{"id":181,"date":"2015-03-18T14:53:41","date_gmt":"2015-03-18T14:53:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/?p=181"},"modified":"2020-10-28T20:55:07","modified_gmt":"2020-10-28T20:55:07","slug":"the-presidents-rabbi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/","title":{"rendered":"The President\u2019s Rabbi"},"content":{"rendered":"

I first met Rabbi Menachem Genack, rabbinic administrator and chief executive officer of\u00a0OU Kosher, on the momentous Inauguration Day of 2009. During our conversation in his\u00a0office, Rabbi Genack could not resist showing me his Lincoln memorabilia and pointing out\u00a0that President Barak Obama would be sworn into office that day on the historic Lincoln\u00a0Bible. Many remarkable ideas jump out at me from this treasured encounter, which was the\u00a0beginning of my ongoing student-teacher relationship with the rabbi.<\/p>\n

First, I was surprised to learn that a rabbi of world-renowned Talmudic accomplishment,\u00a0whose name carries weight in every yeshiva in the world, is an amateur historian of\u00a0President Abraham Lincoln. Beginning years previously, I had studied Rabbi Genack\u2019s essays\u00a0on Talmudic law, even acquiring his short but brilliant 1969 book in memory of his father\u00a0(since republished). I was expecting a rabbi whose sole focus is on the text, not one who\u00a0waxes eloquently on the thoughts and behaviors of U.S. presidents.<\/p>\n

Additionally, I learned about the importance of religious inspiration to many past presidents.\u00a0Lincoln, who was very devout albeit in a non-traditional sense, summoned much of his great\u00a0vision and leadership from biblical sources. His speeches are replete with biblical\u00a0references. They are also full of biblical cadence and spirit, radiating the charm and\u00a0confidence of the ancient text. Lincoln was foremost, but hardly alone, among presidents\u00a0who utilized Scripture for guidance.<\/p>\n

I was also informed of an ongoing project, at that time over 15 years old, in which Rabbi\u00a0Genack sent biblical insights to former President Bill Clinton. Among those letters was an\u00a0essay containing musings on the historical significance of Lincoln\u2019s Bible, which Rabbi\u00a0Genack discussed with me that day. At first glance, particularly to the uninitiated, this\u00a0pairing of rabbi and politician seems unlikely. However, on thinking back to the Clinton\u00a0years, it makes perfect sense. Those were heady times, when the Soviet Union had recently\u00a0collapsed, when Middle East peace loomed temptingly close, when new technology was\u00a0turbocharging the economy. We entered uncharted territory, faced a new world order, that\u00a0posed difficult questions which politicians heatedly debated. More than ever, leadership\u00a0required vision and wisdom. Where else do you turn for wisdom if not the foundation of\u00a0Western civilization, the Bible?<\/p>\n

The two unlikely friends, the Southern Baptist and the Orthodox rabbi, met at a fundraising\u00a0event in 1992; Rabbi Genack introduced then Governor Clinton by quoting Proverbs (29:18):\u00a0\u201cWhere there is no vision, the people perish.\u201d Clinton appreciated that biblical thought and\u00a0incorporated it into his speech accepting the Democratic nomination for President. After\u00a0that initial encounter, President Clinton invited Rabbi Genack to prayer meetings and\u00a0official dinners. In advance of those events, Rabbi Genack prepared essays on biblical\u00a0themes which he gave to the President. President Clinton enthusiastically read each essay,\u00a0often replying in handwritten notes, one time even correcting a biblical reference.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Rabbi Genack enlisted other scholars to write biblical essays for the\u00a0President. This continual stream of religious insight serves as a reminder of the unique\u00a0relationship in America between religion and government. While the Constitution wisely\u00a0prevents government from endorsing religion, it allows for religious ideas to influence\u00a0political \"Screen<\/a>views. The person holding the most stressful job in the world needs guidance and\u00a0strength. In the U.S., presidents often find that inspiration in the Bible. This is a country\u00a0where the President is sworn in on a Bible (of his choosing). The Declaration of\u00a0Independence openly speaks about inalienable rights endowed by the Creator. Religion is a\u00a0powerful force of American leadership and freedom.<\/p>\n

