Stop scaring, start strengthening | Weekly Torah portion

Judaism is like life; the more you learn, the more you discover how little you know. Until a fairly mature age, I did not know that there is such a thing as an 'original Haftarah' versus what is actually read. For example, the original Haftarah for the portion of Re'eh is actually from the Book of Jeremiah, which prophesies the bitter end of false prophets, because in the portion we read about the judgment of a false prophet.

Why didn't I know this? Because I never heard this Haftarah. About 1000 years ago, the custom was adopted to read only Haftarot of encouragement and strengthening during the seven Sabbaths after Tisha B'Av, called 'Seven of Consolation' (Shiva D'Nechemta). Therefore, this Sabbath we will read the consolation of the Almighty to the 'afflicted, storm-tossed, and not comforted' and His promises for a wonderful future full of wealth and happiness by the prophet Isaiah.

Preferring words of comfort and encouragement over intimidation and moralizing is familiar to us from the world of Hasidism, but the change of the traditional custom for seven weeks by the entire Jewish people without distinction of communities — the thing closest to a miracle in terms of Judaism — proves that this is an ancient Jewish idea.

One thing bothered me: why was what was good for over a thousand years, reading Haftarot of rebuke on this Sabbath, not good enough for us? Besides, the fear effect is very effective, ask any campaign manager or media person, why not use this power to inspire Jews to repent (Teshuvah)?

It is all because of one single parameter: in order to talk about the flaws of others, the speaker must himself be spotless as the prophets of Israel were, otherwise it is just settling personal scores at the expense of God.

Or as the Lubavitcher Rebbe phrased it:

'When someone says something negative about the children of Israel who are "children to the Lord your God," they ask him above: "Who are you to talk about My children?"'

But when one speaks 'with pleasant words, words of sweetness and ways of peace... the question "who are you to talk?" disappears, for he did not come to settle scores with the other, because he came with a medicine to heal him.'

At home and outside it, the right way to bring about change is by emphasizing the strengths of the people around us, because if one gets used to seeing the bad in them and trying to get something good out of it, that is a story from the Haftarah.