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And yet, like all personality traits, it has a "flip side." The flip side of anger is what I would call "righteous indignation," the fury that arises inside us when we see injustice, cruelty or corruption, causing us to act in order to right the wrong. This is the "good" form of anger, the "healthy cholesterol" as opposed to the harmful cholesterol.
Moshe had both of these. When he saw the Egyptian beating the Jew, his righteous indignation kicked in, & he saved the Jew’s life. But when he hit the rock – twice - & called the nation "rebels" at M’riva, that was destructive anger that would cost Moshe dearly – his entrance to Eretz Yisrael.
In our Sedra, Moshe smashes the Luchot when he sees the people worshipping the Golden Calf, sending the first set of the 10 Commandments to smithereens. Which type of anger did this act represent?
Let me explain with an ancient legend about Shlomo, the only person in history whose wisdom approached that of Moshe (indeed, both of their names share the same 3 letters – Hey-Shin-Mem, or Hashem!).
Shlomo, like Adam, spoke all languages, even that of the animals. One day, a man asked Shlomo to teach him the language of the birds. Shlomo refused, saying it was not a good idea. But the man persisted until Shlomo gave in, reluctantly, & agreed to teach him.
Then one day, the man was at his home & he heard two birds, perched on his porch, saying: "This man’s field is on fire!" So he ran to the field & he put out the fire. He was extremely happy that he had convinced Shlomo to teach him bird-language.
Some weeks later, while the man was in the field, he heard a bird in the tree say, "This man’s house is on fire!" And he ran & quickly saved his house. He also sent a message to Shlomo, "See what a good thing it is that you taught me the language of the birds!"
But then one day, two birds were flying overhead and one chirped to the other, "You see that man? He is going to die today!"
Terrified, the man ran to Shlomo for help. "I warned you not to learn the language of the birds," said the wise king to the man. "You see, you deserved to be punished for your sins. G-d wanted to take your field as punishment, and then your house, but you foiled that. Now, there is no recourse but to take your life!"
When Moshe saw what the people had done, the sin they had committed, his first impulse was to save them. So he chose to break the most precious gift ever given to Man. It smashed, but we survived.
So when, G-d forbid, something unpleasant or unfortunate occurs in our lives, we would do well to remember the story of Shlomo and the language of the birds. Maybe, just maybe, rather than cursing, we should be counting our blessings.
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Rabbis in Midrash
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
