In this week's parshah, Moses descends Mt. Sinai and discovers the shock of his life: the Jewish People are dancing and worshipping before the golden calf. What did Moses do? How did he react to this frightful scene?
Tune into this week's Parshah Cast to discover how Moses dealt with his people's betrayal of G‑d, and why his destroying of the world’s most precious and holy object contains the most powerful and eternal message of return.
G‑d thanked him for his daring deed, and so will you!
I admit, I'm missing the anger management issue, or maybe I'm not
could you please elaborate further on the issue of anger management
many times in judaism the answers are so subtle that we don't realize we were actually given the answer(s) - as in this parsha itself, The Luchos are the biggest answers needed in our lives, we didn't wait (there was no mitzvah in the aseres hadibrot: thou shall be patient) so they didn't wait for Moshe nor for the luchot habrit and must have needed a new set of tablets we can deal with
Impatience often leads to anger
was it 'management' in that Moshe's anger was 'contained' in that he actually prayed and begged to 'save' these people? intending this to lead him to calming his own anger & disappointment ?
from all my years of asking Rebbeim just what was Moshe punished for, no one knows for sure - perhaps we don't really need to know, it may be a private issue between him and G-d, another good lesson for all of us to learn to mind our own business about private matters
to Solomon 1. the essential bond is not one outwardly but inwardly 2. A zealousness to hate evil like Hophni. 3. Moshe was not punished for anger. He was punished for not sanctifing G-d at the rock of water. 4. Anger is appropriate as sin is worthy of death and anger would motivate the repentance necessarry
Anger Managment?
Thank you Rabbii for this beautiful thought.
I have questions: (1) How do we see from the breaking of the tablets that the essential bond was not broken by what the Jews did? (2) How is the breaking of the tablets proper anger management? (3) Don't we see from other instances that Moshe had anger problems, for which he was punished? Why was't this another instance? (4) Why did the message have to be conveyed with anger?
I think Moshe broke the luchot for the same reason he stopped delivering a magnificent argument to G-d to enter the Land to stop G-d from granting it. Some say G-d was about revoke His din against Moshe for sinning at the rock. Both incidences reflect the deep scope of Moshe's love for the people resulting in Moshe enduring pain rather than the people reflecting his love for them. The two luchot were ultra holy given that G-d's hand was used to make them. Thus, the people's misconduct would likely have resulted in severe din shortly, but for Moshe destroying the luchot. Per Midrash, the letters were so holy they never hit the ground. And, Moshe shut up just before G-d was about to allow him to enter the Land for striking rather than speaking to the rock. Had Moshe entered the Land the equivalent of the ultra holy 3rd Temple would have been built resulting in many of the people dying due to their impurity. Last, Moshe's anger was arguably pedagogically walking ahead of G-d like Avraham!