very grateful, very upbeat person.

613
00:41:49,980 --> 00:41:54,660
And my father also, always saying the words, thank God.

614
00:41:54,660 --> 00:41:57,380
I think that's part of where it came from.

615
00:41:57,380 --> 00:42:04,780
I also grew up, actually, my father was a big proponent of motivational speakers.

616
00:42:04,780 --> 00:42:09,940
Big Zig Ziglar fan, by the way, fantastic.

617
00:42:09,940 --> 00:42:13,820
Your attitude determines your attitude.

618
00:42:13,820 --> 00:42:15,340
He's Mr. Positive.

619
00:42:15,340 --> 00:42:18,620
Norman Vincent Peale, the power of positive thinking.

620
00:42:18,620 --> 00:42:21,180
I kind of grew up on that stuff.

621
00:42:21,180 --> 00:42:27,060
And the other thing is, over time, I got more in touch with Jewish mystical thought.

622
00:42:27,060 --> 00:42:30,660
And I'll give you a story that I live with a lot.

623
00:42:30,660 --> 00:42:34,340
It's a fellow who was 94 years old, Italian man.

624
00:42:34,340 --> 00:42:38,020
He was sick with COVID in the summer of 2000.

625
00:42:38,020 --> 00:42:40,860
He was on a ventilator for a number of months.

626
00:42:40,860 --> 00:42:43,860
Finally he got off the ventilator, he got better.

627
00:42:43,860 --> 00:42:49,740
And on his way out of the hospital, they gave him a bill for one day's use of a ventilator.

628
00:42:49,740 --> 00:42:54,220
It was like $5,000, whatever the currency was.

629
00:42:54,220 --> 00:42:56,860
And as he was leaving, he began to cry.

630
00:42:56,860 --> 00:43:02,020
And the doctor said to him, are you crying because you don't have enough money to pay

631
00:43:02,020 --> 00:43:03,260
for the bill?

632
00:43:03,260 --> 00:43:08,980
And he said, I have enough money to pay for the bill, but I've been breathing God's air

633
00:43:08,980 --> 00:43:12,580
for free for 94 years.

634
00:43:12,620 --> 00:43:16,300
And now I know how much one day's breath is worth.

635
00:43:16,300 --> 00:43:22,940
And I believe in my heart of hearts that every day that God invests me with breath is a gift.

636
00:43:22,940 --> 00:43:29,100
And if that's a gift, my gift back to God is what I do with the gift of life.

637
00:43:29,100 --> 00:43:31,220
And you can't be sad.

638
00:43:31,220 --> 00:43:32,300
You got to be joyous.

639
00:43:32,300 --> 00:43:33,620
This is a tremendous gift.

640
00:43:33,620 --> 00:43:35,020
So I live with that.

641
00:43:35,020 --> 00:43:36,460
I think about it a lot.

642
00:43:36,460 --> 00:43:39,940
And that also definitely lifts me up every day.

643
00:43:39,940 --> 00:43:41,780
We've talked about it earlier in the show.

644
00:43:41,780 --> 00:43:45,420
The first book you wrote is titled, What Will They Say About You When You're Gone?

645
00:43:45,420 --> 00:43:46,420
Creating a Life of Legacy.

646
00:43:46,420 --> 00:43:49,580
And you've devoted much of your career to helping others go about creating lives of

647
00:43:49,580 --> 00:43:50,580
legacy.

648
00:43:50,580 --> 00:43:51,580
How do you define legacy?

649
00:43:51,580 --> 00:43:55,220
And what does it mean to lead a life focused on leaving a legacy?

650
00:43:55,220 --> 00:43:59,900
So you know, the premise of the book, just to go back a little bit, is that you're at

651
00:43:59,900 --> 00:44:00,900
a funeral.

652
00:44:00,900 --> 00:44:04,620
And as you walk out of the funeral, you have a moment when you say to yourself, I hope

653
00:44:04,620 --> 00:44:10,020
they speak about me the way they spoke about that individual.

654
00:44:10,020 --> 00:44:15,700
And you know, you're motivated for about 15 minutes to think about what's important.

655
00:44:15,700 --> 00:44:18,420
And then you go back to life as usual.

656
00:44:18,420 --> 00:44:20,340
But life is not meant to be a highlight film.

657
00:44:20,340 --> 00:44:25,140
And in the book, I help people identify what is the best version of yourself.

658
00:44:25,140 --> 00:44:32,420
For example, if you have five words that you want to be remembered by, what are they?