The essays Rabbi Genack collected are published in Letters to President Clinton: Biblical\u00a0Lessons of Faith and Leadership (in which I played a small advisory role). Over 100 biblical\u00a0essays by over 45 rabbis, scholars and leaders\u2014including three Chief Rabbis, two university\u00a0presidents and one U.S. Senator\u2014offer Scriptural lessons of leadership and faith. This\u00a0masterful collection of thoughts combines careful reading of the sacred text with profound\u00a0understanding of the challenges faced by leaders in the complex world in which we live.<\/p>\n

The letters Rabbi Genack personally wrote range across a variety of topics. In one essay, he\u00a0emphasizes the biblical importance of personal privacy. He quotes the rabbis of the Midrash\u00a0commentary who note that the only animal ever to speak was Balaam\u2019s donkey. Why haven\u2019t\u00a0other animals been granted this power? \u201cIf able to speak, animals would unmask our foibles,\u00a0our pettiness, our inevitable failings.\u201d Residing in the background, they see too much and\u00a0would reveal private information. This message is even more timely now than when written.<\/p>\n

Faith, the need to look for strength and guidance from Above, the belief that circumstances\u00a0will improve, represents a continual theme throughout the letters. While in office, President\u00a0Clinton faced many daunting challenges. Rabbi Genack sent him lessons in faith, biblical\u00a0messages of sustenance. When God told Moses to challenge the powerful Pharaoh, He said\u00a0\u201cGo to Pharaoh\u201d in language that sounds like \u201cCome to Pharaoh.\u201d The lesson, Rabbi Genack\u00a0explains, is that \u201cGod is always standing next to us, giving us the strength to endure, and\u00a0even the potential to be triumphant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from Rabbi Genack, the most frequent contributor of letters is Rabbi Lord Jonathan\u00a0Sacks, the chief rabbi, emeritus of the United Kingdom, who also wrote an impassioned\u00a0preface to the book. Rabbi Sacks studied bible privately with English Prime Ministers. In\u00a0these essays, he offers the public a window into his lessons for world leaders. \u201cA leader is\u00a0one who shows the people where to look\u2014down or up, short-term or long-term, at present\u00a0dangers or at ultimate destinations. That is perhaps the leader\u2019s greatest power\u2014to\u00a0influence the mood of a nation.\u201d After pointing to the repeated biblical directive to tell our\u00a0children about our past, Rabbi Sacks writes, \u201cMoses taught that freedom is more than a\u00a0moment of political triumph. It is a constant endeavor, throughout the ages, to teach those\u00a0who come after us about the battles our ancestors fought, and why.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sections of the book are arranged topically, including Leadership, Faith, Creation,\u00a0Community, Dreams and Vision, Holidays and, significantly, Sin and Repentance. Among the\u00a0challenges President Clinton faced was the impeachment trial that emerged from a personal\u00a0failing. In sympathetic but honest words, Rabbi Genack teaches the importance of\u00a0repentance. Everyone sins; a great man learns from his mistakes and grows through\u00a0repentance. Senator Joseph Lieberman, who publicly criticized the President\u2019s behavior at\u00a0that time, wrote to the President a reflection on the significance that the biblical night\u00a0always precedes day (as it says in Genesis, \u201cand it was evening and it was morning . . . \u201c). He\u00a0profoundly explains, \u201cTo appreciate and properly evaluate the gifts of the day requires the\u00a0experience of the emptiness of the night, because the night teaches us the importance of\u00a0faith and courage . . . After the night comes the day, with its promise of salvation and the\u00a0hope for a new and better tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

This book is an important source of inspiration and guidance. The Bible serves as a guide to\u00a0life for even\u2014perhaps especially\u2014those in the most trying situations. It reminds us to stop\u00a0and reflect, to look beyond our own instincts, to seek insight from the ultimate source of\u00a0wisdom. This book is also a historical record of the surprising spiritual influence of one\u00a0prolific rabbinic scholar on the leader of the free world. After leaving office, President\u00a0Clinton responded to a letter from Rabbi Genack as follows: \u201cI think you know how much\u00a0they\u2019ve meant to me over the years, and I\u2019m so glad you are continuing to send them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Talmud tells the story of Rabbi Judah\u2019s close friendship with Antoninus, the second\u00a0century Roman Emperor. They were friends and intellectuals, inspiring and challenging each\u00a0other to grow. Perhaps future generations will look back at this book and declare Rabbi\u00a0Genack and President Clinton as the modern incarnation of this ancient relationship, the\u00a0political leader and his rabbi.<\/p>\n

