Shemini

Moshe Rabbeinu got angry at Aharon and his sons that they did not eat the meat of the korban Chatas of Rosh Chodesh, instead it was burned. Chazal say that because Moshe Rabeinu got angry, therefore he forgot a halacha. Moshe questioned Elazar and Issamar in anger, “why did you not eat the meat from the korban Chatas?” Instead, it was burned and not eaten. Moshe forgot that an onen – one whose close relative died that day – is not allowed to eat kodashim.

The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh asks: why indeed did Moshe get angry? After all, he knew the halacha that an onen can’t eat kodashim. He only forgot the halacha because he got angry. If so, what was Moshe upset about that caused him to express any anger whatsoever?

The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh suggests that Moshe got angry because Aharon and his sons should have asked him what to do regarding the korban, but they didn’t. Instead, they decided the ruling based on their own wisdom. They relied on their own chochmah to choose what to do, which was a transgression of being moreh halacha bifnei rabo. Because of their improper behavior, Moshe got angry and subsequently forgot the halacha.

Rav Chaim Shmulevitz points out that from here we see that even when one gets angry where it is “k’din – befittingly,” it will still cause him to forget a halacha. Also, the anger causes a person to lose the chochmah that he had, even that which he knew a second before. What is the logic behind this that one’s anger affects his chochmah?

Rav Chaim Shmulevitz explains that Torah is a special ruchniyus chochmah that needs special keilim in order to acquire it. These keilim are called middos tovos. If one has proper middos then the Torah can rest in him, become part of him, and stay with him. However, if chas v’shalom one does not have proper middos, then he won’t be able to acquire Torah and he will even lose that which he already had right before!

May we improve our middos and thereby become better keilim for the Torah to enter and rest with us!