• Jacob Rupp

There is an ancient Jewish practice to start the day with the words, “Modeh Ani,” an expression of gratitude to our Creator and the forging of a deep personal connection. Interestingly, this recitation ends with an expression of our Creator’s faith in us — in other words, it is a reminder of who we really are.

E. David Smith, Esq., is principal of Smith & Associates, and serves as outside general counsel for US and foreign companies, family enterprises, and family offices. Guiding his clients in the creation and growth of their wealth, he positions business entities for growth opportunities and for mitigating risk, including asset preservation. Combining his experience in corporate transactions, capital raising and financing, corporate governance, corporate litigation, and intellectual property, he provides strategic guidance, identifies and addresses core issues, and quarterbacks companies’ and family offices’ legal needs.

As a rabbi, he incorporates not only Jewish spirituality but mindfulness and other practices such as the Three Principles in his law firm. David brings a spiritual approach to everything he does, from dealing with clients to taking care of his growing team.

Unlike many other law firms, who put billable work hours above everything else, David believes that growth comes from within and that it can be achieved by trusting G-d, while doing the work.

As a father of nine, he promotes work-life balance both for himself and for his employees. His spiritual approach, along with his over 20 years of experience in corporate law and complex litigation, have taught him that a supportive work environment and happy employees are the keys to growth and success.

Some of the spiritual practices he’s introduced include prioritizing team lunches where the Three Principles are discussed, along with meditation, and slowing down to reflect on both successes and failures. While failures are inevitable, looking at them from a spiritual perspective can provide a unique point of view, since every experience teaches us a valuable lesson.

With spirituality in mind, Smith and Associates was able to grow more than 30 percent last year.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you please share your “backstory” with us?

I started my academic career at the University of California Berkeley wanting to find a cure for cancer and worked in the lab of Professor Harry Rubin. He taught me to question everything, but I also saw that questioning was not well received in institutionalized career research, where results that challenge the accepted hypothesis are disregarded as anomalous. I saw how professors who dared to go against convention were treated and realized that there was little future for me as an independent-thinking graduate student. Law is one of the few fields left where you can say what you really believe. While I was preparing for the MCAT exam, I took a break to read a book by Menachem Begin in which he decides how, after the Nazis invaded Poland, he was notified that a Jew had been abducted and was being held at the Gestapo headquarters. Begin marched in and argued successfully for the release of the imprisoned man. Reading that, I thought to myself, That’s a life worth living and an honorable profession —  speaking up for the voiceless. And so I decided to study for the LSAT instead.

What role did mindfulness or spiritual practice play in your life growing up?

Growing up, there wasn’t much spirituality in our family on a day-to-day basis. I was taught that getting through life was more about logic and there was a ‘way’ to do things right so as to get ‘there’ — and that was it. Life had no deeper meaning; the “right” way to do things was simply about figuring out where you wanted to go and mapping the most direct way to get there, rather than looking deeper and trying to figure out what was right in the moment.

Do you have a funny or touching story about that?

I wish I had, but looking at it from where I am today, it’s more like grinding metal on metal. Although I didn’t know what I was missing when I was younger, there’s no wonder I was attracted to spiritual practices when I grew up and became a rabbi.

My late father was very well-intentioned, and he knew that one word could make a big difference in outcome. If I had an interview for a school or a job when I was younger, he would want to make sure I knew exactly how to answer every question.

Now I understand that what is truly important is not how I answer this or that, but being present in the moment, and the people who are present with me, and allowing the answers to flow.

While my father is right, for instance, that I might need to say A, B, and C precisely to get this particular job, that presupposes that the job is the right one for me. Of course, I still make that calculation ahead of time about what is best for me, and I will absolutely try to make sure it happens, but I now see that life is really so fluid and the Divine Plan is much beyond my ability to understand, looking backwards, let alone discern going forward.

How do your mindfulness or spiritual practices affect your business and personal life today?

Spirituality is a way of living, and therefore it is ‘there’ constantly. I start the day with gratitude, which is really key. There is an ancient Jewish practice to start the day with the words, “Modeh Ani,” an expression of gratitude to our Creator and the forging of a deep personal connection. Interestingly, this recitation ends with an expression of our Creator’s faith in us — in other words, it is a reminder of who we really are. Similarly, the recitation of the Shema prayer is really a reminder to us of who we are.

Starting the day on that note makes a difference. Waiting to check email or the news until after prayer and breakfast is also a great way to allow soul, heart, and mind to regroup and check in as to what is truly important, before getting swept away in what some business colleague or client or politician or entertainer or news outlet only thinks is important.

Mindfulness and spirituality mean recognizing that abundance comes from the Divine and not from what I imagine it “should” be. Abundance is not always about fame and fortune. I remember once, during a difficult financial period in my life, a friend told me how G-d was sending me such abundance. At that moment, he said, the abundance was not in the form of money, but in the form of children — I had eight at the time. Now we have even more abundance, nine children, thank G-d.

When it comes to my practice and my clients, I know that the right answer always comes from the inner wisdom we all have. As an attorney, I can best serve my clients when I am quiet. This allows me to access that inner wisdom. That is really a spiritual practice, because the answer is not based on application of technical knowledge. There is a knowing that provides the answers. Sometimes that knowing can come in 20 seconds, sometimes it could take three weeks. But the quieter I can become, the clearer the answer will be.

Do you find that you are more successful or less successful because of your integration of spiritual and mindful practices? Can you share an example or story about that with us?

My success is built upon my spiritual practices. It is inseparable. I would not have my success without the connection to my inner wisdom and to G-d. Let me give you an example: whenever I confront with a problem, I have two options: I can think that I’m alone in this world and that things are not going the way I want, or I can believe that G-d is running this world and everything is just fine, thank you very much.

When I feel tension, fear or anxiety, I realize I naturally tend to operate from the first option. But I also know that operating from this place means not much good can come from that moment, for me or for others. And once I realize that, I can lovingly bring myself back to the second option.

The Divine intelligence of all existence is constantly bringing the formless into form. And our job is to see that. On one level we might not like the form that we see, but that does not change what it really is.

On another note, my wife always says my best public addresses, including in court, are the ones where I don’t prepare the words I’m going to say ahead of time. Those are the times when I’m most connected to that inner wisdom. The thing is, I always felt like I was missing something, because every book I had read on the subject of public speaking talks about preparation and practice. It took me years to realize that there might be another way of doing things from what I’d read. I’ve now come to see that sometimes, the best communication I can offer on behalf of myself and my clients is unstructured, relying not on wordsmithery but on inspiration derived from the wisdom that resides in each one of us.

What would you say is the foundational principle for one to “lead a good life”? Can you share a story that illustrates that?

In order to lead a good life, we must be connected to our essence and purpose. For me, this essence and purpose is all about serving people and helping them with their legal issues.

When I graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in philosophy and molecular biology, as I said, I wanted to find a cure for cancer. It took me some time to realize that, although this was a noble cause, working in research couldn’t help me lead a good life for myself. That’s because I would have had to compromise my own principles to make it within the research establishment. Realizing that made the choice simple: I applied to law school, and the rest is history. My purpose is serving others by helping them solve complex legal issues and create a better future for their business and their family.

Can you share a story about one of the most impactful moments in your spiritual/mindful life?

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