Parsha Halacha

Parsha Halacha – Parshat Chukat

Taming the Fire of Anger

Lessons from Moshe Rabeinu, the Rambam and the Arizal

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The Torah portion of Chukat includes the story of Moshe hitting the rock[1] which resulted in the decree that he and his brother Aharon would not enter the land of Israel. 

There are many opinions as to what was Moshe’s sin exactly,[2] but according to the Rambam,[3] it was the fact that he got angry and berated the Jewish people by calling them rebellious.

Moshe’s Sin: Getting Angry 

In the (paraphrased) words of the Rambam:

“Moshe’s actual wrongdoing was that he lost his patience and spoke harshly when he said, [4] ‘Listen now, you rebels.’ … G-d criticized him, because someone of Moses’ stature should not have expressed anger in front of the entire community of Israel… 

“People saw Moshe as a role model. They copied his words and behavior, thinking it would lead them to success in this world and the Next World. So when he got angry, it seemed to them that this anger was justified and even holy. But anger is a harmful trait—it comes from an unhealthy spiritual state… This led them to believe that G-d was angry with them when, in fact, He was not.” 

“I believe this explanation clears up one of the most debated and difficult parts of the Torah— what precisely was Moshe’s sin. Compare the other interpretations with this one, and the truth will become clear.” 

This article will focus on the negative effects of anger and on the importance of remaining calm. It is mostly based on Siftei Chaim (Midot V’avodat Hashem, vol.1 pg. 213 and on), by Rabbi  Chaim Freidlander. 

Getting Angry Is Like Worshiping a Foreign God 

The Talmud says,[5]“One who rips his garments, breaks his vessels, or scatters his money in his anger, should be like an idol worshipper in your eyes. This is the craft of the evil inclination (Yetzer Hara). Today it tells one to do this (get angry), and tomorrow it tells one to do that, until eventually it tells him to worship idols, and he goes and does so. (I.e., the Yetzer Hara starts off by leading someone to become angry. This brings them to the worst sins.) Rabbi Avin said: What verse alludes to this? ‘There shall not be a strange god within you, and you shall not bow to a foreign god.’[6]⁶ What is the strange god that is within a person’s body? This refers to the evil inclination.” 

Anger Opens the Lid 

Although every man is born with base instincts that, if followed, can lead to negative behavior, man was also granted the power to control and modify his behavior by using his intellect, which is what distinguishes us from animals. When our sages speak about the Good and Evil Inclinations (Yetzer Tov and Yezer Hora),[7] they are referring to the struggle between one’s intellect and one’s base instincts. One’s instincts are referred to as “the foreign god within ourselves” since they direct us towards behaviors that are antithetical to the ways of the Torah. 

When a person gets angry, his instincts take over and he acts without thinking. As such, his behavior becomes completely unpredictable and can ultimately lead to behavior that is akin to idol worship. 

Drunkenness and Anger 

The Talmud[8] equates drunkenness and anger by saying, לָא תִּרְתַּח וְלָא תִּחְטֵי. לָא תִּרְוֵי וְלָא תִּחְטֵי - “Do not get angry and you will not sin. Do not get drunk and you will not sin.” 

Drunkenness and anger are mentioned in one breath because both of these states reveal the primal urges of a person while bypassing a more rational approach. The word תִּחְטֵי(sin) can also mean “miss the mark”[9] as when one isn’t using his mind to dictate his behavior, he will usually “miss the mark” and not act in a beneficial manner. 

Ruled by Gehinom 

The Talmud says[10] that if one gets angry, all kinds of Gehinnom (hell) rule over him. As it says,[11] “Therefore remove vexation from your heart, and put away evil (which refers to Gehinnom) from your flesh.” 

While the simple interpretation is that anger can lead to multiple sins which bring about the punishment of Gehinnom,[12] this can also mean that during one’s anger his internal Gehinnom (animalistic tendencies) rule over him. 

While everyone has bad traits which they try to keep under control, when one gets angry, one loses that control and those traits boil up to the surface. 

Combatting Anger with Humility 

The key to combatting anger is to be humble and forbearing and to realize that whatever happens to us is ordained by the Almighty. An arrogant person gets angry easily as every slight diminishes his ego, whereas a humble person does not take slights personally. 

