Courageous Act of Pinchas

The action of Pinchas was one of the more controversial incidents in the Torah. Many felt that he acted irrationally by taking the law into his own hands.

After he miraculously killed Zimri and the Midianite princess, Kozbi, many people distanced themselves from him. They felt that Pinchas acted hastily and gave into an uncontrolled rage.

It was only after Hashem had intervened, was it clear that he had done a heroic act that stopped the plague that had already taken the lives of 24,000 members of the Tribe of Shimon.

When someone sincerely acts on behalf of Hashem, and he cannot tolerate seeing a desecration of His name, he will only succeed if his intentions are pure.

The action of Pinchas resembles the act of Dan’s son Chushim, who was deaf. Eisav had made a lot of trouble by not allowing the burial of Yakov Avinu. They were going to wait for the speedy Naftali, to bring the deed of ownership from Egypt.

Chushim would not have any of this desecration of his saintly grandfather, Yakov. He simply cut off the head of Eisav, to put a stop to that spectacle.

Pinchas was blessed with a covenant of peace for his selfless, devoted act. It’s tough to be a zealot, but when someone chooses that path, he had better follow the example of Pinchas and Chushim.

Special Destiny

Bilaam had done some serious investigation of the Jewish people from various vantage points. Miraculously, his intentions to curse turned into blessings.

One of the blessings is very significant for the Jewish people. This was when he said, הן עם לבדד ישכון, “They are a nation that dwells apart.” The Rabbis comment on this and said that when the Jewish people rejoice, they rejoice alone, and the rest of the world is sad. And when the Jewish people mourn, the rest of the world rejoices.

Before the giving of the Torah, Moshe explained that Am Yisrael had a special destiny in the world. He asked the nation if they were prepared to accept this special destiny. They agreed and it was explained further that only the Jewish people had the potential to become a holy nation, ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש, “a nation of priests and a holy nation.”

We must not minimize our unique role in the world. It is upon us to teach all that is good and sacred. It is a heavy burden placed upon us, but this was part of the original covenant.

We must never forget how special it is to be part of Am Yisrael. We are fortunate for our lot and we must appreciate it.

Lusting After Honor

There is a book called, “Sefer Hayashar,” that may have been written by Rashi’s grandson, Rabbeinu Tam. It contains many lessons in character development.

The book lists many of the great detriments to our spiritual growth. One of these is controlling our תאווה, or lust. The author lists nine examples of things where lust is a problem. Typically, there could be lust after women, money, the food we eat, and even the clothes we wear.

The one type of lust that could lead to our downfall, is the lust after Kavod, or honor. This was particularly true of Bilaam.

The Torah tells us that Balak needed to send several delegations to convince him to curse the Jewish people. Each delegation needed to consist of more respectable officers. They also needed to increase their offer as to the appropriate payment for his services.

We see from Bilaam’s dialogue with Hashem that he was somewhat torn as to whether it was a good idea to curse the Jewish people.

We see how the lust for honor can blind a person. He loses all sense of right and wrong and he is guided by his ego. We say in our daily prayers how Hashem is משפיל גאים ומגביה שפלים, that He lowers the proud, and elevates the humble.

Bilaam even asked to die the death of the righteous, but it was too late. Like Pharoah, his free will was taken from him, and he died by the sword.

The Talmud in Sanhedrin, lists Bilaam as one of the most evil people of all time. This is the fare of the proud honor seekers. They bring about their own demise.

Balak

The commentators discuss this unique individual named, “Balak.” Initially, we do not know of any special title attributed to him. Only later we find out that he was named the King of Moav.

The Alshich claims that Balak was one of the princes in the kingdom of Sichon. When he was defeated by Moshe Rabbeinu, Balak was later named king. However, he witnessed first hand how the invincible Sichon was destroyed, and his land was annexed by the Jewish people.

The Rabbis explain why this evil, Jew hater, was granted that one of the Parshiot of the Torah was named after him. We appreciate knowing where we stand in terms of our enemies. We are much more vulnerable when we are caught off guard by those who pretend to be on our side, but later prove to be our vicious enemy.

Lavan and Bilaam are prime examples of two faced enemies of our people that pretended to be on our side.

It is never a coincidence how our weekly Parsha coincides with current events. It is becoming clear that J.D. Vance is not a friend of Israel.

