1. The Aftermath of the War with Midyan
Today’s parsha—Torah portion—is Sheyni of Matos u’Masei. In this section, we read about the aftermath of the miraculous war with the Midyanites. Each tribe contributed a thousand men, totaling 12,000 soldiers, and they went to battle against Midyan. The war was a tremendous success: not a single Jewish soldier was lost, which was itself a great miracle. When the soldiers returned and reported that everyone had come back safely, it seemed like an unmitigated victory.
2. Moshe’s Anger at the Soldiers
Despite their success, the Torah tells us, “Vayikzef Moshe”—Moshe got angry. He confronted the officers: “Ha’chiyisem kol nekeva?”—Did you let all the females live? Moshe explained that these women were responsible for enticing Bnei Yisrael and causing them to sin, which led to Hashem’s plague and all their troubles. He could not understand how they could have spared them. Moshe then instructed them regarding what should be done with those women who had caused harm.
3. The Laws of Kashering Vessels and Elozar’s Role
Immediately following this episode, the parsha discusses what to do with the vessels taken as spoils from Midyan. This is where we learn the laws of hagolas keilim—kashering vessels that were used by non-Jews. The Torah details which utensils require purification through fire or water depending on their use (yulei keilim). Notably, it is Elozar HaKohen who teaches these laws to Bnei Yisrael at this point. Since Aharon had already passed away, Elozar had assumed his position as Kohen Gadol.
4. Why Did Moshe Forget the Halacha?
This shift in leadership prompts Rashi to ask: why is Elozar teaching these laws instead of Moshe Rabbeinu? Rashi explains that because Moshe became angry (kas—anger), he made a mistake and forgot the halachos regarding yulei nochrim—the purification of non-Jewish vessels. Although Moshe must have learned these laws from Hashem earlier, his anger caused him to forget them at this crucial moment, necessitating Elozar’s intervention.
5. Other Instances of Anger Leading to Mistakes
Rashi notes two additional places in Torah where Moshe’s anger led him to err. First is in Parshas Shemini: after Nadav and Avihu’s deaths, when certain offerings were burned rather than eaten, Moshe questioned Elozar and Isamar about their actions. There too, Rashi says Moshe became angry and consequently made a mistake until Aharon corrected him—Moshe admitted his error was due to forgetting the halacha because of his anger.
The third example is when Hashem told Moshe to speak to the rock but instead he struck it. While the verse does not explicitly state that Moshe was angry there, he addresses Bnei Yisrael as “shim’u na ha’morim”—“listen now you rebels”—which Rashi interprets as words spoken in anger. Again, anger led to a mistake.
6. Why Does Anger Cause Forgetting Torah?
This pattern raises an important question: why does anger specifically cause one to forget Torah? We do not find such an association with other negative behaviors or sins—only with anger does Torah link forgetting halacha directly to an emotional state.
The commentaries explain that when a person becomes angry, it is as if his soul departs temporarily and an external force takes over—a kind of spiritual alienation (Nefesh zarah). Since one’s own soul is no longer present in its fullness during anger, access to Torah knowledge is diminished or blocked.
7. Combating Anger: Practical Advice from Shulchan Aruch and Tanya
The question then becomes: how can one combat anger? The Alter Rebbe in Tanya explains that anger reflects a lack of acceptance of Hashem’s presence—a denial that everything comes from above. The antidote is found in the very first instruction in Shulchan Aruch: “Shivisi Hashem l’negdi tamid”—“I place Hashem before me always.” This means constantly remembering that Hashem is present before our eyes at all times.
If one truly feels they are standing before a king—or even just another person—they would never allow themselves to lose control or become enraged publicly or privately. Often people lose their temper at home because they feel unobserved; but if someone walked in unexpectedly while they were yelling or acting out of anger, they would be mortified by their behavior.
8. Applying These Lessons in Our Lives
The avodah—spiritual work—is therefore to internalize “Shivisi Hashem l’negdi tamid,” always keeping Hashem’s presence at the forefront so we do not fall into anger and its consequences. This principle opens both Shulchan Aruch and many works on character development because it is foundational for living properly.
A person who lives with constant anger leads a miserable life regardless of other factors—but even those who only occasionally get angry can benefit greatly by working on self-control through awareness of Hashem’s presence.
Of course, we must remember that Moshe Rabbeinu’s level was entirely different from ours—his ‘anger’ and ‘mistakes’ are not comparable to our own experiences or failings. Nevertheless, we are meant to extract lessons for ourselves from these stories: namely, how crucial it is to avoid anger so as not to lose clarity in Torah or proper behavior.