Rabbi's Corner

Imagine you are standing out in the pouring rain trying to open the front door of your house, and you find that the key will not turn.  You try and you try and you try, but it just will not turn.  So, what do you do?  You become frustrated and angry and try to force the key to turn.  But the result is not that the door finally unlocks enabling you to open it.  The result is that the key breaks off in the lock.  Now it is most certain that you cannot get into your home.  Not only that, you have destroyed both the key and the door lock.  If only you had stepped back, taken a moment to calm yourself down, and given some thought to the problem at hand, you might have realized that you had put the key in the wrong way.  What prevented you from solving the problem?  Of course, it was your momentary anger.  Anger is, to say the least, counterproductive.  We see this illustrated in this week's double parashah, Parashat Mattot/Mas'ei.

We read the following: "Moshe was angry with the commanders of the army...." (BeMidbar 31;14) About what was he angry?  The commanders had made the decision to spare the lives of all the Midyanite women and children in spite of the orders they had received to the contrary.  In his anger, Moshe gave incorrect instructions as to how to kasher (purify) the implements of war they had used during the battle with the Midyanites.  It was Elazar, the Kohen Gadol who, having succeeded his father Aharon after his death, gave the proper instructions as to what to do with the implements of war.  It was Elazar and not Moshe who taught these laws to the B'nei Yisrael.  Because Moshe had become angry, his instincts (i.e.- “gut reaction”) and not his wisdom prevailed preventing him from teaching the people the laws of purification regarding dead bodies.  His anger prevented him from remembering what these laws were in spite of the fact that HaShem had taught them directly to him.  Thus, we see the inherent danger in becoming angry.

Becoming angry and expressing that anger can destroy in an instant the years of investment in a relationship with another human being.  Being angry destroys one's health, eats away at being happy, and causes a person to lose the ability to think clearly.  Holding yourself back from reacting instinctively and negatively in a fit of anger, will enable you to act rationally.

Remember: the word "anger" is only one letter short of the word "danger!"