This became abundantly clear when he gave Israel his self righteous lecture about how badly we need America. But it was also clear several months ago when he gave a talk using “equivalency.”

He equated the Hamas with the IDF, saying something like “Both of you hate each other and want to kill each other.” He did not indicate at all that one side was evil terrorits, and the other was fighting for all that is good and sacred.

We must be aware that in today’s complex world, “equivalency is the new Anti-Semitism. We must know our enemies and identify them. We praise Balak for his honesty. It’s the others that we need to expose, so that they are not able to harm us either.

Prerequisite to Mussar

The Chazon Ish makes another interesting observation about the study of books of Mussar, discipline. While these books are excellent in helping refine a person’s character, they are not necessarily the “cure all” for everything.

Specifically, the Chazon Ish pointed out that it is the duty of every spiritual guide to know his students well. There could be students that are greatly lacking in refinement.

They may be very poor in personal hygiene and in basic social skills. They might speak with profanity, and they treat others in a very disrespectful and demeaning manner.

Such a student will not be able to relate to the teachings of the Mussar books. He is simply not ready to absorb these teachings. He is on too low a level to appreciate these teachings.

The solution to the problem is to raise this student’s spiritual level, by first teaching him Torah. The study of our traditional holy books such as Chumash, Mishna, and Gemara, will help bring about this refinement. He will see himself change as he learns from his rabbis how to talk to people in a respectful manner.

After he has done this for a while, he is ready to start looking at his character traits and what needs improvement. The Mussar books will now be able to further guide and elevate him.

This message of the Chazon Ish is an equally valuable lesson for both the student and the teacher. As it says in the Book of Mishlei, we must educate the youth according to their way.

Song of the Well

We are all familiar with the daily prayer that begins with the words, אז ישיר. This is a direct quote of the song that Moshe and the Jewish people sang, after the Egyptians had perished in the Red Sea. It is meant to be a daily recognition of Hashem’s miracles and praise and thanksgiving to Him.

But there is a second אז ישיר that is mentioned in the Torah in Parshat Chukat. It is known as “Shirat Ha’be’er.” It was a song sung by all of Israel, after witnessing an incredible miracle. Hashem had joined two mountains together as their enemies were prepared to pounce on them from above. The Jewish people were traveling along a river as part of their journey. They were unaware of the impending danger. Only when numerous corpses fell into the river, did they realize the magnitude of the miracle.

The Alshich emphasized the word, “אז” which meant not “then,” but rather, “only then.” They were witnessing miracles all of the time during their forty years in the desert, but “only then,” they woke up and realized that they needed to sing praises to Hashem.

We have been witnessing incredible miracles since October the seventh. It seems that one miracle is more impressive than the next. The question is whether we have reached our “only then” point during this entire period.

Many prayers of King David speak about how we do not adequately give thanks to Hashem for all that He does for us. Ingratitude is a terrible trait. If we have been giving thanks, we must continue to give thanks with more intensity. We must be reminded that we have no one to rely on, except for G-d. He is more than deserving of our praise.

Death of Aharon

The death of Aharon was very traumatic for the Jewish people. The Torah tells us that when Aharon died, the entire nation, both men and women, mourned for him. When Moshe died, it was primarily the men who mourned for him.

Aharon had a very loving personality. This was part of the nature of the Kohanim, that they were lovers of peace. This is why the daily priestly blessing ends with the word, “Shalom.”

The bar was set by Aharon as he actively tried to settle disputes between husband and wife, and Jew against Jew. He hated when there was strife and he did his best to fix things. This is why he was so much loved by the Jewish people.

His death also meant that the “Clouds of Glory,” that had protected and guided the Jewish people for forty years in the desert were now gone. Just like well and water was in the merit of Miriam, and the Manna was in Moshe’s merit, the Clouds of Glory were in Aharon’s merit.

We are also told that shortly after Aharon’s death, the Jewish people were attacked by the King of Canaan. He had heard that the Jewish people lost their protection and were now vulnerable. Thankfully, the prayers of the people were answered and they were victorious in battle.

It is also interesting to note the description as to how Aharon left the world. He placed his priestly garments on his son, Elazar. He was asked to lie on a bed and close his eyes. This was how he left the world with מיתת נשיקה, “the kiss of death.” Moshe longed to be taken in the same manner.

This is the way of a true Tzaddik like Aharon. He had an impact on the world and on his people. He was deeply loved by all of the Jewish people and by G-d. His example should be cherished and emulated by all.