659
00:44:32,420 --> 00:44:35,060
You know, what are the things in your life that are worth fighting for?

660
00:44:35,580 --> 00:44:42,220
Then I take people on a journey of seven principles to reverse engineer your life.

661
00:44:42,220 --> 00:44:45,740
So you lead the life now for how you want to be remembered.

662
00:44:45,740 --> 00:44:48,460
Because everybody can lead a life of legacy.

663
00:44:48,460 --> 00:44:50,780
But there's no atheist in a foxhole.

664
00:44:50,780 --> 00:44:53,740
And those moments of crisis, we all get serious.

665
00:44:53,740 --> 00:45:02,100
But imagine if every day and every hour we tapped into the highest frequency of living

666
00:45:02,180 --> 00:45:07,140
and really did our utmost to lead the lives now for how we want to be remembered.

667
00:45:07,140 --> 00:45:10,900
You've developed a program called the Legacy Academy, which takes the principles from your

668
00:45:10,900 --> 00:45:15,620
book to help families have intergenerational conversations around what legacy means to them.

669
00:45:15,620 --> 00:45:18,740
Would you share more information about the Legacy Academy, including when the next session

670
00:45:18,740 --> 00:45:21,380
begins, and how can people in our audience enroll?

671
00:45:21,380 --> 00:45:22,180
Sure.

672
00:45:22,180 --> 00:45:27,940
So the idea behind the Legacy Academy is rather than just have people read the book, I developed

673
00:45:27,940 --> 00:45:35,780
really a pathway for people to very intentionally try to lead a life that reflects the best

674
00:45:35,780 --> 00:45:37,220
version of themselves.

675
00:45:37,220 --> 00:45:38,660
So it's a 10-month course.

676
00:45:39,300 --> 00:45:42,500
And each month, you focus on one of the principles.

677
00:45:42,500 --> 00:45:43,540
And I'll give you an example.

678
00:45:44,420 --> 00:45:47,060
One of the ones I quoted before is called the Elijah moment.

679
00:45:47,940 --> 00:45:52,500
The Elijah moment, you know, imagine you're at a funeral and there's somebody who's there.

680
00:45:52,500 --> 00:45:56,820
I call it the standing room only phenomenon, which is there's somebody who's at the funeral.

681
00:45:57,380 --> 00:46:00,340
If you could ask the deceased who that person was, they wouldn't know.

682
00:46:00,340 --> 00:46:01,940
Nobody knows who they are.

683
00:46:01,940 --> 00:46:07,860
But that individual is there because of one moment in time, the deceased made a difference

684
00:46:07,860 --> 00:46:08,980
in that person's life.

685
00:46:09,860 --> 00:46:12,340
And I call it the Elijah moment based upon a beautiful story.

686
00:46:12,340 --> 00:46:15,140
By the way, Chris, have you ever seen Elijah before?

687
00:46:15,140 --> 00:46:15,620
I have not.

688
00:46:16,260 --> 00:46:17,300
You ever seen Elijah?

689
00:46:18,900 --> 00:46:23,700
So Elijah is a prophet who shows up at important moments.

690
00:46:23,700 --> 00:46:27,380
And there's a well-known story about a person who goes to a mystic and says,

691
00:46:27,380 --> 00:46:29,540
I want to see Elijah the prophet.

692
00:46:30,500 --> 00:46:33,140
So the mystic says to him, go into the forest.

693
00:46:34,020 --> 00:46:35,460
There's a widow there.

694
00:46:35,460 --> 00:46:36,740
Bring food for the weekend.

695
00:46:36,740 --> 00:46:38,260
You'll see Elijah the prophet.

696
00:46:38,260 --> 00:46:40,340
So the person goes into the forest.

697
00:46:40,900 --> 00:46:41,620
He's the widow.

698
00:46:42,820 --> 00:46:44,100
And he's there Friday night.

699
00:46:44,100 --> 00:46:45,060
He's there Saturday.

700
00:46:45,700 --> 00:46:46,740
Sunday morning comes.

701
00:46:46,740 --> 00:46:48,420
He still hasn't seen Elijah.

702
00:46:48,420 --> 00:46:52,260
So he goes back to the mystic and said, you promised me I would see Elijah the prophet.

703
00:46:52,340 --> 00:46:54,340
So the mystic says to him, go back next week.

704
00:46:54,340 --> 00:46:55,300
Bring the food.

