Whispers of Creation - Part 9
"Anger Management"
With Rabbi Ari Sollish
(Recorded live at The Torah Center ATL on November 13, 2022)
In his Guide to Personal Character, Maimonides writes that generally, one should find the middle point between character extremes. One should not be overly indulgent or overly austere, but strive for the middle ground. Likewise, one should seek a healthy balance between generosity and thriftiness, between work and rest, and between elation and groundedness.
But there's one character trait for which Maimonides advises to seek the extreme: anger. When it comes to anger, he writes: "Anger is an exceptionally bad quality. It is fitting and proper that one move away from it and adopt the opposite extreme. He should school himself not to become angry even when it is fitting to be angry."
This is certainly a tall order. But as I'm sure we can all attest, given the devastating nature of anger, it is so important.
In this session of Kabbalah Cafe we get to the spiritual root of anger and seek to discover its remedy. Where does anger come from? Where is its origin in the soul? And what are the inner tools that provide its relief?
