The ancient rabbis wrestled with that very notion, and their thoughts are preserved in a fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms.

It starts with a chilling image: the righteous, the truly good people, terrified because they saw Ahithophel in Gehenna – that's the Jewish concept of hell, a place of fiery purification. Now, Ahithophel wasn’t just anyone. He was King David's advisor who famously betrayed him and sided with Absalom in his rebellion (2 Samuel 15-17). So, seeing him in Gehenna sent a powerful message.

The righteous folks reasoned, "If he acted this way and ended up there, how much worse will it be for us?" It's the fear of falling short, the anxiety of not being good enough, amplified by seeing someone they respected – albeit someone who made a terrible choice – suffering the ultimate consequence.

But here's where the story takes a beautiful turn. The Midrash tells us that the Holy One, blessed be He, – a common way of referring to God – judged Ahithophel's actions and showed the righteous what he had done. And, surprisingly, they rejoiced! Not out of malice, but because they understood that justice had been served. The implication is that understanding God's justice removes the paralyzing fear. "Therefore," the passage concludes, "there was no fear."

But the Midrash doesn't stop there. It offers another interpretation, a glimpse into the future. God, it says, will declare, "I said the people of Israel would ascend Anona, I said the fear of Anona, but I did not say that they would be subjected to the fear of destruction." Anona is a bit obscure; some understand it as a reference to a place of difficulty or trial. The idea is that God promised challenges, even fear itself, but not utter annihilation. There's a crucial difference between facing adversity and being consumed by it.

The passage then quotes Psalm 14:6: "You would put to shame the counsel of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge." What's this "counsel of the poor?" According to the Midrash, God rebukes the Israelites, saying, "You built your own houses of idolatry!" And even when God commands them to build Jerusalem, they complain, quoting Isaiah 54:11: "Afflicted one, storm-tossed, uncomforted!"

The Midrash sees a deep irony here. God offers redemption, a chance to rebuild, but the people are so mired in their own perceived suffering, so paralyzed by their past mistakes, that they reject the very thing that can save them. They are giving bad counsel to themselves, a counsel born of fear and despair.

The Midrash concludes with a stark warning: "Woe to the counsel of the poor; they will be put to shame. And so it is said, 'Shame befalls those who reject the Lord.'"

So, what does all this mean for us today? Perhaps it's a reminder to examine the fears that hold us back. Are we afraid of the idea of failure more than we are motivated by the possibility of success? Are we letting past mistakes define our future? And most importantly, are we open to God's counsel, even when it challenges our own limited perspectives? The Midrash Tehillim suggests that true freedom lies not in the absence of fear, but in the courage to face it with faith and a willingness to embrace the possibility of redemption.