11 Feb IS ANGER GOOD?

I. Anger Is Bad
Anger is a destructive
force. It does not just
cloud judgment,
which would imply
reliance on instinct. Anger overwhelms
judgment, taking you in directions to
which your rational mind and your other,
less powerful, emotions would object if
they could. A life full of anger is a life
full of pain and regrets.
Rambam (12th cen., Egypt) condemns
anger completely. He writes (Mishneh
Torah, Hilchos Dei’os 2:2): “Anger is
a very bad trait, and it is fitting for a
person to distance himself from it to the
other extreme. A person should accustom
himself to not get angry even about
something about which it is fitting to get
angry.” Rambam continues that anyone
who gets angry is as if he worshipped
idolatry. While this homily can be taken

in the direction of self-worship, Rambam
certainly meant otherwise. Paganism is
about giving primacy to a person’s animal
nature. Similarly, anger shuts out all other
considerations and cedes complete control
to this natural reaction.
II. Anger Is Sometimes Good
However, other Jewish thinkers take a
slightly more moderate stance toward
anger. The Mishnah (Avos 5:11) lists four
types of relationships with anger:
1. Easily angered and easily appeased
— the good (appeasal) is negated by the
bad (anger)
2. Difficult to anger and difficult to be
appeased — the bad (appeasal) is negated
by the good (anger)
3. Difficult to anger and easily appeased
— pious
4. Easily angered and difficult to appease
— wicked

It is striking that the Mishnah does not
even consider someone who never gets
angry. Some interpret this as recognizing
that humans are flawed; the ideal of
never getting angry is aspirational but
unattainable. For example, Rav Yisrael
Lipschitz (19th cen., Germany) writes
that it is impossible for a person to never
get angry (Tiferes Yisrael, ad loc., Yachin
n. 87). However, others take instruction
from this omission. Sometimes anger is
an appropriate response.
Rabbeinu Yonah (13th cen., Spain)
writes: “You should not refrain from
anger completely because sometimes a
person is required to get angry for G-d’s
vengeance like Pinchas” (Commentary,
ad loc.). Anger is unwise and dangerous
for the reasons already mentioned. But
anger is powerful and sometimes we
need that passion. Without anger, there
would be no revolutions against tyrants,
no stamping out injustice, no demand
to right wrongs. Rabbi Norman Lamm
has said that Modern Orthodoxy needs
to be passionate about moderation and
not moderate about passion. That is the
Maimonidean path. Rabbeinu Yonah
argues that achieving success requires
sometimes replacing moderation with
passion.
III. Moshe’s Anger
Rav Yom Tov Lipmann Heller (17th
cen., Poland) insists that anger is
sometimes necessary (Tosefos Yom
Tov, ad loc.). He points to Moshe as
an example. When the Jewish soldiers
returned from their battle against
Midian with booty, “Moshe became
angry” (Num. 31:14). Similarly, before
hitting the rock, Moshe angrily yelled
at the people, “Listen, you rebels, shall
we get water for you from this rock?”
(Num. 20:10). This precedent teaches
that sometimes anger is a justified
reaction.
Rambam (Shemonah Perakim, ch. 4)
believes that Moshe was only allowed
to express anger when G-d was angry.
He could communicate divine anger
but not express his own. In the latter
example, Moshe was punished for
expressing human anger. For Rambam,
this was setting a terrible example,

implying to the people that anger is a
legitimate response to difficult situations.
Other commentators interpret this episode
differently, offering a wide variety of
explanations of Moshe’s sin. For example,
Ramban (Num. 20:10) says that this anger
was appropriate and divinely approved.
IV. Anger at Wickedness
The anonymously written classical work
on ethics, Orechos Tzadikim (14th cen.,
France), routinely describes character
traits as either good or bad and then, at the
end of the chapter, shows when they can
be the opposite. In this sense, the author
is more Maimonidean than the Rambam.
Rambam allows for exceptions from the
Golden Mean; nearly all traits are best kept
in moderation but a few–anger among
them–must be kept at an extreme. In its
chapter on anger, Orechos Tzadikim says
that this trait, too, can sometimes be used
in a positive way. When used properly,
anger can be a tool for discipline.
Students and children sometimes react
appropriately to anger. When the angry
response shocks them into seeing how
improper their actions were, they may
change their ways. However, uncontrolled
anger is never allowed. Anger without
bounds destroys but within limits can be
used in a constructive fashion.
When we see wickedness, we must
protest. Many today get angry about
injustice and they are right. When widows,
orphans and the weak are oppressed, we
are expected to get angry on G-d’s behalf.
But we are supposed to get angry not
just about interpersonal wickedness but
offense aimed at G-d, as well. Religious
offenses should hurt us, anger us and
drive us to protest, as well. Anger can
be a force of action and positive change.