Godly EQ: The Emotional Intelligence of Consolation

In this episode, Rabbi Alex Ozar (JLIC Yale) and Rabbi Don Cantor (Richmond Jewish Learning Experience, formerly JLIC Johns Hopkins) continue their exploration of Jewish consolation during times of national tragedy. Drawing from the seven Haftarot of consolation and provocative midrashim, they unpack what it means for a broken people to seek comfort and why human messengers aren't enough.

Episode Highlights

The Failure of Prophets as Comforters

• Why the Jewish people rejected every prophet sent to console them
• The inherent ambivalence in all human relationships
• "How are we supposed to trust you when you've also condemned us?"

Practical Application for Today

• Why internal Jewish divisions cause deeper pain than external threats
• The call for vulnerable, accountable conversations within the Jewish community
• How showing up for each other in godly ways becomes the vehicle for divine consolation

Key Themes

• Nechamah (Consolation) as an ongoing process, not a one-time fix
• The inadequacy of mere words vs. genuine presence
• Human ambivalence and why no person can offer pure, unmixed comfort
• Mutual vulnerability as the foundation for healing relationships
• The blurred line between divine-human and human-human relationships