What If It Did Work?
What If It Did Work?
A Rabbi’s Guide to Legacy, Kindness, and the Daily Choice to Do Good
What if your best eulogy isn’t someday—it’s being written by the choices you make before dinner? That’s the provocative idea Rabbi Daniel Cohen brings as we explore how small acts of kindness, daily gratitude, and a clear sense of calling can turn a noisy, angry culture into a field of quiet, meaningful wins.
We start with the tension most of us feel: emotions leading the day and outrage filling the feed. Rabbi Cohen reframes it with a simple image—the body as the horse and the soul as the jockey—and asks who’s really in charge when the stakes rise. From there, he shares the moment that shaped his ministry: losing his mother at 21, and the wake-up question that followed—What will they say about you when you’re gone? Instead of morbidity, he offers a method: reverse-engineer your legacy through daily practice. One minute of prayer to ask for strength. One minute of gratitude with no repeats to train your eyes toward gifts. One minute of outreach to make another person’s day.
We also dig into Elijah moments—those times you realize you are the answer to someone’s prayer—and how they often hide in a lobby greeting, a text to a mentor, or an extra minute of eye contact that says “you matter.” Along the way, we talk about faith beyond labels, mining for gold instead of digging for dirt, and why attention is the most underrated form of love in our families. Rabbi Cohen’s stories—from hospital doors to city sidewalks—reveal how presence, humility, and service scale better than any life hack and last longer than any headline.
If you’re ready to swap cynicism for purpose and turn intention into action, this conversation gives you a clear next step you can try before the credits roll. Listen, share with a friend who needs hope, and tell us the one person you’ll lift up today. And if this resonated, follow the show, leave a review, and help us grow a community committed to living a life of legacy.
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I never told no one that my whole life I've been holding back every time I load my gun up to fucking do for the stone. I hear a voice like you think you will make it.
SPEAKER_01:All right, everybody, another day, another dollar, another one of my favorite episodes of my favorite podcast. Yes, I'm biased. It's my own, but guess what? I'm super excited to have it. This guest, you know, you're you're my first spiritual leader, believe it or not. I'm honored. Yeah, yeah. Uh now have have I invited others? Yes. Invited uh, but definitely he's not just a spiritual leader, he's rabbi Daniel Cohen, speaker, author, personal development mentor, whose entire life has been shaped by the calling he feels to inspire people to literally live their best lives, lives of purpose, lives that leave a legacy. He worked with CEOs, professional athletes, national politicians, but he's most at home inspiring all of us common folk, us regular folk, women, men with a clear-eyed message that each of us can truly make a lasting difference in our lives. Not platitudes, but a step-by-step guide of actionable tips that show the way. Nearly 20 years, even though he looks like he's 40, he has been the senior rabbi of Congregation. I'm a Gentile, so if I say this wrong, Shalom in Stanford, Connecticut. That was very good. The largest modern Orthodox synagogue in New England. He was also rabbi for many years to Senator Joe Lieberman. Rabbi Cohen's message is for everyone and not constrained to anyone's faith or philosophy. And I vouch for that. I listened to it. But you know, growing up in South Florida, it was easy whenever you use the the Yiddish terms. Because you know, I I know your grandparents were they spoke Yiddish for sure. Yeah, yeah. And you said that they're North Miami Beach, they're still in South Florida, Miami Dade and Brower County. Plenty of Jews. So how's it going, Rabbi?
SPEAKER_00:Thank you for being on. My pleasure. It's really uh great to be here. And uh, you know, every encounter is divine, so I really appreciate the opportunity to uh learn together and share some thoughts about uh leading our best life, which is always a challenge to be mindful of that.
SPEAKER_01:It not only is it mindful, but why is it that it seems like now everybody's just running off of emotions? And it's usually they they go towards the negative side. Everybody wants to be angry, everybody wants to be heard. Everybody, yes, it's one thing and feel a significance, but and and I don't care if you're Jewish, I don't care if you're Catholic, I don't care what religion you are, but it seems like every day these days, everybody's just like, ah, it's like how Howard Dean. Remember when Howard Dean was was like the front runner for the Democrats and he just started screaming like that, naming all these cities that he was gonna go to, and he was like number one, and then like the next day he had a drop out because he knew he went an inch. But like now, he wouldn't he'd probably go up in the polls right now. He'd be like a lock-in. He'd be like, Yeah, this is my kind of guy. And that that's that's a that's where we're headed is society, I think, is like anger, mean, and it it's like books about legacy, books about living a life with real purpose and meaning to me. I I mean, what when I when your publicist said, you know, oh we have a rabbi, I'm like, I'm like, okay. Because you know, if you look at your body, it the first message was just rabbi. I'm like, well, I'm not really, I mean, I'm I'm a spiritual guy, you know, I'm uh I'm a gentile. What are we gonna talk about? Are we gonna talk about Torah? And then I I I read everything about you. They send me the digital copy. I read the digital copy, and I'm like, I gotta, I gotta listen to it as well.
SPEAKER_00:Well, I appreciate that. Look, when the reality is is that, you know, when it comes to um, let's say walking the world with humility, um, with trying to do good in the world, with not getting angry, all these things are divine character traits that we're called upon to live by. And whether you're Jewish, you're Christian, Muslim, whatever the faith, you know, my my goal is for people to rise higher, to listen to the better angels inside of ourselves. There's a mystical idea that um, you know, we each have we uh each person has a body and we have a soul. And the mystics explain that the body is compared to the horse and the soul is compared to the jockey. And the question in life is who's leading who? You know, is the uh horse leading the jockey? And when you get angry at something, or you just go with what feels good and you just you know, you think about what uh what do I need, or the higher level of living is not to think about what I need, but what's my purpose? What does God want of me? And when you lead a life like that, which is hard because we're living in a world that's broken, a world where there's a lot of noise where everybody's focused on what do I want, uh, you got to break through that. Um, but it's something that really will give people a greater sense of meaning and purpose and uh and not just throw their hands up and say crazy world, but what can I do in my small world to make it a little bit better?
