Dear Friends,
Passover is tricky.
Sure – we know that leading a Seder is not easy, and we may know that the laws of kashrut - what is permissible to eat during Pesach and what is impermissible - can be confusing.
But, there is more!
The special Torah reading for the Shabbat of Passover is the section of the Golden Calf, including God’s wrath at the people and Moses wondering how to encounter God and lead the people, following this great apostasy. As a commentary on the Torah, the Talmud includes the following midrash (lore built on the Torah text):
And Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: From where is it derived that one must not placate a person while he is in the throes of his anger, rather he should mollify him after he has calmed down? As it is written, when following the sin of the Golden Calf, Moses requested that the Divine Presence rest upon Israel as it had previously, God said to him: “My face will go, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14). Rabbi Yoḥanan explained: The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: Wait until My face of wrath will pass and I will grant your request. One must wait for a person’s anger to pass as well.
What a rich teaching!
From the Golden Calf episode, Rabbi Yochanan, one of our great early sages, taught that one cannot calm a person amid their rage. Even when we may wish to urge calm and perspective, Rabbi Yochanan teaches that an angry person will not hear the guidance nor the consolation. Rather, wait!
Timing is vital in many things. Don’t wash your car amid a thunderstorm. Take a few minutes after eating before exercising. And, don’t try to pacify a furious person, or an angry God. It won’t work, and it could backfire.
Moreover, beyond timing, Rabbi Yochanan suggests that one should be cognizant of powerful feelings and passions of others. Just as calming an enraged person may be fruitless, so too trying to perk up one who is disconsolate, or to quiet one who is over-excited. They are futile endeavors. Rather, be attentive!
Passover’s Torah reading offers beautiful guidance for dealing with difficult moments.
For a happy Pesach, and Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
Passover is tricky.
Sure – we know that leading a Seder is not easy, and we may know that the laws of kashrut - what is permissible to eat during Pesach and what is impermissible - can be confusing.
But, there is more!
The special Torah reading for the Shabbat of Passover is the section of the Golden Calf, including God’s wrath at the people and Moses wondering how to encounter God and lead the people, following this great apostasy. As a commentary on the Torah, the Talmud includes the following midrash (lore built on the Torah text):
And Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: From where is it derived that one must not placate a person while he is in the throes of his anger, rather he should mollify him after he has calmed down? As it is written, when following the sin of the Golden Calf, Moses requested that the Divine Presence rest upon Israel as it had previously, God said to him: “My face will go, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14). Rabbi Yoḥanan explained: The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: Wait until My face of wrath will pass and I will grant your request. One must wait for a person’s anger to pass as well.
What a rich teaching!
From the Golden Calf episode, Rabbi Yochanan, one of our great early sages, taught that one cannot calm a person amid their rage. Even when we may wish to urge calm and perspective, Rabbi Yochanan teaches that an angry person will not hear the guidance nor the consolation. Rather, wait!
Timing is vital in many things. Don’t wash your car amid a thunderstorm. Take a few minutes after eating before exercising. And, don’t try to pacify a furious person, or an angry God. It won’t work, and it could backfire.
Moreover, beyond timing, Rabbi Yochanan suggests that one should be cognizant of powerful feelings and passions of others. Just as calming an enraged person may be fruitless, so too trying to perk up one who is disconsolate, or to quiet one who is over-excited. They are futile endeavors. Rather, be attentive!
Passover’s Torah reading offers beautiful guidance for dealing with difficult moments.
For a happy Pesach, and Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