A Pampered Generation

The Keli Yakar has an interesting explanation as to why in the beginning of the forty year journey in the desert, Moshe was asked to hit the rock, while at the end of the forty years, the commandment was to speak to the rock.

He explained that the generation that left Egypt were toughened by their conditions. They needed to overcome the hardships, humiliations, and beatings of their Egyptian taskmasters.

It was not difficult for them to understand that Moshe’s hitting the rock would bring results. They could appreciate the miracle of a rock bringing abundant water.

The generation that was about to enter Israel, were a “pampered” generation. Everything was handed to them on a silver platter. They received “food from Heaven,” and were protected by the “clouds of glory.” Water was available in abundance in the merit of Miriam. They did not realize that these every day occurrences were miracles. They needed to be spoken to gently, and they needed to see a super miracle, where water would come from a rock, merely by speaking to it.

The younger generation today is definitely a “pampered generation.” Things come much more easily to them than in previous generations. Children need to be spoken to in a gentle manner, and disciplining and teaching respect, has become increasingly challenging.

I believe the source of the problem is too much free time and too much money. The combination of the two, leads to spoiled children who don’t appreciate how fortunate they are. This is a reality that requires a different approach. The Keli Yakar claimed that Moshe was not able to adjust to his new reality. He needed to hand over the reins to Joshua, who would deal with this new generation.

We need to develop a new approach to teach our young people. It must come with love and firmness, and teaching real values. Eventually they will learn to realize the abundant gifts they have been receiving from Hashem, and they will look to Him for guidance. We must not give up, but we must recognize this new reality and become leaders for the next generation.

Misreading the Situation

The episode of Moshe hitting the rock, requires some perspective. The incident occurred shortly after the death of Miriam, the older sister of Moshe and Aharon. In her merit, the Jews in the desert had an abundance of water. It was a daily miracle, that they took for granted. There is even an opinion that there were small rivers that served as borders between the tribes. If someone wanted to visit someone else from another tribe, he needed to get there in a small, canoe like boat.

Moshe and Aharon were busy preparing for their beloved sister’s funeral, when a multitude of Jews came to meet them. At first, Moshe thought that they were coming to offer their condolences. They were greatly disappointed to learn that they had come to complain, not only for lack of water, but for being tired of eating the Manna, that they described in a distasteful manner.

When Hashem told Moshe to speak to the rock to bring water, he thought that the Jewish people were not worthy of a miracle.

Hashem felt it was necessary to show a great miracle. It was pretty clear that they were in the fortieth year of their stay in the desert. They needed to be shown the “Hand of G-d.” It was even intended that the 600,000 Jews be contained in a very small area adjacent to the rock. This was meant to give a glimpse towards the future miracle in the Temple when large numbers of Jews stood side by side, but had room to bow before Hashem.

Moshe and Aharon clearly misread the situation and Moshe allowed himself to succumb to his anger.

They were not allowed to enter Eretz Yisrael as a punishment for not sanctifying Hashem’s name. It is certainly challenging to be a leader in Israel. In this unfortunate incident, Moshe and Aharon did not meet the challenge.

Laws We Don’t Understand

The Alshich felt it was necessary for the Torah to give us laws that we could not comprehend. This refers to the category of laws known as “Chukim.”

They include such laws as the Red Heifer, the forbidden mixture of wool and linen in a garment, known as “Shaatnez,” and even the prohibition of mixing milk and meat.

These laws are meant to be beyond our comprehension to the point where one might view such laws as foolish. The ashes of the Red Heifer have the ability to purify one who has come in contact with the dead. And yet, the Kohanim who prepared these ashes, becomes impure.

Why should it matter if the garment we are wearing has a few linen threads, when the bulk of the garment is wool? We are violating a Torah law if we do not remove the linen threads before wearing the garment.

The case of milk and meat applies only when we are dealing with kosher milk and kosher meat are mixed by eating or cooking. Each item by itself is perfectly okay to eat, but when mixed together, one receives lashes for its consumption.

There is a bit of a paradox here. In the one hand, the Torah tells us that the nations of the world will marvel at our lofty laws known as “Chukim.” But, on the other hand, the Jewish people themselves have to grapple with these very difficult Mitzvot.