705
00:46:55,300 --> 00:46:57,140
This week, you'll see Elijah the prophet.

706
00:46:57,780 --> 00:46:58,980
So it's Friday afternoon.

707
00:46:58,980 --> 00:47:00,900
He goes deep into the forest.

708
00:47:00,900 --> 00:47:03,700
And he overhears a young child crying out to the mother.

709
00:47:04,340 --> 00:47:10,500
And the young child says to the mother, where are we going to get food from for the Sabbath?

710
00:47:10,500 --> 00:47:15,140
The mother turns to the child and says, just like Elijah came last week, Elijah is going

711
00:47:15,140 --> 00:47:16,100
to come again.

712
00:47:16,100 --> 00:47:21,380
And it's in that moment that he realizes that he is the Elijah that this woman is waiting

713
00:47:21,380 --> 00:47:22,100
for.

714
00:47:22,100 --> 00:47:26,260
Discovering your Elijah moment means that we're not obligated to change the world.

715
00:47:26,260 --> 00:47:29,700
We change the world of one person every day.

716
00:47:29,700 --> 00:47:33,300
Mark Twain said the two most important days of your life are the day when you're born

717
00:47:34,020 --> 00:47:35,700
and the day when you understand why.

718
00:47:36,340 --> 00:47:41,140
So I believe that every one of us can cultivate more Elijah moments in our life.

719
00:47:41,940 --> 00:47:48,100
And that means anticipating acts of kindness, finding ways to make a difference in somebody's

720
00:47:48,100 --> 00:47:48,580
life.

721
00:47:48,580 --> 00:47:58,340
So the Legacy Academy, through a video consultation, helping people become intuitively motivated

722
00:47:58,980 --> 00:48:05,220
that in any encounter you have, you will find a way to leave that person feeling better

723
00:48:05,220 --> 00:48:07,860
about themselves than before they met you.

724
00:48:08,740 --> 00:48:12,020
So I'm a big believer that we all have the capacity to lead better lives.

725
00:48:12,020 --> 00:48:14,500
And people can learn more about the Legacy Academy.

726
00:48:14,500 --> 00:48:17,140
The next session starts November 1st.

727
00:48:17,140 --> 00:48:24,500
They can go on my website, RabbiDanielCohen.com, send me an email, or look up Legacy Academy,

728
00:48:24,500 --> 00:48:26,820
Rabbi Daniel Cohen, and that will take you there as well.

729
00:48:27,380 --> 00:48:32,180
But it's been a wonderful way to help people realize the best version of themselves.

730
00:48:32,820 --> 00:48:36,020
You had a mutual friend in the late U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman from Connecticut.

731
00:48:36,580 --> 00:48:40,020
He was on the advisory board of Soldier Strong, the nonprofit I co-founded.

732
00:48:40,020 --> 00:48:41,860
But obviously, you're much closer to him.

733
00:48:41,860 --> 00:48:43,060
You wrote the foreword for your book.

734
00:48:43,780 --> 00:48:44,820
You eulogized him.

735
00:48:45,380 --> 00:48:48,740
That's why you're in D.C. to see the documentary about Senator Lieberman's great life.

736
00:48:49,620 --> 00:48:54,820
From your perspective, what were Joe Lieberman's most significant contributions to American politics?

737
00:48:54,820 --> 00:48:55,940
Well, he had many.

738
00:48:55,940 --> 00:49:02,980
I mean, one of the things that he's most well known for is he was a bipartisan individual.

739
00:49:03,700 --> 00:49:06,100
He was a person who was able to work across the aisle.

740
00:49:06,980 --> 00:49:10,740
He never let his politics become personal.

741
00:49:10,740 --> 00:49:13,940
And that's something that I think is needed now more than ever.

742
00:49:14,820 --> 00:49:20,180
Last night, I'm in D.C. right now, we heard from one of his close friends and kindred spirits,

743
00:49:20,820 --> 00:49:23,380
Senator Susan Collins of Maine.

744
00:49:23,940 --> 00:49:26,580
And she was talking about how after 9-11,

745
00:49:26,580 --> 00:49:32,020
Joe Lieberman was pivotal in really helping develop the Department for Homeland Security.

746
00:49:32,020 --> 00:49:37,300
And everybody had their fiefdom, whether it was the CIA, the armed forces.

747
00:49:37,860 --> 00:49:43,300
And he did it, by the way, through the power of his personality, his charisma, his kindness.

