Fire

"The carved images of their gods you shall burn in the fire… for it is an abomination of Hashem, your G-d." (7:25)

Our Sages teach us that extreme anger is like worshipping idols. What is the connection?

Imagine you’re a courtier in the palace of the king. While walking past you, one of the other courtiers treads on your toe. Rather than apologize, he turns around and pokes his tongue out at you.

Do you curse and shout at him? I doubt it. Not, that is, unless you are unconcerned about you head staying in nodding contact with the rest of your body. Your awe of the king, not to mention the fear of his punishment, make it easy for you to swallow your pride and smile a wan and insincere smile at your fellow courtier.

When a person becomes angry it’s as though he’s saying that he’s not in the courtroom of the king. Or worse – there is no courtroom, no king.

Everything in this physical world has a spiritual cause. Anger is always compared to fire. Anger ‘consumes’ like a fire the person who feels the anger. Anger turns the face flame red. Anger ‘burns you up’.

Sometimes, we even may get a glimpse of the connection of the spiritual to the physical.

The Hayman fire, the largest fire in the history of Colorado consumed tens of thousands of beautiful forestland. The fire was caused by a 38-year old Forest Service technician who took a letter from her estranged husband and burned it in anger. Apparently, she thought that she had extinguished the fire and left, only to find later that it was spreading out of control.

When we ignite the flames of wrath, it’s very difficult to put them out. If one act of anger can burn half a state, one shudders to think what happens in the spiritual forest-lands above when a Jew’s anger flames.