Parashas Shemini - Can you get angry 3 times in 120 years?

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Even though this week’s parasha is short, there is still a lot to talk about; The Mishkan’s inauguration, the deaths of Nadav and Avihu (Aharon’s two sons), the commandment of not drinking alcoholic beverages before performing the avoda (service in the Temple), etc…

In this week’s dvar Torah, I would like to touch upon something we deal with occasionally, anger.

In the forth aliyah (portion), Moshe told Aharon and his two remaining sons, “Although you are mourners, you must partake in the sacrifice offerings…” When Rosh Chodesh (the new month) arrived, which is a time to give offerings, there were three goats offered as a sin offering. One of them was completely burned. When Moshe inquired whether Aharon and his sons had eaten the offerings, he heard it had been burnt. Moshe got angry because his specific instructions were to partake in eating them. [1]

Moshe questioned, “Why didn’t you eat your portions of the sacrifice (of Rosh Chodesh) just as you did of the mincha offering?” He suggested different reasons as to why they did not partake in it. “Did it become invalid? Was it unfit for consumption because it was taken outside the courtyard which would invalidate it?” etc… [1]

Aharon replied back to Moshe, “It is true that Hashem commanded the Kohanim to partake in the offerings sacrificed at the altar’s inauguration (despite being mourners,) however, for something which is a permanent sacrifice (for all generations) such as the Rosh Chodesh offering, partaking in it would not be permitted by a mourner.” [1]

Moshe then admitted to Aharon that he was correct in this law. Moshe made sure everyone heard that he had erred in the halacha and Aharon corrected him. Chazal say the reason Moshe forgot that halacha was because he became angry. [2] The Gemara says, "Wisdom leaves a person who becomes angry".[3] There were three times Moshe became angry in the Torah and all three times he forgot a halacha. [4]

Ohr Hachaim asks, "the Medrash seems to imply that before Moshe became angry, he knew the halacha of not eating this offering. If that's the case, then what was it that prompted Moshe’s anger on Aharon?" He answers that the cause of his anger must have been different. He suggests that Moshe became angry because Aharon apparently had ruled on the matter of these offerings himself, without consulting his Rebbi. Once Moshe became angry, he forgot the halacha regarding the offering and inquired why it was burned.

All three times Moshe got angry, however, he had the right intentions. In this week’s parasha, Moshe was worried that if Aharon’s sons did not do their job correctly, they might have been punished like Nadav and Avihu (their brothers) which would eventually lead to their deaths.

A lesson I learned from this week’s parasha: Besides getting angry which has a consequence of forgetting vital information, Moshe got angry three times in all 120 years of his life! The character of 'anger' is sometimes hard to control, but for Moshe we see it came naturally. Even the times Moshe became angry, his intentions were pure.

We should all merit to control ourselves, and use our character traits correctly to serve Hashem.

Good Shabbos,
Nisso

[1] 10:12-20
[2] Vayikra Rabba 13:1
[3] Pesachim 66b
[4] Sifri 31:21