Getting Mad and Making Mistakes

During the dedication of the mishkan, two of Aharon’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, die. As a result, Aharon and his two remaining sons, Elazar and Itamar, became mourners. The laws of mourning for the Kohanim serving in the mishkan are complicated. Kohanim are allowed to eat from some sacrifices, even while they are mourners; while other sacrifices are off limits. Elazar and Itamar partook of sacrifices that were offered in celebration of the dedication of the mishkan. However, they did not partake of the Rosh Chodesh offering. (It was the first day of Nissan.) The pasuk (Vayikra 10:16) states that Moshe got angry at his nephews for not eating from the Rosh Chodesh offering. However, Moshe was wrong; not only for getting angry, but he was also wrong about the Halacha. As Aharon explained, Elazar and Itamar were correct to not eat from the Rosh Chodesh sacrifice in their status of mourners. After hearing Aharon’s explanation, Moshe changed his mind and approved of their decision (10:20).

The Midrash (Vayikra Rabba 13) explains that this is one of three episodes in the Torah where Moshe got angry. The other two are: at Mei Meriva, before Moshe hit the rock and after the war with Midyan when the soldiers allowed some Midianite women to survive against Moshe’s orders. In all three cases Moshe’s anger is accompanied by a mistake he makes related to the correct Halacha in that moment. The Sifra notes that sometimes a person gets angry because he made a mistake, and sometimes a person’s anger is what causes them to err. In the examples cited by the Midrash, at Mei Meriva and by Midyan it was Moshe’s anger that caused him to subsequently make a mistake. In our case in Parshat Shemini, it was Moshe’s mistake that led him to get angry.

The Talmud in Pesachim (66b) writes that when a person gets angry, his wisdom is suspended. Angry people often do not act in a logical or reasonable fashion. To err is human. To feel angry at times is also very difficult to avoid. The Midrash is teaching us to be aware of the relationship between our anger and our mistakes- and to prepare to avoid those pitfalls. Sometimes we make a mistake, and instead of learning from the mistake we may get embarrassed, nervous, upset and ultimately angry. In the aftermath of a mistake we should remind ourselves that everyone makes mistakes and what’s most important is that we learn from our mistakes and rectify them when possible. At other times something gets us angry. When we are angry we should try to put the situation into proper perspective as a way to ameliorate our anger. We should try to implement techniques that allow us to calm down so that we don’t do anything hasty in our anger.

Responding appropriately to our anger and to our mistakes is a big challenge. Even Moshe Rabbeinu was not perfect on these challenges. What’s most important is to be aware of the challenge and be prepared to respond to our anger and to our mistakes in as positive and constructive fashion as possible. 

The Power of Positivity

 

From the Johns Hopkins Medicine website: People with a family history of heart disease who also had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within five to 25 years than those with a more negative outlook.

That’s the finding from Johns Hopkins expert Lisa R. Yanek, M.P.H., and her colleagues. This finding applied even in people with family history who had the most risk factors for coronary artery disease, and positive people from the general population were 13 percent less likely than their negative counterparts to have a heart attack or other coronary event.

Yanek and her team determined “positive” versus “negative” outlook using a survey tool that assesses a person’s cheerfulness, energy level, anxiety levels and satisfaction with health and overall life. But you don’t need a survey to assess your own positivity, says Yanek. “I think people tend to know how they are.”

The mechanism for the connection between health and positivity remains murky, but researchers suspect that people who are more positive may be better protected against the inflammatory damage of stress. Another possibility is that hope and positivity help people make better health and life decisions and focus more on long-term goals. Studies also find that negative emotions can weaken immune response.

What is clear, however, is that there is definitely a strong link between “positivity” and health. Additional studies have found that a positive attitude improves outcomes and life satisfaction across a spectrum of conditions—including traumatic brain injury, stroke and brain tumors.

In Parshat Tzav we find the verse (6:5): וְהָאֵ֨שׁ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֤חַ תּֽוּקַד־בּוֹ֙ לֹ֣א תִכְבֶּ֔ה וּבִעֵ֨ר עָלֶ֧יהָ הַכֹּהֵ֛ן עֵצִ֖ים בַּבֹּ֣קֶר בַּבֹּ֑קֶר “The fire on the altar shall be kept burning, not to go out: every morning the priest shall feed wood to it…” The literal interpretation of this pasuk is that the fire of the mizbeiach must be kept perpetually burning. In the Beit Hamikdash, there was a special chamber where hot coals were kept alive, so that the fire on the mizbeach could be relit whenever necessary. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, first Rebbe of Chabad and author of the Tanya, offers a creative interpretation: “The fire on the Altar shall be kept burning within the Kohen; You shall extinguish the negativity.”

One way to maintain passion and a zest for life is to stay positive and to consciously vanquish negativity that can so easily creep in. The verse goes on to say that maintaining the fire on the altar was a daily, constant task for the Kohen. So too if we seek to keep our own fires burning we must seek ways to accentuate the positive and diminish the negative on an ongoing basis. Here are some suggestions from Johns Hopkins Medicine on how to stay positive:

Smile more. A University of Kansas study found that smiling—even fake smiling—reduces heart rate and blood pressure during stressful situations.

Practice reframing. Instead of stressing about a traffic jam, for instance, appreciate the fact that you can afford a car and get to spend a few extra minutes listening to music or the news, accepting that there is absolutely nothing you can do about the traffic.

As the Rebbes of Chabad were known to say, “Tracht gut, vet zayn gut! Think good, and it will be good!"