SPEAKER_01:Now we're I know you're one of six children, you're the oldest. You see, I I I did listen I somewhat took notes. What were you always was that like you what led you to your vocation of becoming a rabbi? Was just that something that ever since you were you were a little kid, you wanted to be the rabbi, or was it just something I mean look, the first word out of my mouth when I was one year old was rabbi, just kidding. Well, you never know.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, you never know, like you know, um but look, I grew up, it's a great question. Um, I grew up in a home, you know, my father is living me well, and my mom, a blessed memory, which we can talk about a little bit more, which is the inspiration for a lot of what I do, um, with a real sense that um I was here, and we all have a higher purpose in life. My parents are very focused on doing acts of kindness without expectation of return, a real sense of calling, a lot of hospitality in our home, a sense of gratitude. My mom, a blessed memory. When you asked her how she was doing, she would always say, Thank God, fantastic. So I grew up with a strong sense that there's a higher power, there's a God. Now, it wasn't automatically that I decided when I was eight years old I wanted to be a rabbi. The truth is, I just felt though, as I got into high school and college that I wanted to be a person to bring blessing. How do you do that? That depends. Everybody's different. You could be a doctor, a lawyer, a podcaster, a mom, a dad, a sports player. But if your goal is wherever I am, I want to bring blessing to the world, then you're leading a higher life. Um, and when I got to college and I started actually, somebody asked me, I think about this a lot, to get involved in working with Jewish youth to inspire them in their faith. I just felt this was something I really wanted to do. And ultimately it moved from working with youth to uh my first opportunity was to work with adults. And I just felt like this was something that was tapping into an inner calling and the talents that I had to really try to assume the role of a rabbi. So it grew over time, and I can't be happier. I've been in the rabbinet for over 35 years. I've been at synagogue right now for 20, but it's just the greatest gift to be able to uh to not only focus on Jewish people, I see myself as in Stanford as somebody who's here just to elevate people around me.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you're you're like the the Jewish Tony Robbins, man. Once once people get a taste, once people hear you speak uh on any platform, because because it's it's all out there. You can see it, you can you can watch a reel. But once you lit once you download your book, now let's say you stripped it down and you didn't have to say, Hey, I'm an Orthodox rabbi, my uh my calling, you know, and you but you even say right at the very beginning, I don't care what faith you have, yeah, is for everybody. But if you stripped it down, you're you're like way deep into personal development, like like uh on on the sense like Zig Ziggler or Anthony Robinson. I love Ziggle, yeah. I mean, he was from Yazoo, Yazoo City, Mississippi, Southern, I think he was Baptist or Methodist, one of those. And but but you had the same because a life of purpose is to help out others. He said it a million years ago. Everybody, have you ever noticed, rabbi? Everybody loves the quotes, and but nobody loves to do it. You know, he's he said it. If you want to find success, help out others, and then we as society the well, uh well, I'll help them out if you know the if there's reciprocation involved. And it's like, no, that's not like what religion, you know, it's funny because you know, Muslims, Jews, Gentiles, we all have the same God. I I've never read read the Quran, but I'm I'm pretty certain in every major religion it's never like, hey, screw others, become become successful and watch others suffer. And maybe if someone helped you out and threw you a bone, or maybe if you could excel in life, then help out that person, but only if that person has something that can get you to a higher, higher ground, a higher level.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I mean, the reality is I by the way, I grew up with a lot of Zig Ziglar, and um, you know, he is a very inspiring figure. You know, he talks about, you know, help others get what they want, and then you get there too. It's not a transactional issue, but look, I believe that um, you know, it says a baby is born with their hands clenched, baby's tight. When people, when somebody dies physically, their hands are wide open. And all of life is learning how to move from your hands being closed to your hands being open. Every blessing that we have, we're meant to be conduits. Somebody said it many years ago, don't be a dam, be a river. A dam, I'm here just to collect more things for myself. That's not what life's about. God isn't giving us the breath of life every day just so we can add to our own glory. We're here actually to be conduits, to be rivers, to bring blessing to others. And when we do that, God renews us with strength and life that we never felt possible. So that's I see my role. I, you know, I do it not only within, and by the way, everybody, everybody's everybody's designed for that. You know, I am a firm believer that when you wake up in the morning, God's whispering in your ear and saying, I believe in you. You have something special to share. I'm giving you a diamond today that is unpolished. Polish that diamond as much as possible in every encounter that you have and radiate some light. And then at the end of the day, you give that diamond back. And that's the way that we don't just go through the days, but we create days that are worthy of future memory.
