rebellious nation that has rebelled 
against Me … Say to them, ‘This is 
what the Sovereign Lord says.
’ And 
whether they listen or fail to listen—
for they are a rebellious people —
they will know that a Prophet has 
been among them.
” Ez. 2:3-5
Ezekiel must take a public stand. 
Once he has done that, he has 
fulfilled his duty. The people will 
have been warned, and if they fail to 
listen, it will be their fault.
The Sages had a completely 
different approach. First, they 
understood the task of remonstrating 
as belonging to everyone, not 
just Prophets. That is how they 
understood the verse, “You shall 
surely rebuke your neighbor so you 
will not share in his guilt” (Lev. 
19:17). Second, they held that it 
should be done not once but up 
to a hundred times if necessary. In 
fact you should keep reprimanding 
a wrongdoer until they hit you or 
curse you or scold you. All of this, 
though, applies only if there is a 
reasonable chance of making the 
situation better. If not, then we apply 
the rule: “Just as it is a mitzvah to say 
something that will be heeded, so it is 
a mitzvah not to say something that 
will not be heeded.
” 
Note the difference between 
the two approaches. The Prophet 
takes a heroic stand but does not 
take responsibility for whether the 
people listen or not. The Rabbis do 
not take a heroic stand. In fact, they 
democratize the responsibility for 
rebuke so that it applies to everyone. 
But they are ultra-sensitive to 
whether it is effective or not. If there 
is a chance of changing someone 
for the better, then you must try a 
hundred times, but if there is no 
chance at all, better be silent. This 
is not only a wise approach; it is a 
highly effective one. 
 Now consider peace. No finer 
visions of a world at peace have ever 
been given than by Israel’s Prophets. 
This is just one:
“The wolf will live with the lamb, 
the leopard will lie down with the 
goat, the calf and the lion and the 
yearling together; and a little child 
will lead them

“They will neither harm nor 
destroy on all My holy mountain, 
for the earth will be filled with the 
knowledge of the Lord as the waters 
cover the sea.
” Isaiah 11:6-9
Now consider rabbinic teachings:
“For the sake of peace, the poor of 
the heathens should not be prevented 
from gathering gleanings, forgotten 
sheaves and corners of the field … 
Our masters taught: for the sake 
of peace, the poor of the heathens 
should be supported as we support 
the poor of Israel, the sick of the 
heathens should be visited as we visit 
the sick of Israel, and the dead of the 
heathens should be buried as we bury 
the dead of Israel.
” 
Once again, the difference is 
glaring. What for the Prophets 
was a dazzling vision of a distant 
future was, for the Sages, a practical 
program of good community 
relations, a way of sustaining 
peaceful coexistence between the 
Jewish community and its Gentile 
neighbors. It was imaginative, 
gracious and workable.
There are many other examples. 
The Sages achieved something 
extraordinary. Throughout the 
biblical era, the Israelites were 
constantly tempted by idolatry and 
foreign ways. The Prophets were 
often driven close to despair. 
During the rabbinic era, Jews 
became a people defined by religion, 
commandments, learning and prayer, 
sustained voluntarily and maintained 
tenaciously against all pressures to 
convert to the majority faith. That 
is because the Rabbis did not focus 
on distant visions. They devised 
practical programs. These may have 
lacked drama, but they worked.
The Sages, perhaps to their 
surprise, realized this: Where the 
Prophets failed, they succeeded. I 
believe that institutions like prophecy 
survive when they are translated 
from utopian ideals into practical 
policies. 
The greatness of the Sages, still not 
fully appreciated by the world, is that 
guided by the visions of the Prophets, 
they gave us the instructions for how 
to get from here to there. 

SEPTEMBER 5 • 2024 | 35

Finding Comfort
I

t is an emotionally challenging time of year. This coming 
week we will mark the 23rd anniversary of 9/11 while we 
are also just one month away from commemorating the 
Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. 
As the unknown future looms heavy, it presents a constant 
fear and worry for us and especially for our brothers and 
sisters in the State of Israel. As Jews in the 
modern world, we are perpetually challenged to 
transcend the tendency to live our lives in fear. 
The truth inherent in the classic text message 
from a Jewish parent is way too real: “Start 
worrying. Details to follow.” 
Fear and worry are simply part of our DNA. 
It comes as no surprise that there are at least 
970 occurrences of the word “fear” or “worry” 
throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. To confront 
the feelings of fear and uncertainty that were so 
rampant among our biblical ancestors, our Torah 
portion puts forth an established, professional 
cadre of people 
— magistrates (shoftim) and 
community officials (shotrim) — whose job 
involved establishing due justice while tending to 
the pervasive concerns of the masses. In essence, these leaders 
were called upon to address and respond to the trepidation 
felt by each individual Israelite.
Upon entry into the Land of Israel, the prophets stepped 
up to assume this holy task of taking on the people’s fears, 
worries and concerns. And they took it to the next level. 
Recognizing that comfort would not solely be found in the 
human realm, the prophets encouraged the people to bring 
their fears and worries to God, who would comfort them and 
offer them hope that better times lay ahead. 
In this week’s haftarah, Isaiah encourages the people that 
God will console them: “I, I am He who comforts you … and 
shelters you with My hand. I, who planted the skies and made 
firm the earth and have said to Zion — You are My people!”
In these times of intense fear and worry, sadness and 
darkness, we continue to search for comfort, wholeness and 
healing. While God will meet us halfway, Isaiah also reminds 
us that we must do our part and maintain faith to the best 
of our ability. We must rouse ourselves to live our best lives, 
even in the midst of numerous challenges, difficulties and 
uncertainties.
In this new Hebrew month of Elul, a time devoted to self-
reflection and personal growth, may we awaken ourselves 
to facing our fears head on. And may we find comfort and 
support in the eternal words of Isaiah 52:12: “For the Lord is 
marching before us, the God of Israel is our guard and our 
guide.” 

Rabbi Joseph H. Krakoff is CEO of the Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy 

Network and author of ‘Never Long Enough: Finding Comfort and Hope Amidst 

Grief and Loss.’

TORAH PORTION

Rabbi 
Joseph 
Krakoff

Parshat 

Shoftim: 

Deuteronomy 

16:18-21:9; 

Isaiah 51:12-

52:12.

