Passive vs Aggressive

When Actions Speak Louder Than Words

As human beings we take it for granted that we have certain qualities which can get us into deep trouble and we would be much better off avoiding them. As these are “part of being human” we tend to overlook it inwardly, yet at the same time we get hurt when those qualities are directed towards us.

In Sefer Bamidbar, we learn about seven sins of the Bnei Yisrael in the desert:

1. The Misonenim

2. Asking for meat

3. Miriam and Aharon speaking about Moshe

4. The Meraglim

5. The Maapilim

6. The Mekoshesh

7. Korach

The Izhbitzer¹ explains that we have 613 mitzvos which allow us to navigate our actions in this world. These 7 incidents represent 7 additional personal refinements of qualities which each person needs to work on themselves. These are generally matters of extreme sensitivity where there is a very thin line between that which is correct and that which is not. The Izhbitzer elaborates that the refinement represented by Korach is being narrow minded, which is also a very thin line between right and wrong and…