748
00:49:43,860 --> 00:49:45,220
He walked with humility.

749
00:49:45,860 --> 00:49:47,060
He listened well.

750
00:49:47,780 --> 00:49:50,820
And he understood that there's more that unites us than divides us.

751
00:49:50,820 --> 00:49:56,980
So I think his ability to find friendships, to work across the aisle,

752
00:49:57,940 --> 00:49:59,540
is a really important character trait.

753
00:50:00,100 --> 00:50:04,340
Another important character trait, the central role of faith for him.

754
00:50:05,140 --> 00:50:12,020
You know, he embodied the principle that I'm not going to ask what do I want,

755
00:50:12,020 --> 00:50:13,620
but what does God want of me?

756
00:50:14,420 --> 00:50:16,020
And that instills great humility.

757
00:50:16,740 --> 00:50:21,300
That gives a person an ability to really try to be principled.

758
00:50:22,020 --> 00:50:26,420
You know, if you think about it, politics lends itself, unfortunately,

759
00:50:26,420 --> 00:50:34,180
to a lot of focus on self, on compromises that are unfortunately compromises of integrity.

760
00:50:34,180 --> 00:50:37,140
But he was a person who was a courageous person.

761
00:50:37,140 --> 00:50:41,380
He's the subject of one of the principles in my book called Courageous Choices.

762
00:50:41,380 --> 00:50:44,180
And I had a conversation with him, and this is what he said.

763
00:50:45,140 --> 00:50:51,220
I would rather, he said the following, I do not want to be remembered for playing life safe.

764
00:50:52,100 --> 00:50:54,180
I want to be remembered for doing what's right.

765
00:50:54,900 --> 00:51:02,420
And when you think about a principled politician, Joe Lieberman lived that in spades.

766
00:51:03,620 --> 00:51:09,940
Finally, one other thing is that, you know, he was a person who was deeply devoted to his family.

767
00:51:09,940 --> 00:51:16,900
You know, sometimes we live in two worlds where somebody's public life and their personal life

768
00:51:16,900 --> 00:51:18,260
are not one and the same.

769
00:51:18,260 --> 00:51:21,300
You know, their personal life is in shatters because they're so focused.

770
00:51:21,300 --> 00:51:24,020
He had a tremendously well-balanced life.

771
00:51:24,020 --> 00:51:26,020
His inside was like his outside.

772
00:51:26,020 --> 00:51:27,860
I'll just leave you one final thought.

773
00:51:27,860 --> 00:51:31,140
I spoke to somebody during the 2000 campaign.

774
00:51:31,140 --> 00:51:33,780
Somebody that I know was a close friend of his,

775
00:51:34,340 --> 00:51:37,860
and he was speaking to one of the Secret Service agents.

776
00:51:37,940 --> 00:51:42,100
And this Secret Service agent had been around presidents for 30 years.

777
00:51:42,100 --> 00:51:46,580
And he said, there are only two politicians that I know who are authentic.

778
00:51:48,420 --> 00:51:50,820
They see what's going on inside and outside.

779
00:51:51,540 --> 00:51:56,900
The two politicians that are most authentic that I know were Ronald Reagan and Joseph Lieberman.

780
00:51:57,860 --> 00:52:01,860
So that was a great compliment there.

781
00:52:01,860 --> 00:52:04,020
And no surprise on those two individuals.

782
00:52:04,420 --> 00:52:07,220
Rabbi Daniel Cohen, thank you so much for being with us today.

783
00:52:07,220 --> 00:52:09,780
I know you've got a busy schedule, so I really appreciate you taking the time.

784
00:52:09,780 --> 00:52:10,820
You're welcome. My pleasure.

785
00:52:10,820 --> 00:52:12,260
Thanks for the opportunity.

786
00:52:12,260 --> 00:52:15,620
And with tomorrow being the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9-11,

787
00:52:15,620 --> 00:52:18,740
I'd like to close today's show by simply saying, let's never forget.

788
00:52:23,540 --> 00:52:26,500
Thanks for tuning in to Next Steps Forward.

789
00:52:26,500 --> 00:52:29,380
Be sure to join Chris Meek for another great show

790
00:52:30,340 --> 00:52:34,660
next Tuesday at 10 a.m. Pacific Time and 1 p.m. Eastern Time

791
00:52:34,660 --> 00:52:37,460
on the Voice America Empowerment Channel.

792
00:52:37,460 --> 00:52:41,220
This week, make things happen in your life.