SPEAKER_01:Well, exactly. It's it's I mean, Madison Avenue might want you to believe that buying that new Lexus for your loved one for either Hanukkah or Christmas is is what it's what it's all about. But I I mean, I think the last ones that you can be buried with all your treasures and all your glories were were the Egyptians. But I outside of that, you know, it it's like that you know, that corny saying, oh well, we'll we'll make sure to to write a check, uh, you know, and throw it in your casket. But that's I I mean, and uh don't get me wrong, I it it took a lot of self-help, a lot of books, and a lot of reflection to get there because and I'm talking about the masses because I was just like everybody else that well, you know, uh my my net worth is my worth, and and then one day that's why people ask me why did I write the books or why did I do this, why did I do that? And it's never to get famous. I mean, I'm an introvert, I'm socially awkward. I don't I don't I wouldn't want people to I it's funny when people uh for and at a high school reunion that I grew up with wanted me to autograph my book, it was like, oh I'm like, I grew up with you guys, so it's not you know, it was always uh I hope this episode influences just one person, and that one person may be two or three, and that's how you have to live your life is wake up with the purpose of like who who can I help? Yeah, even if it's minor, I opened the door for someone. When you open up the door, not like all these people, oh my god, they didn't they didn't say thank you, they didn't have the big proclamation with the old flutes from medieval times going, thank you, sir, for opening that door for me. Because when when you act like that, it's because you only did it because you wanted to feel you, you know what I mean? You wanted you wanted the acknowledgement. You want and that's that's not that's not actually that's like the people you're gonna laugh, Rabbi. I I I know you're on social media, yeah. When when people are like filming themselves helping, like helping out the poor or or or doing something, uhything, picking up garbage, doing volunteer work, and I'm like, you know, Mahatma Gandhi, all these all these greats. I I know they didn't have social media, and I know if Mother Teresa was still alive, she wouldn't be like, okay, uh, can we can go live, but let's do it like at 6 p.m. Because the metrics say that that's the best time, that we're gonna have a lot of likes, and I want to make sure to go viral. I want to make sure everybody sees me, and that that's how like people uh operate when you're like, so what have you done for someone? Well, I I I donated for a tax write-off, or you know, but not only did I do that, I had to tell everybody on Facebook, on Instagram, I had to go back to my MySpace page just in case there's anybody active in it.
SPEAKER_00:And it's like that's well, you know, look, at the end of the day, it all comes down to whether or not, you know, life is something that I'm entitled to or gifted. You know, one of the stories that I think about a lot is the man who was 94 years old who, in the height of COVID, was on a ventilator for about um a month. Thank God he recovered. On his way out of the hospital, he was given the bill for a ventilator for one day. And he started to cry. And the doctor said to him, Are you crying because you can't pay the bill for a ventilator for one day? He said, I have all the money to pay. He said, I've been breathing God's air for free for 94 years, and now I know how much one day's breath is worth. When you really think about it, like, how can we live a life that is arrogant, that is, oh, like I did this and I did that? What are you talking about? You're here for others, you're here to bring holiness and kindness to the world and just what you do. You know, and I think that's you know, there the world can be infinitely better if people just woke up in the mornings. You said, Not what do I need, but what does God want of me, or who are the people in my life that I can impact today? Um, it changes the trajectory of the world and of our own lives.
SPEAKER_01:Well, even stories like in Torah and in the Bible and other books, it's always about people rising to the occasion that never it wasn't like it was planned. It wasn't like when David defeated Goliath, you know, he was like, Well, it's okay, I've got this. Have you seen how many degrees I have? Wow. Did you did you see my titles? Do you see everything that but you know that that's that's funny? It it's like because you know, greatness to me, living in purpose. I've the only times, and you're gonna laugh, Rabbi, that I ever asked someone what school they went to, or it has zero to do. Oh, how much respect? Maybe he went to a better university than I went to. No, it's just for for sports like college football or something. So, do I like this guy, or my you know, is he my rival? That's it, but it's never been like, oh, you went to that school, or but right at times it's like people at want to know who you are, so they want to know how much level of respect to to give someone. It's like, what's who cares the guy's the janitor or if he's the CFO of the company?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no, 100%. I think um uh Martin Luther King said it well, like you know, that the street sweeper you know brings the same uh gifts to the world as you know, the holiest person. No matter what you're doing, if you're doing it in the service of God and you're created in God's image, you know, that was where you honor people. And that's um, you know, one of the most divine character traits, and it goes back to what you said at the beginning, is not to dig for the dirt, but to mine for the gold. We're living in a world where everybody's digging for the dirt, and that's a very corrosive world, that's a negative world. But you know, the more that we can see the positive in others and look at others the way we want God to look at us, we'll start creating a more redemptive world.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I've I've also told people, because they're like, Oh, how can an introvert, socially awkward person like you one day excel in sales and public speaking and all? And it's about communication. But to communicate with someone, you have to understand their world, you have to come from a place of non-judgment. And that's something I've that it's just something that's even you're gonna laugh. I'm sure you know this because you you you have friends that are Gentiles. We judge people based on what denomination. It's like who cares? Who cares? I mean in general, judge me based on you know how how am I treating you? It's not like oh, you're Roman Catholic. And it's like, so what? But but it it's like that because it it's it's we also look for significance because I guess we have like all of us, none of us are Indian, but we have this like fictional caste system that we create where where we like we we like compartle, you know, the different levels. Well, this person is this, that person's that. And I I did a blog on this. It's like we've come to the point now can we help this person? But who did they vote for the last three elections? What's their social views? What's their view on abortion? What's what's their view economic views? Are they socialists? Are they capitalists? And it's like, are you for real? Because I I started the blog that when I was in college, I would only help out people in fraternities and sororities, mainly sorority girls, but based on whatever chapter, whatever for sorority they were in. Then I moved on when I got older. If somebody if somebody had a flat tire, it I would have to check their bumper sticker. Did it have MAGA? Did it have coexist? Did it have I'm writing with Biden? But that's that's the level that that we're at. It's like, no, I can't mourn that person because he has different views. And it's like, okay, but if every if we all had the same views, if we all had the same religious views, if we if we were literally so boring if every if everybody loves artichokes, but but you know, hated this, but that's what people don't don't understand. You you you everybody wants a cookie-cutter thing, but man, I I know that would be super boring too.