The Prophet Isaiah taught us that we must remind ourselves that Hashem’s ways are not our ways. We must accept that everything that comes from Him is holy and pure. We must reach the level of הכנעה, surrender and submission, towards Hashem’s commandments.

There is a much greater reward for observing the laws that we don’t understand or may not agree with, rather than only observing the laws that make sense to us. This is a challenge of faith in G-d for which the benefits are very great.

Tasks of the Leviim

One of the positive commandments of the Torah is that the Leviim were required to serve permanently in the Temple. This was a mandatory obligation placed on the Levite family.

It was important that men of distinction and prominence from a known tribe such as Levi, be given the noble task of serving in the Temple.

They had two primary tasks to fulfill. They were either chosen as watchmen to open and close the gates to the Temple entrances.

Their second task was to be the singers and the musicians in the Temple. They sang as the daily Olah sacrifices were offered each morning and night. They also sang when the שלמי ציבור, the public peace offerings were offered accompanied by wine libations. There was a requirement of at least twelve Leviim singing at the time of the offerings.

There were others who played musical instruments to go along with the singing. There were nine lyres and two harps that were played, along with two flutes, known as Chalil, and one cymbal. These added to the beauty of the Temple service.

Trumpets could be heard each Friday evening, announcing that Shabbat was about to begin.

The Leviim were meant to cherish their special role as the singers and guards of our holy Temple.

Temple Guards

The end of Parshat Korach contains certain laws that were applicable only to the Kohanim and Leviim. This was placed there after the rebellion, now that everything settled down.

One of the laws mentioned in the Torah was the Mitzva of שמירת המקדש, guarding the Beit Hamikdash and the Mishkan. This Mitzva was shared by the Kohanim and Leviim.

The Sefer Hachinuch explained that it was not so much that they were worried about intruders, but the twenty-four different watches that took place was meant to show reverence for this holy place.

When something is sacred, it is surrounded by those who protect it because of its special role. This is the place where people can pour their hearts out in prayer. They are able to offer sacrifices to achieve atonement for their sins. A place of prominence is not left without guards, even if they are not there to avert danger.

The Kohanim were given three locations to guard on the interior of the Temple. The Leviim were given twenty-one locations to guard on the outer part of the Temple.

There was a Levite appointed who was known as איש הר הבית, “the man of the Temple Mount.” He went on patrol each evening with a torch to make sure that none of the guards were “sleeping on the job.” If they were, the Man of the Temple Mount, might set their clothes on fire to wake them up!

The Temple was the holiest place on earth and the Torah demanded that it be guarded and treated with respect.

Completeness of Worship

There is another concept used by both the Ramchal and the Chazon Ish in describing the goal of how one must properly serve Hashem. This is called, שלמות העבודה, “a completeness of worship.”

The Ramchal in Messilat Yesharim is more general in terms of explaining this idea. He simply speaks of diligently observing the positive and negative commandments of the Torah.

The Chazon Ish is more specific and detailed in how one achieves this completeness in his serving G-d. He would begin by explaining the necessity of acquiring true Yirat Shamayim, fear of Heaven. One needs to be clear of his place in the world as compared to that of our Creator. Every action is based on his Yirat Shamayim, that will guide him in making the right decisions.

Character building is another essential ingredient in completing a person. He must work on improving his character traits. He needs to overcome such things as anger, jealousy, and arrogance. This takes a serious effort at self improvement.

He must recognize the importance of daily Torah study in depth. One should strive for the level where he can delve into the study of Talmud, as a truth seeking vehicle.

He must be convinced that the Halacha represents absolute Divine truth. There is no truth like this truth.

And the final point on the list of the Chazon Ish is the meticulousness of how one practices Judaism. This is called, דקדוק הדין, where one makes a concerted effort to follow the Halacha in all of its details.

These are levels of observance that require due diligence and sincerity. The reward for these efforts are immeasurable. An individual that has mastered these areas will be shielded by Divine love. His life will be fulfilled with contentment and peace of mind. This is what the Ramchal and the Chazon Ish were trying to teach us. It would be great for us if we would follow their lead.

Halachically Complete

The Chazon Ish introduced a concept that he felt was necessary for perfecting one’s character. He calls this דקדוק הדין, or meticulousness in the performance of Mitzvot.

He explained that when one is trying to improve his character, the acceptance of the truth of Halacha is mandatory. One must realize that he is not capable of being more compassionate and just, than the law that originated from Hashem at Sinai.