God’s Voice Stops Here

In the first pasuk of Parshat Vayikra, we read how Hashem called Moshe from the Ohel Moed. Rashi quotes a Midrash how God’s voice could only be heard within the Mishkan. This was not because the Divine Voice was weak; rather it was because Hashem chose for the voice to only be heard within the confines of the Tabernacle:

This teaches us that the [Divine] voice stopped and did not project itself beyond the Tent [of Meeting]. One might think that this was because the voice was low. Scripture therefore says, “[And when Moses came into the Tent of Meeting, he heard] the voice” (Num. 7:89). What is the meaning of “the voice” [with the definite article]? It is the voice referred to in Psalms (29:4-5): “The voice of the Lord is in strength; the voice of the Lord is in beauty. The voice of the Lord breaks cedars.” If so, why does it say, “[and the Lord spoke to him] from the Tent of Meeting”? [To inform us] that the [Divine] voice stopped.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein asked: if God wanted the Divine Voice to only be heard within the Mishkan, then why was it a “strong” voice? Rabbi Feinstein answers that the Divine voice is strong to teach us that the word of God is in fact accessible to anyone interested in hearing it. The fact that it could only be heard within the confines of the Mishkan teaches us that in order to connect with God and His Word, we must put ourselves in situations that are conducive to that experience. That is why the Divine Voice was loud in the Mishkan, but undiscernible outside of the Tabernacle. We have a choice whether to be within earshot of Hashem’s voice.  It’s loud enough and it’s accessible. It is up to us and our free will whether we choose to hear.

Our synagogue is a Mikdash Me’at, a miniature Tabernacle. There are many ways to hear the Divine voice within our physical shul campus, as well as through the reach of the people and programs associated with our shul. All it takes to benefit from the voice of our shul is to make the choice to be a part of what we have to offer. If you choose to remain outside of the shul sphere of influence it becomes much harder to access those benefits. The most important decision is when we choose to take that step into the Mishkan/ our shul. As the verse in Tehillim states:

 פִּתְחוּ־לִ֥י שַֽׁעֲרֵי־צֶ֑דֶק אָֽבֹא־בָ֜֗ם א֘וֹדֶ֥ה יָֽהּ:

זֶֽה־הַשַּׁ֥עַר לַֽיהֹוָ֑ה צַ֜דִּיקִ֗ים יָ֘בֹ֥אוּ בֽוֹ:

“Open for me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter them and thank God. This is the Lord's gate; the righteous will enter therein.” Even if they are open, each of us needs to make the righteous choice to take that all important first step through the gates.

Seeing the Forest of the Mishkan

  “And Betzalel, the son of Uri the son of Chur, of the tribe of Judah, did everything that Hashem had commanded Moshe.”

Rashi notes the unusual phrasing of this pasuk. It should say that Betzalel did all that Moshe commanded HIM. Or it should say that Betzalel did all that Hashem commanded HIM through Moshe. Instead it says that Betzalel did all that Hashem commanded Moshe. Rashi quotes the Gemara in Brachot that explains how Betzalel proved to Moshe his suitability for the job:

When Moshe gave Betzalel his instructions he told him to first build the Klei Hamishkan and then put together the curtains and beams that comprise the sanctuary itself. Betzalel refused on the grounds that an architect must first build the house and only then decorate the interior with furniture. Moshe was impressed with Betzalel’s refusal; in fact Hashem had commanded him to first build the Mishkan and then work on the utensils. So Betzalel defied Moshe, and in so doing fulfilled the Divine command that actually had been conveyed to Moshe.

Why did Moshe want to build the keilim before there was a location to store them? And what was this dispute really about?

According to the Midrash, at this time Betzalel was only 13 years old. Developmental psychologists will tell you that early adolescence is a time during which children test limits in a more sophisticated (almost adult) manner. They begin to demand answers to why questions, not just what and how. These two characteristics can help explain why Betzalel was adamant to build the Mishkan before the vessels, against the command of Moshe.

There’s a tremendous amount of detail involved in the building of the vessels of Mishkan, ie Aron, Menorah, Shulchan. Moshe wanted to start with the more detailed and interesting aspects of construction. But before getting bogged down in details, it’s important to take a step back and ask: What is this all about? What am I doing here? What is my goal? Sometimes we are so focused on the details of a project or the rat race of day to day living, that we don’t take a step back to appreciate what it’s all about.

Betzalel understood this. At his age, it was at the forefront of his mind. He realized that before they built specific vessels, there needed to be a vision for the overall project. And so he worked first on building the general structure of the Mishkan. Only then did he turn his attention to the specific vessels, each with their own specifications, each with their own meaning and lessons.

Sometimes we get so bogged down in the details of life that we don’t have a chance to look at the big picture: What am I trying to accomplish? What are my goals? Why am I doing that which I am doing? Betzalel the Bar Mitzvah boy understood the importance of addressing these issues. He understood that we must first define our goal. The purpose of the Mishkan was to have sacred space in this world dedicated to G-dliness and Jewish unity. So he began his efforts on the actual sanctuary and then moved on to the individual components of that vision.

Betzalel taught us two important lessons: 1) Never lose sight of the big picture, 2) and be prepared to reevaluate and refine that big picture on an ongoing basis. Betzalel’s approach was ultimately endorsed by Moshe; for he called him B’tzel Kel, “one who dwells in the shadow of God”. Betzalel’s approach was endorsed by G-d, his building project was successful, and our Parsha ends with God’s presence dwelling in the Mishkan.

We too must do our best to be mindful of the big picture and make sure to revisit it on an ongoing basis. By doing so, we can also benefit from the blessing described as the culmination of the Mishkan construction: The Divine presence and Hashem’s blessings permeating our lives.