SPEAKER_00:Well, think about it for a minute. Like, would you want a symphony where everybody plays the same instrument?
SPEAKER_01:Exactly.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, like, what kind of music can you make? And the reality is is God created different people to play different instruments to make different music, and it's only when we listen and we create a harmony among all of us can we really um achieve great things for our country and for the world.
SPEAKER_01:Well, if you if he created us in his image, yeah, and he wanted us to all live, he all if we we're we were created to do amazing things, to excel, to be the Davids. Not to get the crumbs of love, not to get the crumbs of success. Plain and simple, but he made us to all look different, just so that we can all friggin' learn how to like each other and how to exactly in the grand scheme of things. When you meet God, he oh well, I was only nice to like certain people. The rest I was Ron to the core. I I I wouldn't help them, I wouldn't open up the door, I wouldn't call triple A for someone. No, so it I mean, is that is when you when you meet God, is that what you want to tell them? I I I would tell that to anybody because it's always that it's and you know, we're we're older, but it wasn't always like this where it mattered who you voted for, or and it it's been crazy, you know, uh divorce for a few years and doing the social media dating and all those. Yeah, and it's always like, oh, I won't date if you're if you voted for this person, don't even bother, or if you voted for that person, it's crazy, yeah, yeah. And I'm I'm sure there there's people like even in your congregation that won't talk. I I I I know I I know Orthodox are generally conservative, but you know, we all vote for different reasons. So but but but Pete to lose your family or friendship for many years. I get it if you're a lobbyist or if you want like a cabinet position, or if your livelihood depends on it, but overall, your your success and your happiness all comes from within, not you know, who you voted for.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. No, like 100%. I think that you know, there's this definitely sense that um, you know, we're living in a world where everybody's also in their own echo chambers, which is part of the problem. You know, we're we're we're we're surrounding ourselves by people that are like us, but at the end of the day, if everybody which we believe is created in God's image, there is so much that we can learn from people, you know, to open ourselves up, to listen. So um, I definitely think that that's something we suffer from. I mean, I would also say that, you know, the um diminishment of faith in our country and in general in the world contributes to this negativity, the inability to hear other people, to get angry, you know. And I would say I was talking to a friend of mine, we have a radio show together, uh, Greg Dahl, and we both felt like, you know, the country needs a spiritual revival, just a reawakening for what really matters, what's important, and to inspire us to see the divine in other people, people that are not like me, but I still find space for them.
SPEAKER_01:When Rabbi Cohen is talking about is his show, The Rabbi and the Reverend. It's a syndicated radio show. You just you just made it look like, ah, yeah, we you know, it was you know, my my friend there, we just had this discussion. Yes, Reverend Greg Dahl, Rabbi Daniel Cohen, lessons from his book, which we're gonna start talking pretty much immediately because believe it or not, I can riff with you about everything and anything because like-minded energy, what when you have people, you see that that's what people don't understand that you don't need to have a back, a similar background or whatnot to have an amazing conversation. You just have to have an open heart and just you know want to know more. I before before we start talking about because I I know I I have to say this probably pretty much influenced your life at an early age, 21. I mean, I'm 53, my mom's still alive, but I know your mom, 21. It was an aneurysm, right?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, she had a brain aneurysm when she was uh 44 years old. Um I was down in Florida actually visiting her parents and uh without a care in the world. And I came up from the pool, we were in North Miami Beach, and I got the worst phone call of my life. That my mom had a brain aneurysm. Within a day, she had a second brain aneurysm, and within 48 hours, she had passed away. So my life was obviously, as you can imagine, turned upside down. And um, you know, I learned that life could change in an instant. I mean, it was tragic. I'm the oldest of six. Um, and you know, it shaped me at the same time. When I got to the same age as my mom, that was a scary year for me. When I got to 44, I began to think more deeply am I doing the most that I can with the life that God has given me? And how do I stay focused on tapping into a higher frequency of living and of appreciating the gift of every day and and motivating others? And that led to kind of the uh this this book that I wrote, What Will They Say About You When You're Gone, creating a life of legacy.
SPEAKER_01:Not only that, but a lot you had choices. We all have choices in life. You could have been bitter, angry, you you you could have lived a life full of anger, resentment. A lot of people, when something when something devastating like that happens, they choose that path. But instead, you know, you weren't like those that oh, this happened to me. Like life doesn't that's saying life doesn't happen to you, it happens for you. And yes, you're it your your mom left, left behind six children, which I mean you're the oldest, 21 all the way to eight years old. Yeah, I I I can only imagine your father was probably like 46. Yeah, it was crazy, crazy, yeah. And especially a time where you know it's like it's not like now. Now we could Google, there's so much information. Back then, when we were growing up, there was like you your old Encyclopedia Britannica from the the library the the encyclopedia sales guy that you when you finally got you know every chapter, it was like a it wasn't even alphabetical, they would just give you like XYZ, and then but it was already obsolete, and there was no like personal power, and if there was, you'd have to like you know, emergency would be like 17 days to to get was rushed, but but now it's like it's there, so you have you have that, and literally that that changed your life, it it puts you on a path. And like I I love the title of the book because a lot of people, if you it's a it's a very to me, it's a very profound question. And you just it's it's not like a cocktail conversation, yeah. Everybody's just hanging out, you know, dinner, and you know, Rabbi Cohen's like, okay, everybody, what will they say about you when you're gone?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, right?
