Impulsiveness and Anger

Parshat ויחי has the blessings of Yakov to his sons. The fact that he blessed them all, shows that he forgave them for their part in Yosef’s sale.

Some of the sons, like Yehuda, received strong blessings, while with others, the blessing came with rebuke.

Specifically, it was Reuven, and Shimon and Levi, who received the strongest rebuke. In Reuven’s case, it was his impulsiveness and impetuous behavior, that got him in trouble, that caused him to lose the birthright. He acted without thinking by moving his father’s bed from Bilha’s tent, to that of his mother, Leah.

In the case of Shimon and Levi, they were reprimanded for their anger, in their handling of the people of Shechem. It wasn’t the killing of the residents of Shechem that upset Yakov. It was their anger that they didn’t control, that was their problem.

Rabbi Twerski connects these two negative traits of impulsiveness and anger, as being equally bad. Both represent acting without thinking of the consequences. He even goes so far to say that all forces of he’ll dominate such people. Animals act on impulse. Human beings, and especially Jews, are expected to learn how to control their anger, and carefully consider their actions before they do something they might regret.