RABBI GIL STUDENT WRITES FREQUENTLY ON JEWISH ISSUES AND RUNS TORAHMUSINGS.COM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I first met Rabbi Menachem Genack, rabbinic administrator and chief executive officer of\u00a0OU Kosher, on the momentous Inauguration Day of 2009. During our conversation in his\u00a0office, Rabbi Genack could not resist showing me his Lincoln memorabilia and pointing out\u00a0that President Barak Obama would be sworn into office that day on the historic Lincoln\u00a0Bible. Many remarkable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe President\u2019s Rabbi - Behind the Union Symbol<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The President\u2019s Rabbi - Behind the Union Symbol\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I first met Rabbi Menachem Genack, rabbinic administrator and chief executive officer of\u00a0OU Kosher, on the momentous Inauguration Day of 2009. During our conversation in his\u00a0office, Rabbi Genack could not resist showing me his Lincoln memorabilia and pointing out\u00a0that President Barak Obama would be sworn into office that day on the historic Lincoln\u00a0Bible. Many remarkable […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Behind the Union Symbol\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-03-18T14:53:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-10-28T20:55:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/ouwp\/images\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1675077435\/Kosher\/btus\/Screen-Shot-2015-03-18-at-3.05.17-PM\/Screen-Shot-2015-03-18-at-3.05.17-PM.png?_i=AA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rabbi Gil Student\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rabbi Gil Student\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/\",\"name\":\"The President\u2019s Rabbi - Behind the Union Symbol\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-03-18T14:53:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-10-28T20:55:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/#\/schema\/person\/1df19e5ccacb0116b88b93e89ffc4c3f\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The President\u2019s Rabbi\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/\",\"name\":\"Behind the Union Symbol\",\"description\":\"\\\\\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/product-search\/#s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/#\/schema\/person\/1df19e5ccacb0116b88b93e89ffc4c3f\",\"name\":\"Rabbi Gil Student\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0727c58c26a545bebef44775229aad43ab2ff24345232d3000d4c8994dad6901?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0727c58c26a545bebef44775229aad43ab2ff24345232d3000d4c8994dad6901?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rabbi Gil Student\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/author\/student\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The President\u2019s Rabbi - Behind the Union Symbol","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The President\u2019s Rabbi - Behind the Union Symbol","og_description":"I first met Rabbi Menachem Genack, rabbinic administrator and chief executive officer of\u00a0OU Kosher, on the momentous Inauguration Day of 2009. During our conversation in his\u00a0office, Rabbi Genack could not resist showing me his Lincoln memorabilia and pointing out\u00a0that President Barak Obama would be sworn into office that day on the historic Lincoln\u00a0Bible. Many remarkable […]","og_url":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/","og_site_name":"Behind the Union Symbol","article_published_time":"2015-03-18T14:53:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-10-28T20:55:07+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/ouwp\/images\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1675077435\/Kosher\/btus\/Screen-Shot-2015-03-18-at-3.05.17-PM\/Screen-Shot-2015-03-18-at-3.05.17-PM.png?_i=AA"}],"author":"Rabbi Gil Student","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rabbi Gil Student","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/","url":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/","name":"The President\u2019s Rabbi - Behind the Union Symbol","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-03-18T14:53:41+00:00","dateModified":"2020-10-28T20:55:07+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/#\/schema\/person\/1df19e5ccacb0116b88b93e89ffc4c3f"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2015\/03\/18\/the-presidents-rabbi\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The President\u2019s Rabbi"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/#website","url":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/","name":"Behind the Union Symbol","description":"\\","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/product-search\/#s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/#\/schema\/person\/1df19e5ccacb0116b88b93e89ffc4c3f","name":"Rabbi Gil Student","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0727c58c26a545bebef44775229aad43ab2ff24345232d3000d4c8994dad6901?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0727c58c26a545bebef44775229aad43ab2ff24345232d3000d4c8994dad6901?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rabbi Gil Student"},"url":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/author\/student\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":183,"href":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181\/revisions\/183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}