CONGREGATION
MELECH YISRAEL OF TORONTO
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WEEKLY TORAH PORTION |
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CONGREGATION
MELECH YISRAEL OF TORONTO |
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Shemot {32:19} It happened, as soon as he came near to the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing: and Moshe's (Moses’) anger grew hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mountain. {32:20} He took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, ground it to powder, and scattered it on the water, and made bnei Yisrael drink of it. Certainly Moshe could have handled this outrageous situation in some other way. Why did he have to loose his temper and break the tablets? After all, these were not ordinary tablets; they were the tablets HaShem gave him after he spent forty days on the mountain. HaShem did not do anything to Moshe that would prompt him to break His tablets – the people did! So why did Moshe not break something of theirs? Then again, if Moshe would have taken some time to cool down, instead of becoming angry, perhaps he would have called all the elders together, formed a committee, made an investigation, call witnesses and, thereby, tackled the offence in a calmer more civilized way. I could just hear the mockers in the camp of bnei Yisrael as they condemned Moshe as being unstable, uncaring, unloving and uncompassionate. They where probably telling him that he had better repent, that he was going to be in big trouble with G-d because he lost his temper and he broke HaShem’s tablets. I would not even be surprised if they stood there waiting for fire to come down from heaven to consume Moshe, but of course it did not come. Why did it not come, because Moshe was justified in his anger! No only that, but in a previous verse HaShem Himself was filled with righteous indignation against bnei Yisrael and determined at that time to do unto them a lot worse than the breaking of a couple of tablets. Shemot {32:7} HaShem spoke to Moshe, "Go, get down; for your people, who you brought up out of the land of Mitzrayim, have corrupted themselves! {32:8} They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, 'These are your gods, Yisrael, which brought you up out of the land of Mitzrayim.'" {32:9} HaShem said to Moshe, "I have seen these people, and, behold, they are a rebellious people. {32:10} Now therefore leave Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation." G-d’s leaders, men of G-d who are ordained of G-d and anointed of G-d, sometimes have righteous indignation! Even though the people may think that their leader has flipped-out, lost it, and needs some professional help, if the act that the leader was getting angry about, if the anger was justifiable and an affront to G-d, then righteous indignation is sanctioned by G-d. Now do not get me wrong. I have seen leaders get angry when it was unjustified, and they should have repented. However, this was not the case with Moshe, and this is not the case with most G-d fearing, G-d loving leaders. In most cases they have a right to be angry and to demonstrate that anger. Yochanan (John) {2:15} He made a whip from cords and drove them all out of the Temple grounds, the sheep and cattle as well. He knocked over the money-changers' tables, scattering their coins; {2:16} and to the pigeon-sellers he said, "Get these things out of here! How dare you turn My Father's house into a market?" { 2:17} And His talmidim (disciples) remembered that it was written, “The zeal of Your house has eaten Me up.” In reading the Scriptures you can see that this was not the only time Yeshua demonstrated righteous indignation in the Temple. He did it twice! Surely, He too could have resolved this problem in a calmer, more civilized manner; some way more befitting the Son of G-d. However, the fact is He did not, but why not? The Scriptures themselves answer this question for us. Tehillim (Psalms) {69:9}For zeal for Your house has consumed Me, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on Me. Righteous indignation is of G-d. There is no doubt in my mind that people are going to judge you as being heartless and an angry person if you demonstrate righteous indignation, for the proper reason of course. The only thing is that you better make sure it is from G-d. If HaShem is with you, then like Moshe, you will prevail! Baruch HaShem Rabbi Ya'acov Farber |
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