SPEAKER_01:That's like one of those that that puts people if you ask them something like that, and like such a defensive like, what do you mean?
SPEAKER_00:Right. Well, it's fascinating. First of all, I was recently at a um a dinner with a group of people that had read the book, and they said like they brought the book and they were visiting somebody, and somebody went over to them when they saw the cover of the book and they said, Are you dying? Like, why are you reading that book? Exactly. Yeah, and the book isn't meant to the book is just meant to say, hey, and I've seen this as a rabbi. People really think at the end of their life, I've been with people on their deathbed about what they could have done, what they should have done. Sometimes, by the way, it's tremendously uplifting. They're surrounded by families, but sometimes that confrontation with mortality is a wake-up call. So rather than the wait to that moment, which people will have, the book is really a gift to say, think about it now. Think about the best life you want to lead. And then I take people on a journey of seven principles to reverse engineer their lives so they lead the lives now for how they want to be remembered.
SPEAKER_01:But it it's something because I I wrote about it in my first book. We are all living in our dash. We know our birth date. We don't know what our death date is. And every day we're given that opportunity. We are creating our legacy. We are writing, we are the writers of our story, not only of our story, but literally of our obituary. So when you yes, a lot of a lot of people think they're gonna live to be like Betty White, George Burns. I don't know why. But you know, if anybody did this, you know, ran the the odds of of all of us living to be 100, it it's very low. I mean, that's why like even life insurance companies, once you turn 100, they're like, here's here's the money. You know, for a couple for a group that don't like paying up, I mean that that's how rare 100 is. Yeah, but but yet, I mean, your your book does say, and it doesn't matter because at any time we can we can choose. Like I and I've told people this, I've written about it. What if what do I want to be remembered for? I don't want people to go, oh well, he he owned this, or he was uh, you know, superficial stuff, because a lot of people think, no, I just want at the end of the day that my my two daughters say, Yeah, he was an amazing guy, but he was more than that. He was my father, and he was and he was always there to help out other people. And he and Chase, he didn't look at people like dollar signs, and then I would want strangers to be like, Yes, you know, he had an influence on my life, and he answered me. He didn't say, Well, zell me a hundred dollars and I might answer your question. You know, I I live my legacy every day, and I'm sure you get this a lot. People on social media, oh, I can help you monetize, I can help you become famous, I can help you where that's never been in my mission statement. That's never been like what I I told you. I'm I'm socially awkward. I'm I'm like an introvert. So why why I don't I don't maybe you know, in the grand scheme of things, that's such a horrible way to sell because at least know a person because not everybody wants to be famous. It's not like you're you're like, okay, I want to be rabbi Cohen, but I also want to be like Jackie Martley, I want to be known as a rabbi that that can do stand-up comedy, and I want to do this and that. No, so why why would I be like, hey rabbi, I can get you on all these late-night talk shows, and but that's why I I tend to laugh because yes, I'm I I got the book right off the bat. Yep, and I I read it and then I listened to it because it it's it's I mean, heck, I wish I had it like in my early 20s.
SPEAKER_00:You know what? I mean, there's always uh new opportunities. The only day that we have is the day that's right in front of us now, and exactly, exactly.
SPEAKER_01:But but it it we should all reflect, and that's why I mean go to bed and just don't beat yourself up, but just do we we can all look within. Did did we have a great day? And I don't mean a great day. Oh my gosh, the stock market NVIDIA went up two percent. No, did I matter? Did did I do something in someone's life? Yeah, that that mattered, and it's a simple question.
SPEAKER_00:It's a simple question. There's no gray area, right? No, it's true. It's true. Uh I like to recommend for people, it's like a three-minute um strategic idea to make each day you know a little bit better. You can always probe nobody doesn't have three minutes. So the first minute is a minute of prayer. You ask God for strength. I think about the verse in Isaiah: those who have faith in God, their strength will be renewed. They'll grow wings like eagles and run and not walk. The second minute is a gratitude journal. Like this, you know, write down something you're grateful for. I learned this from my oldest daughter. Don't repeat yourself. I learned that she did this, she was almost up to around 800. And she said, every day, I write down something I'm grateful for. I don't repeat myself. And before I go to sleep at night, I read 50 of them. How can I not be grateful? Because part of the challenge we have is we just take life for granted. But just realize that, you know, we're we are endowed, we are entrusted with, you know, with life, and I want to make the most of it. The third minute is use that minute to make somebody's day. You know, I always recommend, like at the beginning of the week, write down people that you think need a kind word, somebody maybe who did something for you who you forgot, somebody who's sick, and you let them know you're praying for them. Write down your list and then every day take one minute to call them, to text them, let them know you're thinking about that. That way you're uh appreciating the gift of every day, and then you're sending out a little bit of light. It's just three minutes, but it actually fuels um more motivation to really try to even do more, and then the days become more meaningful.
SPEAKER_01:Meaningful days is what life's all about. I this is what I tell people to do just send two random text messages to people that have had a major impact on your life, and just thank them and tell them that hey, they do matter because everybody loves to hear something like that. You don't know if the guy's he or she's going through something bad or what they're going through, but to have someone say, Hey, you know, thank you for being there for me. I at the end of the day, and I just want you to know I'm very grateful, and I just want you to know that you do matter.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, look, that's you know, it takes you, like you're saying, two minutes to send that note, but that person will never forget your kindness that you took a few minutes to thank them for what they did.