The Happiest Day of the Chassid’s Life 

While discussing the positive trait of extreme humility, the Rambam writes,[13]¹³

“I saw in a book of Middot that one of the important chassidim (pious men)[14] was asked, ‘Which day is the one that you rejoiced more than any of your days?’ He responded, ‘The day that I was going on a boat and my place was in the lowest place of the boat among the packages of clothing (steerage classes). There were businesspeople and wealthy men on the boat as well. I was lying in my place, dressed in rags and one of the men of the boat got up to urinate, and I was so insignificant and lowly in his eyes that he urinated on me. I was astonished by how brazen he was. But, by the Almighty, I wasn’t upset by his act at all, and my anger was not aroused. At that point I rejoiced greatly realizing I had reached extreme humility to the extent that the disgrace of this boor didn’t pain me and I didn’t feel [any negative feelings] towards him.’ This, without a doubt, is an extreme [level] humility and is the absolute opposite of pride.”

Losing One’s Soul 

According to the early Kabbalists,[15] when a person gets angry his G-dly soul departs from him and is replaced with a soul from the side of unholiness, as the verse says,[16]“His soul is snatched in his anger.” 

For this reason, the Arizal was very particular never to get angry. He explained that when one loses his soul due to anger, all the mitzvot he accomplished are lost as well. He must then restart his mitzvah “count.” If he gets angry again, he loses it all again and must again start from scratch. Such a person is constantly “building and destroying” his spiritual legacy.[17]¹⁶

One should be especially careful not to get angry on Friday and Shabbat so that one should not desecrate the holiness of their Shabbat soul. 

Fridays Are Danger Zones for Anger 

The Talmud says[18] that, on Fridays, when reminding one’s wife to light the candles (on time) and separate challah, one should speak softly. Although one should always speak softly[19]¹⁸ especially when giving instructions (that can be taken as reproof), it is especially important on Fridays which is usually a stressful day with time constraints which can lead to one’s losing his cool. 

Holding Up the Entire World 

The Talmud says[20] that the world exists in the merit of one who closes his mouth and doesn’t respond to an insult (despite his instinct to do so). 

May We Merit to Stay Calm and Hold Up the World! 

[1] Numbers 20:2 – 13.

[2] See Ohr Hachaim who lists various opinions as to Moshe’s sin:

• Rashi (on verse 12) says that he hit the rock instead of speaking to it. 
• The Ibn Ezra (verse 8) says that he hit it twice instead of once. 
• Or that he sinned by calling them “rebels” (in verse 10).
• The Rambam (see in the article above) says that Moshe’s getting angry was his sin.
•  Rabeinu Chananel, quoted in Ramban on verse 8, says that Moshe’s sin was that he said (verse 10) “Shall we take water from this rock” rather than “Shall He (G-d) bring forth water.” 
• Rabbi Moshe HaKohen (quoted in Ibn Ezra) says that by saying “Shall we take water from this rock” which made it sound as if G-d may not be able to bring water out of that rock.
• The Sefer Ha’ikarim (4:22) says that the sin was that Moshe and Ahron should have struck the rock on their own rather than wait for specific instruction from G-d.

[3] Shmona Perakim, end of Chapter 4.

[4] Numbers ibid verse 10.

[5] Shabbat 105b.

[6] Psalms 81:10.

[7] See Brachot 61b, Tanya Chapter 1 and in many places.

[8] Berachot 29b.

[9] See Judges 20:16 קֹלֵעַ בָּאֶבֶן אֶל הַשַּׂעֲרָה וְלֹא יַחֲטִא – “They could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.”

[10] Nedarim 22a.

[11] Kohelet 11:10.

[12] Pirush HaRosh

[13] Pirush HaMishnayot, 4:4.

[14] Some that that this Chassid was Rabbeinu Bachye.

[15] Zohar, vol. 2, 182b and Rabbi Chaim Vital in Sha’arei Kedusha 2:8:8..

[16] Job, 18:4

[17] Sha’ar Ma’amarie Razal, Avot 2:12.

[18] Shabbat 34a.

[19] See Orchot Chaim of the Rosh (5:85) who says “Don’t scream like an animal rather speak softly.”  

[20] Chullin 89a.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom UMvorach!