Conquering Anger

The tragic story of Moshe Rabbeinu hitting the rock is in פרשת חוקת. There are many interpretations as to why Moshe was punished so severely, in being denied entry into Eretz Yisrael.

One of the interpretations involved Moshe’s inability to control his anger. A person of that stature should not have allowed himself to be overcome by this negative character trait.

The Ramban, in his famous letter to his son, known as אגרת הרמב״ן, tells him that the key to success in life, is to conquer anger. If he can do this, it will lead to many positive character traits. He will be able to achieve humility, because anger is a sign of the opposite of humility.

The angry person has the arrogance to feel that he doesn’t deserve to be treated a certain way. He shows this dissatisfaction by losing it and getting angry.

It is important to recognize the losses that come with anger. We end up saying things that we later regret, and the damage of these words, is often irreparable.

A person can lose his job by getting angry at his boss, and he can even lose his marriage by not being able to control his fits of rage.

A great deal has been written in our holy books on the subject. It takes a great deal of עבודת נפש, working on our souls, to overcome angry.

One way to start is to realize that the losses are so much greater than the gains. It’s just not worth it to hold on to this negative emotion.

The Torah is teaching us that Moshe paid a heavy price for his anger. We must avoid having to learn this the hard way. We must get to work right away at conquering anger.