SPEAKER_01:Well, kindness is how you treat someone is what they'll always remember. They'll they'll remember your congregation, rabbi will be like, he made me feel inspired, he made me feel more spiritual, he made me feel more alive. No, nobody's gonna be, nobody's gonna say, Oh, well, you know, the rabbi drew up a bitch in car, or or or the rabbi, you know, but that's what people focus on. It's like okay, well, you he threw he threw amazing sayers, you know. That that's what we remember him. And and no, it it's not it's not that and if people realize that you know, kindness, and and and this is something when I I tell people when you you've done some work, maybe send just a text or a thank you letter or or something to someone that helped you in some way, but you dislike. Because, you know, it it anybody can love your friend or or family, but it's so much harder to respect or or love the adversary.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, look, I think that's again, you know, emulating the divine, which is what we talked about. Like it's easy, right, to love your friend, but to find something positive and do something kind for anybody, you know, is really again rising higher and listening to your higher angels. You know, you talked at the beginning. I was talking not too long ago with somebody who recovered from cancer, and he went to Sloan Kettering in New York City. And I said, What did you love about Sloan Kettering? And I couldn't believe what he said, but it's on point. He said, I love the doorman. I thought he was gonna say the doctors, the nurses. He said, When I walked out of Sloan Kettering, the doorman said to me, I'm praying for you and I hope I never see you again. And I said, Wow, that's a doorman. He has like 10 seconds to make an impact. And this guy appreciated what he said. You know, so we all have those moments, and you know, it just takes so little effort, but it really creates uh memories that are uh eternal.
SPEAKER_01:And that shows you everybody matters because and everybody before they they hear the answer, they're gonna think, oh, you know, oh, the the good-looking nurse or or the doctor that saved my life. A lot of times too, dealing with an oncologist, uh, I mean, they're pretty numb. I mean, it it it it's almost mechanical in the in the sense what what they do every single day. Because if not, I'm I'm sure you would be suicidal if if you know you had a yeah, I'm I'm certain at the at the first, no, no amount of of going to medical school can prepare you to tell someone, oh yeah, you only have your your husband only has three months to live. And but you know, af after a while it's like okay, it's like yeah, uh, this sucks, but I'll do it. And that's why you know, but that door man just went because you you know, you're thinking, oh, the guy's just gonna open up the door, yeah. See uh do you need your your car validated, and that's it. But no, I will pray for you, and I hope to never see you again. I love yeah. I mean, on the what do you mean you don't want to see me again? Well, I'm I'm exactly no, we don't we don't ever want to see you again. We wanted to be in remission forever.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, exactly. No question about it. Um, you know, it's interesting, there was a story that was going around. This is kind of also like at the height of COVID, and everybody was obviously on edge. And um, I think it was reported on one of the news channels. There was a doctor, like exactly what you said, you know, a person said, like, I want to talk to my mom, you know, and again, they were protecting uh the mother, you know, people were very careful about who came in, who came out. And the doctor was just kind of following his normal routine and said, No, you can't go in. And finally, the guy relented and said, I have to talk to my, I have to speak to my mom. And when he when the doctor opened up, he realized that the woman who was ill was a Holocaust survivor. And the son wanted to come in just to say the prayer of Shmay Israel, here is the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And he said, in that moment, he moved out of just being the doctor, and he realized that he had created this literally moment for the child to connect with his mother. And, you know, we have those moments, but sometimes you say we're just going through the motions. But the reality is, is like, you know, every opportunity um in life is really a place to let God in. You know, somebody once said, Where is God? It just depends where you let God in. And that's that's a that's really the one of the keys to uh to leading a life of legacy.
SPEAKER_01:Well, here I'm gonna shock you, Rabbi. How about if I tell you? Shock me, shock me. Uh how about if I told you I've I've I've heard of Shemai Israel. What? From as Yahoo. Oh, you did. He's he sings it in in one of his songs. He does, he does. I love that song, by the way. Yeah, very good. Yeah, you you you see, yeah. I um I'm sure you weren't thinking, I'm like, yeah, I I know. I I've I've heard it, I've I've seen him a million times in concert. So definitely great. I have to have to this this you know how I was talking about doing random acts of kindness knowledge, sure. That comes from you, that's why I was talking about it. The Elijah moments. Oh, yeah. Definitely to me that that is that is like the icing on the cake. Um out of okay, everybody. What will they say about you when you're gone? Creating a life a legacy by Rabbi Daniel Cohen. And it definitely the importance of those Elijah moments.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, like the Elijah moment to me, just I'm sure some of your readers may know, but some not. But it's based on a beautiful story about a fellow who goes to a mystic and says, I want to see Elijah. Elijah shows up at different places. Um, and he says, You want to see Elijah? Go into the forest, bring food for the Sabbath to a widow and her children, and you'll see Elijah. He goes, he doesn't see Elijah. Sunday comes and he goes back to his mentor and says, You promised me I would see Elijah. So the mentor says, Just bring food again and go into the forest, and I promise you'll see Elijah. He goes deep into the forest, he's within earshot of the home, and he hears a mother crying out to the child and saying, Mommy, where are we going to get food from for this Sabbath? And the mother turns to the child and says, Just like Elijah came last week, Elijah's gonna come again. And he realized in that moment that he was the Elijah, that this woman was waiting for. And discovering your Elijah moment means that we can't change the world, but every day we can change the world of one person at a time. I'll just give you one other story that I think about a lot. I was in the Philadelphia train station a number of years ago, and I guess I looked like a generous guy, and a fellow came over to me and said, Can you buy me dinner? He was a probably man in his mid-70s. And I said to him, How about Dunkin' Donuts? And then he said to me, I prefer the Cajun food. Would you mind getting me Cajun food? And I said, Sure. So I got him his Cajun food. And then as I was leaving, I said to him, What's your name? He said, His name is Sam. And I said, Sam, God bless you. And he said to me, God has already blessed me. He sent me you. And I realized that that's where I needed to be, like in that moment. Like we are the messengers, we are the ambassadors. It could be at a supermarket, it could be you see somebody in the parking lot, could be somebody again, just you meet at the airport. I'm a firm believer that every encounter is a divinely designed encounter, and God tasks us to make sure that the person who's in our orbit leaves the orbit feeling better about themselves than when they entered our orbit.
