All the News That’s Fit for Shabbat
Once again, world shattering news breaks out in the Jewish State on the morning of Shabbat or Yom Tov. In Israel, even the most strictly observant spend the holy day attentive to breaking news – either the so-called “gal shaket” radio station that broadcasts alarms and alerts only or the Homefront website which can be left on over Shabbat with essential updates. Poskim rule that when tefilla can take place some present should have cellular phones with them, and gabbaim arrange for this just as they attend to making sure there’s someone to read the Torah and another to lead the prayers. But what’s appropriate for Jews whose hearts may be in the east but who are safe and sound in the west?
When the security guard delivers troubling news at shul on Shabbat morning or the Israeli consulate arrives during kiddush dressed in somber black, how should a rabbi proceed? In this compelling exploration of delivering life-altering news through the dual lenses of Jewish tradition and contemporary medical wisdom, Noah Cheses navigates the treacherous terrain between truth-telling and timing. Drawing from heart-stopping personal experiences during wartime and unexpected tragedy, this article reveals how our rabbis’ wisdom about delivering bad news anticipated modern medical protocols by millennia. Cheses deftly weaves biblical and midrashic narratives (where poorly delivered news literally killed Sarah) with contemporary research on “Broken Heart Syndrome” to illuminate why the messenger, setting, and method matter profoundly. With equal parts scholarly insight and practical compassion, this essay tackles the questions that haunt every spiritual leader: Is it ever better not to tell? How does Shabbat’s joy compete with the community’s need to know? And when exactly should one announce about a tragedy? This timely examination offers both Torah insights and practical guidance for anyone entrusted with bearing life’s most difficult tidings—from medical diagnoses to wartime casualties—with both clarity and compassion.
Read Noah Cheses, “The Art of Delivering Difficult News in Jewish Thought and Practice,” TRADITION (Summer 2025).
Noah Cheses is the Rabbi of Young Israel of Sharon, MA, and teaches at the Maimonides School.