You Can Have Faith and Still Be Afraid | 10@9 | 2026.08.14

God repeatedly tells us: Don't be afraid. But does faith really mean that we should no longer experience fear? Psalm 27 - which we begin reciting in Ellul - presents a much more complicated picture. It opens with extraordinary confidence: “The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?” Yet as the Psalm unfolds, certainty gives way to vulnerability, anxiety, and longing. As Rivka Kahan writes, David expresses both “the conviction and vulnerability of the believer.” Faith and fear, it seems, can exist at the same time. Abarbanel goes further: sometimes fear is necessary. The person going into battle should be afraid - and then allow faith to guide them through that fear. And King Solomon teaches that fear of falling short can become a force for growth. That may be part of what the Shofar is meant to awaken during Ellul: not fear that paralyzes us, but fear that pushes us to examine ourselves, change what needs changing, and approach Rosh Hashanah better prepared. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.