SPEAKER_01:Well, there's to me, there's no never such thing as random. Yeah. Everything happens for a reason. And just think, you made that guy feel special. Because a lot of times, what 90% of the time higher? Especially now on Fox Fox News, you'd be like, I bet I better hide. They said I should be euthanized. But you know, you you went above and beyond because you said, Hey, I'll get you Duncan. Yeah, no, I you know, I I want the job a liya, I want you to say, you know, I I want Cajun. You know, a lot of times, you know, a lot a lot of time people would, you know, had that Ben Twisted moment and go, I just offered you something, and you're telling me you want something else instead. Exactly. Screw you. But instead, you did bless him. You you you were his blessing because you're like, okay, fine. You you weren't like, oh, you you greedy bum or whatnot. And you made you made his day, you made him feel special. And and that's something like that to me, because there was probably like a five percent chance of success in general. He remembers that.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, yeah, no question about it, you know. And um to me, like that's kind of exactly what we're here for. Um, you know, I I was a mentor of mine, he would um he would walk to his uh school, he was a rabbi, and all along the way, he would always say hello to the mechanic. He was a very friendly person. And somebody said to him, Why are you always saying hello to the people that you meet on the street? He said, Look, all I'm doing is emulating God. God brings life, I bring life. When I acknowledge another human being and I say hello to them and look them in the eye, I bring them importance, that they really matter. And again, that's something that is so easy to do, um, but it's something that sometimes we just neglect and we're living in our own world.
SPEAKER_01:But not only neglect, but even within our own world. I mean, how what your your thoughts, like even something trivial. Whenever somebody says, Hey, how are you doing? And they think it's oh, they're like, Oh my, this is like the Tony Robbins speak or the personal development. And I tell them, I'm living the dream, I'm in paradise, and everybody like, oh okay, Omar, whatever. And they roll their eyes, and it's like, no, I mean, I'm 50, 52, I'm alive, I'm healthy. My mom is healthy and alive. My grandparents at 101 and 95 are still alive. I mean, what's not to be excited? My my children, they're they're a pain in the butt, but they're they're alive and thriving. So, yes, I I believe I am living the dream. You know, okay, so we're supposed to be so shallow. Oh, okay. That that's oh, I'm doing good. I'm fine. Hey, and you know, maybe the fonts, yeah, yeah, everything's good. Right. I mean, the the higher you are in your frequency, in the sense that you know, you're you're happy, go lucky, it that becomes infectious. Just like, oh rabbi, yeah. You know, we're we're gonna do uh an episode together, and uh, you know, we we'd all go down. So if raise your level, and people will, you know, all tides rise boats. So be happy, you know. Tell someone, hey, you look you're you're amazing, you're doing a great job, you're killing it. Now don't be insincere and go, you know, you don't want to sound like Rodney Dangerfield and go, I'll I'll I'll never forget the you know back to school. Oh, if that that dress had pockets, you'd look like a walking pool table. And don't don't don't be like Eddie Haskell and go, oh yes, you look so amazing. But how how hard is it to try to make someone feel unique?
SPEAKER_00:100%, 100%. And you know, I want to emphasize also that sometimes, you know, within our own family, like um our kids, grandkids, family are looking for that extra validation, you know, that that giving them our attention. You know, I remember uh, you know, you mentioned before the satyr. So not if you're even if if you're not Jewish, you know, the seder is a very important family event in the in the in the Jewish world. And there's a tradition sometimes that you know, we hide the matza on the night of the Seder, and then the kid finds it and he goes to a parent and says to a parent, you know, I'll give it back to you, but I want a present. I want a present. So, like the most par parents say, Well, what do you want? You want tickets to this? So the kid said to him, This father, I want four hours alone with you without your phone. I want four hours alone with you, you know, and sometimes just simply listening to somebody, it could be a friend, it could be a child without other distraction, is the one of the greatest gifts that you can give to people because everybody has what we call CPA today, which is continuous partial attention. They're not really giving people the time of day, and even that is something that is very validating and uplifting.