The meticulousness in observing Halacha demonstrates a consistency in how one observes Judaism. Just as he is aware and shows alacrity in how he treats others, he must demonstrate this same alacrity in the manner in which he observes the law.

He should not do things in a haphazard manner, where he does only what is necessary. On the contrary, when he is careful to follow each law to its detail, he shows a reverence for the law just as he shows reverence for Hashem, Himself.

This means that he doesn’t just build a Succah, but he makes sure it is Halachically correct. The same might be true of the Tefillin or Mezuza that he purchases. Are these items fit according to Halacha?

When one demonstrates that the details of the Halacha matter, it is also an indication that he cares about studying the Torah as well. This concept of דקדוק הדין is not something to be taken lightly. The Chazon Ish believed that this is a necessary ingredient towards making one’s worshipping of the Torah more complete.

Bad Influences

The camp of Israel in the desert was set up on a very orderly fashion. The Mishkan was in the center, and was surrounded by the three Levite families as well as Moshe and Aharon on the fourth side.

Three tribes were adjacent to each of the four families. Yehuda, Yissasschar, and Zevulun, camped behind Moshe and Aharon.

Reuven, Shimon, and Gad, were camped behind the family of Kehat. This meant that Korach was very near in proximity to the tribe of Reuven. The troublemakers Datan and Aviram came from Reuven.

The Rabbis have a statement that says, אוי לרשע אוי לשכינו, “Woe to the evil person, and woe to his neighbor.” This is a clear warning that when one lives near an evil person, he is likely to be influenced by that person.

This is such a basic idea about human nature, but needs to be repeated over and over again.

We are all products of our environment, and we are influenced by our surroundings.

Avraham Avinu needed to leave his father’s idolatrous home in order to flourish as the first Jew.

If we are the only ones in the neighborhood keeping Mitzvot, it will be all the more difficult to maintain a religious home.

If a young adult chooses to study in a university where there are no observant Jews, he will not be able to maintain his own level of personal observance.

It is so important to choose our friends very carefully. The Rambam wrote that we are who we are based largely on our environment. If it is a negative environment, it will influence us negatively.

There is no getting away from this basic truth. It is almost impossible not to be influenced by friends or the environment. Korach, Datan, and Aviram, are perfect examples of what happens when evil people get together. They bring each other down and create strife. We must learn this lesson once and for all.

Korach’s Rebellion

There are many obstacles that we must overcome as human beings. It is always challenging when we need to make difficult decisions in life.

We must be certain that such decisions be motivated by a desire to do what is right in the eyes of G-d. Sometimes our own emotions and desires can mislead us.

We may try to convince ourselves that our intentions are noble, when in fact, it is a negative force that is driving us.

A case in point is Korach. He had great wealth and honor and a high position in the Levite family. Nevertheless, he was not content and he believed it was his duty to right a wrong.

He allowed himself to be convinced that his cousin, Moshe Rabbeinu, had overstepped his boundaries. He made himself the King of Israel, and his brother, Aharon, the High Priest.

He felt it was his duty to lead a righteous battle to correct what he believed to be wrong. He was driven by all kinds of rationalizations to justify his cause.

The sad reality was that he was driven by a lust for honor and power. This blinded his vision because he did not do this for the sake of Heaven. He created terrible strife and division among the people.

Moshe Rabbeinu felt that it was necessary that Korach’s terrible judgement be put on display. He and his family needed to die a supernatural death by having the ground swallow him up.

It was necessary to show what happens to people who have every reason to be happy, but choose to make trouble in a self righteous holy war.

Decision making is challenging, but it can be so much easier if done with humility, and seriously asking Hashem for guidance.

The earth that swallowed up Korach is still acknowledging that, “Moshe is truth, and his Torah is truth.”

No Protection

The Talmud in Masechet Sota explains what Kalev meant when he tried to encourage the people by saying, סר צלם, “Their protection is removed.”

He was telling them that their protectors and powerful righteous people had passed away. He was referring to Job, איוב, who was the protector of its inhabitants.

On another level he was saying that they had lost any kind of Divine protection. Avraham Avinu was told that the time was not yet ripe to inherit the land. The sins of the Emorite people were not yet complete. But now that the 210 years of slavery has passed, the sins are complete.

This even applied to the ministering angels that were appointed over each nation in Heaven. It was time for the seven nations living in Israel to be defeated. They had nothing to worry about.

