The "Off Limits" Emotion - Part 1

It hasn't always been like this… I can remember when the temple court was calm and reverent. As a child, my father would bring me to Jerusalem during Passover to offer our sacrifices. It was a sacred time as we walked through the court, preparing to make an offering.?

It wasn’t like this back then.?

Now, the court is filled with shouting and haggling as money changers and merchants peddle to pilgrims—clamoring to get foreigners to purchase their overpriced “Temple Approved” shekels and sacrifices.

I could tolerate the irreverence if it weren’t for the fact that these men rob me blind—every year charging higher and higher fees. And don’t get me started on the price of the sacrifices. I could barely afford to feed my family on our return from Passover last year.?These thieves!?

My anger swells as I press through the crowd, preparing to swallow my pride as I walk toward a merchant selling doves. I’m nearly at the table when I hear a yell cut across the din, followed by a loud crash and the sound of money scattering over the stone floor of the court.?

Startled, I turn toward the commotion, just in time to see a man flip a second table, and then a third.?

The peddlers grab at his robes in protest, but he turns suddenly and kneels down. When he stands back up, I see he has a whip in his hands. With ferocity, he cracks the whip at the merchants and their livestock, yelling, “Get out! Get out!” at the top of his lungs.?

I feel a twinge of glee as I see the men scampering for the exit, slipping and sliding to get away from this man’s rage. After overturning another table, he shouts again, “You have turned this house of prayer into a den of thieves!”?

I push my way forward through the crowd to get a closer look at the man willing to fight against this injustice. Am I mistaken, or have I seen this man before, teaching in this very temple? Is it really a rabbi doing this??

In all my days, I would never have imagined a teacher of the law doing something like this for us— the poor and the powerless. My heart, filled with anger and shame just moments ago, is now welling up with affection, gratitude, and wonder for this Teacher who would not tolerate the mistreatment of people like me…?

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From a young age, this story has always captivated me. I’ve mulled it over from multiple perspectives: money changers, religious leaders, the Teacher, his close followers; and as I’m thinking about it today, I’ve often imagined it from the perspective of a marginalized onlooker.?

This story has taught me many things about life and leadership, but two lessons stand out, even in my professional role:?

?1. From the perspective of a leader: we clearly see that there is a time for leaders to express anger. It is appropriate, and at times even necessary, to demonstrate righteous anger and indignation. Pure stoicism isn’t a requirement, nor is pure optimism, and passivity certainly doesn’t fit the bill. We see in this story passionate emotion and action—not because of a harm that the Teacher suffered directly, but rather empathetic emotion experienced due to the abuse of those he cared about: the poor and powerless.?

?2. From the perspective of the marginalized: we see a longing for a champion willing to stand against the injustices they have suffered and are suffering. To them, perhaps there are times when the only ‘right’ response to the abuses of power that have been perpetrated on them—the only response that appropriately validates and satisfies—is anger.?

For me, this story is a rich well—every time I draw from it, I seem to get more out. I’ve yet to find the bottom, no matter how deep I’ve gone. As I reflect on this story now, it teaches me that while anger is not always wrong, it is almost always powerful. I have been ‘the marginalized onlooker’ many times before.?

From this vantage point, I have seen that anger has both the power to build up and to break down. But I’ve also been on the other side of this story—as a father, a business leader, or a mentor—‘the teacher.’?

From that role, I can see that my own anger has both built up and broken down. My tendency has been to try and detach myself from anger due to a fear of its power. “Ignore and override,” as a quote from a TV show I enjoy says. But I don’t think this is the path taken by powerful leaders.?

I’m going to share my thoughts on a different path in my next post, but my hope for you as a reader between now and then is that you start observing your own relationship with anger with an open mind.?

Start considering how you can use this emotion to build.