07 Jul PARSHA IN PRACTICE: SKILLS FOR BETTER LIVING MATOS – KEEP CALM AND LEARN ON

Torah and anger are
mutually exclusive
After the war against
Midyan, Bnei Yisrael
were taught the laws
of kashering keilim. Surprisingly, Moshe
Rabbeinu does not teach these halachos.
Instead, Elazar HaKohen steps in.
Rashi (Bamidbar 31:21) explains why.
Moshe became angry with the officers
of the army after their failure to fully
carry out the aims of the war. In the
aftermath of that anger, Moshe forgot
the halachos he was meant to teach, and
Elazar taught them instead. To support
this explanation, Rashi references several
other instances where Moshe’s anger led
to lapses or errors in Torah.
But this is difficult to understand.
Moshe’s anger was justified – the army
had indeed been derelict in their mission.
Why should Moshe be “punished” for
responding accordingly?
Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l (Sichos

Mussar, 87) explained simply: losing
the ability to teach Torah is not a
punishment for getting angry; it is a
natural consequence of it. Properly
understanding and transmitting the word
of Hashem requires a settled mind. Anger
– even when justified – clouds that clarity.
That is why Moshe Rabbeinu could not
teach when agitated – not because he was
punished, but because the state of anger
itself naturally blocks the flow of Torah.
Chazal go even further and compare anger
to avodah zarah (Shabbos 105b). Perhaps
their intention is not a comparison of
severity, but a description of direction:
in anger, a person is no longer receptive
to Hashem’s perspective, and becomes
fully absorbed in his own reaction and
indignation. Fidelity to avodas Hashem
requires the opposite – humility, calm,
and receptivity.
This insight uncovers an important
practical message: even when we are
right, anger can cost us clarity in our
relationships with Hashem and each

other. If it could affect Moshe
Rabbeinu’s ability to teach
Torah, then it certainly affects
how we think, speak, and decide
in the moment.
At the same time, the mutual
exclusive nature of anger and
Torah works in the opposite
direction, as well. Genuine Torah
study and connection to core
values can serve as a protective
factor against anger (Rashi, Avos
6:2). When a person is anchored
in Torah and a sense of higher
purpose, he is less likely to be
pulled into frustration when
things don’t go his way or when
others fall short of expectations.
The result is a clear mutual truth: anger
and Torah pull in opposite directions.
Anger causes a person to become fixated
on his own perspective, while Torah
trains him to step back and see beyond
it. This is why Torah study can be such a
powerful antidote to frustration. When we

regularly remind ourselves that Hashem
runs the world, that other people are
imperfect, and that our own viewpoint is
not the only one, we become less likely to
react impulsively when things go wrong.
The more Torah shapes our outlook, the
easier it becomes to respond thoughtfully
rather than emotionally.