It is clear that Hashem has decided that it’s time for his children to come home. It is important to take a step back and marvel at Israel’s achievements in the last seventy-eight years. It makes no sense to see such incredible growth on all levels in such a short time.

It is clear that סר צלם, there is no protection for the other nations living here. With Hashem’s help we will continue to succeed and inherit the land for all times.

A Very Very Good Land

When we read the tragic story of the spies, it is important to remember the words of Kalev. When the people were upset about the problems involved with inheriting Eretz Yisrael, he simply said, “טובה הארץ מאוד מאוד,” it is a very very good land.

It is a very serious sin to speak badly about the gift that Hashem gave us. It is not only a “very very good land,” but it is special in so many ways.

It is the only place in the world where each four cubits that one walks, is a Mitzva. It is the only place where it is said, אוירה דארץ ישראל מחכים, “ that the air of Eretz Yisrael makes one wise.” And it is the only place in the world where one can feel the holiness of the Divine Presence.

The Torah describes Israel as a place that is not lacking anything. One must realize that the specialness of this land, despite its physical beauty, lies in its level of spirituality. Other places in the world might be more comfortable or affluent. But if one is truly seeking spirituality, there is nowhere in the world that comes close.

There are more Mitzvot that can be observed here than anywhere else. The Rabbis add that there is no Torah like the Torah of Eretz Yisrael.

One must be careful to speak well of our cherished homeland. It is a grievous sin to badmouth Israel. For after all, “It is a very very good land!”

The Tzitzit

The Alshich compares the Mitzva of wearing Tzitzit to tying a string around one’s finger, to remind him of something important that he needs to do.

When we recite the chapter on Tzitzit in the third chapter of the Shema, we give great emphasis to the letter “ז” in the word וזכרתם, that means that we are to remember. What follows is that wearing this four cornered garment serves as the reminder to fulfill all of the Mitzvot of the Torah.

There is some disagreement as to how we fulfill the words, “And you shall see them.” There are those who interpret this to mean that the fringes should be seen hanging outside the garment.

The Lithuanian approach that I was taught from my old rabbis, was that the one wearing the Tzitzit needed to be aware that they were on his body. This awareness served the purpose of reminding us that we are observant Jews needing to observe the Torah.

Nowadays the Tzitzit has come to be an expression of Jewish pride. Since October the seventh, it is not uncommon to see young Jews proudly wearing this sacred garment, without wearing a Kippa!

On the other hand, when Jews that grew up in a traditional home, stop wearing Tzitzit, they are usually throwing away more than this garment. They might complain that it is uncomfortable to wear them, especially in the summer, but it represents a distancing from Jewish tradition. The same is true with the removal of the Kippa. A lot more goes than the Kippa.

We must cherish the Mitzva of Tzitzit and fulfill its purpose of remembering the commandments. No string on the finger is necessary when we are wearing Tzitzit.

Mussar and Torah Study

The Chazon Ish was one of the greatest rabbis of the twentieth century. Among his great achievements was to influence David Ben Gurion in not abandoning Jewish tradition in the new State of Israel.

He had certain novel ideas about how an individual can work at perfecting himself. He recognized that man’s makeup was more complex than we might realize.

Surprisingly, he had two major complaints about the Mussar movement, that emphasized how man needed to work at improving on his negative character traits.

He was concerned that once an individual might feel that he has read the major books and he is now a kind and compassionate person, this was not enough. The negative side of these achievements was that there could be a clash with Halacha. This newly found compassion might make this person doubt the truthfulness of Halacha. He might even believe that his Midot surpass that which is taught in Jewish law.

This is a grave mistake as the Halacha represents the ultimate truth, despite sometimes appearing to be harsh and unwavering.

The other problem the Chazon Ish had with Mussar, is that it alone, may not be equipped with having the tools to change man’s essence. There must be the realization that people are born with a certain nature. Sometimes it is kind and giving. But there are other times when man’s nature is tough and cruel. Learning about the character traits alone, won’t be able to make that change in man’s essence.

The solution is for man to combine the study of Mussar with a deep immersion in Torah study. In addition, he must grow in his fear of Heaven, that is the main motivator to do good.

When we combine an appreciation of Halacha, a deep involvement with Torah study, and learning the Mussar books, it is only then that we will make the transformation that changes our essence. We will become a complete individual who is serving Hashem on the highest level.