In this remarkable op-ed from the New York Times, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz isn’t giving a definitive answer whether he’ll enter the 2016 presidential campaign. However, he does posit this remarkable piece of wisdom from Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel z’tl of the Mir Yeshiva who died in 2011. The two visited the Old City and when Schultz walked to the Kotel, Rabbi Finkel stopped ten yards away. Schultz writes:
The speculation about my candidacy reminds me of a lesson from a great Jewish leader. A decade ago, I visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem with Nosson Tzvi Finkel, a widely respected rabbi in Israel. As we approached one of the holiest sites in Judaism, the rabbi halted about 10 yards away as a crowd of admirers gathered nearby. I beckoned him further.
“I’ve never been closer than this,” the rabbi told me. Astounded, I asked why.
“You go,” he said. “I’m not worthy.”
Read the entire op-ed here.
The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.