Sucked into the Cyclone
I know of a G-d-fearing Jew, who merited raising his children in the ways of Torah and mitzvot. They were all learning in prestigious kollelim and yeshivot. He himself was a talmid chacham of note. One day, he approached me, and, contrary to what one would expect to hear from such a man, he began complaining about his difficult life. He was constantly beset by financial stress. He was at the point of feeling grievances toward G-d due to his difficult financial situation.
Initially, I was shocked at his attitude. This man spent fortunes sending his sons to the finest educational institutions and brought them up with a solid Torah outlook. How could he display such an overt lack of faith in Hashem, utterly contradicting what his life stood for?!
Upon further reflection, I realized that this man was struck with the negative trait of anger. The Gemara states in the name of Rava bar Rav Huna (Nedarim 22b), “Whoever is quick to anger does not respect even the Shechinah, as the pasuk states: ‘The wicked man, in the pride of his countenance [says]: He will not avenge! All his schemes are: There is no Divine Judge.’ Rabbi Yirmiya Midifti says that one who is quick to anger forgets his learning and becomes foolish, as the pasuk states (Kohelet 7:9), ‘Anger lingers in the bosom of fools.’ It further states (Mishlei 13:16), ‘The fool broadcasts his foolishness.’ Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak says that his sins are certainly more than his merits, as the pasuk says (Mishlei 29:22), ‘A man of wrath is full of offense.’”
All of these verses point to the fact that one who allows himself to become angry loses out spiritually. The Shechinah is nothing in his eyes, chas v’shalom, he forgets his Torah study, and his offenses are numerous. The Rambam adds an indictment (Hilchot De’ot 2:3), “Our Sages say that whoever is quick to anger is compared to an idol worshipper.” Anger demonstrates a lack of belief that whatever happens to a person is pre-ordained on High.
I understood that this was the underlying problem in this man’s mindset. When Hashem sent him difficulties, he became plagued by his anger, which damaged his level of faith. His faith was thereby not strong enough to carry him through the tough times he faced, and he was therefore unable to make peace with his challenges. This vicious cycle nearly brought him to challenge Hashem Himself.
When one succeeds in correcting the negative trait of anger, he automatically raises his spiritual level. His challenges serve as a springboard to lift him ever higher in kedushah and yirat Shamayim.
- With the Torah authority, the Gaon HaRav Ovadiah Yosef, zt”l, in the yeshiva, Paris