SPEAKER_01:Now, did the father go, no, do you want a continuous or can I break it up like a half hour? I know, half hour slot. Can we do can we do a week's worth? Like that's class, you know, uh like 35 minutes per session. No, that that's that's a beautiful story, but I mean, children when adults uh have this addiction on wanting validation, it's because they didn't receive it as a child. You know, all a kid wants I mean, if if you think social media is like that because people want validation, they want to feel significance, they want to feel heard, especially a child. A child wants to know, hey, I matter. That's why every every kid, oh hey, look, I look at this painting, or look, look, I'm I'm playing this this flute off-key or this recorder off-key. It it's bleeding in your ears, but they you they still want you to go, oh my gosh, that's that's so heavenly, that's so divine, that's so amazing. You're doing such an amazing job. That's all children want.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no, exactly. And they want to know that no, a hundred percent. Um, and you know, sometimes it's those simple things that really let people know that they matter, that we just aren't really focused on. By the way, you're an LSU guy. I like that hat.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. I'm I'm an alum, and my oldest is uh is a sophomore. I'm I'm actually to uh tomorrow's family weekend. I'd always go to LSU, but uh there's a valid reason to go back. But yeah, no, definitely. Uh got my bachelor's there and master's back here in Miami, but LSU, yeah, for sure. My my kid would say I'm hella obsessed over LSU, but it's like I tell people I I rep her school. So I I we know your book. What will they say about you when you're gone, creating a life a legacy? I think it's a masterpiece. I know it's a masterpiece because my opinion's so kind of you my opinion matters. It's and I've I've read hundreds of personal development books, and I would tell my my listeners, I I would tell your audience anybody in your congregation that hasn't read it, it's it's in my top ten books of of personal development because very nice of you. Yeah, when once it's especially in such a shallow world that we live in, if if people only knew uh about what they want their their legacy to be, man. What what I mean it's a simple question, and I hate when people uh how do you want to be oh, I don't care, I'm gonna be dead. No, yeah, you've heard that, right? Oh, it's like, oh yeah, how do you want to be ah who cares?
SPEAKER_03:Who cares?
SPEAKER_01:That's like nobody shows well. If nobody shows up, that's a direct reflection of what you're doing right now.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no, look, I mean, and I try to remind people, most people get it. It's not about it's not an ego thing, how are you gonna be remembered? It's just meant to awaken within us that our lives matter and that there's a lot that we can accomplish. And, you know, at the end of the day, God does not ask us to be like anybody else, but he does ask us, you know, to take the gift of our potential, and the way that we realize that potential is taking that gift and giving it back to those around us and really bringing God's presence uh to every corner of the universe.
SPEAKER_01:And another thing that's pretty amazing. Okay, yes, he was Senator Lieberman, vice presidential candidate, Joel Joe Lieberman's rabbi, spiritual leader, but the man actually does the foreword in the book. So listen to him, listen to him speak. Speak from the heavens.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you know, it's funny. I was just um with his son this morning, Matthew, because I I run a program called the Legacy Academy, where it's actually an online program for 10 months where I help people be more intentional through spiritual mentorship um in this program. And I'm working now, actually, it's an honor with Senator Lieberman's son uh in this venture.
SPEAKER_01:Look at that. But it's because that that's how much of an impact you have. Because he could have just blew you off with with the the full and he could have had a ghostwriter, and then we were like, Oh, can we do the audible? He'd be like, Oh, uh, yeah, I'll put it on my calendar. And you would have had to do it, or an actor recreating it. So that that speaks volumes. That speaks volumes that a leader went out of his way to you. So we know this about Rabbi Daniel Cohen. He's a speaker, YouTube, Google, it's out there. You can hear him. You can go on his website, you can go follow Rabbi Daniel Cohen. Now, where can my audience get to know you better? I I know how to find you, but how can they social media?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so I think uh the best thing, like uh you can find me. I am on Instagram, like you. We do a little Instagram action, um, and obviously on Facebook as well. But the best thing actually is um if you go on my website, uh Rabbi Daniel Cohen.com, there's a lot of uh material on there. There's videos, there's articles, um, and people can feel free just to send me a note. Like I'm happy to you know offer some spiritual guidance and let you know about other opportunities for us to connect.
SPEAKER_01:And also, he's such a spiritual man and always about living in service. You can buy the books on Amazon, The Secret of the Light, that's gonna be my next purchase. Definitely purchase what will they say about you when you're gone, creating a life of legacy. Think about this. Uncle Scru uh Ebenezer Scrooge, Uncle Scrooge himself had a turning point. You too, and you don't need the ghosts of Christmas present, ghosts of Hanukkah past. You don't need you don't need anybody visiting you. You you are the master of your life, you can do that. Catch him. He's got a radio show. There's no ego in this man. The rabbi and the reverend, it's syndicated, so you can find it. And I've got one last question for you. Sure, go for it. Usually I I I play the part of someone needing help, and and and and this is some somewhat like this, but Rabbi, what what's just one simple thing that I can do right now? I mean, I'm so vain, so ego driven, but what can I do right now to uh make someone else's life matter? Just something simple that I I can do every single day, that I can start tomorrow when I wake up.
SPEAKER_00:I would say identify each day one person in your life who you know uh would be uplifted by your letting you know you think about them, thanking them. And that's where I suggest just send that text, make that phone call. I believe that when you have a thought to do something good, seize it. That's key. Don't wait. There's so many opportunities that we miss because we say, I'll get to it. Do it now. Take one minute, do it, plug it into your calendar, and what'll happen is it'll motivate you to do even more. So that's to me like the most important thing. Happiness is a byproduct of giving to others. Give to others, and your life will be infinitely enriched.
SPEAKER_01:Wow. Man, thank you for your time. Thank you for the hour. And Rabbi, you never have you never have to apologize. We we were supposed to do this earlier, and I had to remind him nobody died, there was no open heart surgery, nothing like that. And I know it's almost time, so I want you to know Lashana Tova, brother.
SPEAKER_00:I would love to main, you too. God bless you. All you do, let's stay in touch. I'll let people talk to you.
SPEAKER_01:Definitely, Rabbi, and I want you to have an easy fast because I the the the fasting's easy, but the no water for 24 hours to 25 hours. I hope you have an easy fast. And I hope only the best of you, and of course, my you don't have to worry about finding my people. I'm a one-man show. I had all the people, and I I I realize if it's to be, if it it's on me. I I don't I don't I I trust me, I I I had a publicist, and it and I'm glad that your publicist didn't deal with my publicist. Thank you. Thank you. Happy New Year, brother.