Episode #312: Third (and a half) interview with Rabbi Daniel Lapin

rabbi daniel lapin

Rabbi Daniel Lapin, known world-wide as America's Rabbi, is a noted rabbinic scholar, best-selling author and host of the Rabbi Daniel Lapin podcast. He reveals how the world REALLY works and reminds us that the more things change, the more we need to depend upon those things that never change. Everyone needs a Rabbi and he is ours.

A bit more about Rabbi Lapin:
Rabbi Daniel Lapin, known worldwide as Americas Rabbi, is a noted rabbinic scholar, bestselling author and host of the Rabbi Daniel Lapin Show on The Blaze Radio Network. He is one of Americas most eloquent speakers and his ability to extract life principles from the Bible and transmit them in an entertaining manner has brought countless numbers of Jews and Christians closer to their respective faiths. In 2007 Newsweek magazine included him in its list of Americas fifty most influential rabbis. Before immigrating to the United States in 1973, Rabbi Daniel Lapin studied Torah, physics, economics and mathematics in Johannesburg, London and Jerusalem. Rabbi Lapin was the founding rabbi of Pacific Jewish Center, a legendary Orthodox synagogue in Venice, CA. Rabbi Lapin is a noted writer, published in the Wall Street Journal, National Review, Commentary, and The Jewish Press. His books are Americas Real War, Buried Treasure, Thou Shall Prosper, and Business Secrets from the Bible.

Ed’s Questions: Segment One

  • Well, we do have Father Sirico lined up for a couple of weeks from now but you beat him back. You're ahead of him now, technically. Well, just a quick bio for Rabbi Daniel Lapin, known worldwide as America's Rabbi. He’s a noted rabbinical scholar, a best-selling author and host of The Rabbi Daniel Lapin podcast, he reveals how the world really works and reminds us that the more things change, the more we need to depend upon those things that never change. So welcome back to The Soul of Enterprise. First question, how are you and your family riding out with the COVID situation?

  • Fair enough. Well, I'm glad you're well, that's the most important thing. A late report here. I'm in Texas. And you know it's got to be somewhat serious because the high school football team cancelled its game tonight because two of the kids got COVID. So we shall see. Anyway, under this notion of change and relying on ancient wisdom, back when we first interviewed you, we talked about your ten commandments of wealth creation, and number seven is learn to foretell the future. And in your book, you mentioned that the best known Jewish aphorism is “Whatever has been there will be and whatever is done will be done, there is nothing new under the sun.” So, you’ve studied economics, what's not new under the sun with this COVID-19? Because boy, it feels sure feels new to us.

  • As you were talking, I was thinking about a couple of reports that I've read this week about as challenging as it has been for us at least we do have Amazon. I think about some countries in Sub- Saharan Africa and other places that do have despots who are in charge, who are really using this as a way to put a lot of people down.

  • To that end, as someone who has studied economics, even if we snapped our fingers and everything went back to what it was before “The Great Suppression,” as Gene Epstein calls it, I think has really caused damage that is going to be with us for a number of years down the line. That’s one of my fears, that we're only beginning to see the ramifications of this long term. And that's even if everything got better almost immediately.

  • Well, I hope that happens. And as the saying goes, from your mouth to God's ears. Let's hope that that's the case.

Ron’s Questions: Segment Two

  • I listen to you religiously every week, your show is great, and we'll definitely link to it in the show notes. I couldn't go a week without it. As you know, Rabbi, this program we called The Soul of Enterprise because we wanted to talk about more than just the material aspects of business. Because as you taught me, as father Sirico taught me, George Gilder taught me, you guys talk about the spiritual side, and you have lots of fantastic explanations of the difference between physical and spiritual. I love and use your violin example all the time. But I love, maybe even more, because of the visual picture it paints, your pet chimpanzee. Can you explain that?

  • I think that's such a great distinction.

  • I love it. Rabbi, this is totally unfair. We've only got about a minute-and-a-half. But you always say the advice that you get from every commencement speech, “Do what you love,” is bad advice. Why do you say that?

  • Right, serve others and then you'll learn to love it. I love that advice. Unfortunately, we're up against the next break.

Ed’s Questions: Segment Three

  • And we are back with our Rabbi, Rabbi Daniel Lapin here on The Soul of Enterprise. And, Rabbi, I wanted to ask you, one of the things I've heard you say over and over again is that if there's not a Hebrew word for it, there's no reason for it. However, my guess is there's not a Hebrew word for innovation. But that doesn't mean that the Bible can't tell us an awful lot about innovation. So what does the Hebrew Bible have to say about innovation?

  • Yes, really neat stuff. The other thing I wanted to quickly ask you about, we've got about four minutes left. The renewal of the cities as you see them. One of the things that we've heard recently is that New York is going to die. It's all going to happen. But you have, I thought, a very interesting blog post where you say, Yes, all cities do have a tendency to go through a trauma, a time of trial, but oftentimes they rebound, and they often outlast even governments themselves?

  • Yeah, and I like the tie into the innovation piece, too. It's just great. Well, we're against our last break.

Ron’s Questions: Segment Four

  • Welcome back everybody. We're here with my rabbi, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, and Rabbi you say in [your book] Business Secrets from the Bible—which is a fantastic book and we will post all of your books on our show notes—that ancient Israel prohibited the king from counting the people because it implies that all people are identical. So I have two questions. Do you oppose the census? And, what is the threat from government counting?

  • Right? Kind of like you always say bricks, and [stones].

  • Great. You know, you also say another thing in Business Secrets from the Bible, that Jewish people understood specialization for millennia before Adam Smith? Can you give me an example?

  • Sure. Well, Rabbi, this has been fantastic. Thank you so much for coming back on for the fourth time. We've got to have you back a lot sooner than every couple years or so. Ed’s what's on store for next week?

Next week, we have Gary Hamel, the author of Humanocracy.

But first! A few extra resources for you…

Bonus Content is Available As Well

Did you know that each week after our live show, Ron and Ed take to the microphone for a bonus show? Typically, this bonus show is an extension of the live show topic (sometimes even with the same guest) and a few other pieces of news, current events, or things that have caught our attention.

Click the “FANATIC” image to learn more about pricing and member benefits. 

Bonus episode 312 - Southwest and Pricing during C-19. Here are a few links we discussed: