The Hidden Spiritual Danger of Anger According to the Zohar and Kabbalah

The Zohar issues a powerful and sobering warning about the spiritual damage a person causes to themselves when they fail to overcome anger. Following is a translated summary of the Zohar’s words on the verse: “Cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils, for what is he to be considered?” (Isaiah 2:22)

G-d commanded humanity and warned them to avoid those who stray from the good path and spiritually defile themselves through association with the Sitra Achra (the impure spiritual force). When G-d created man, He made him in the image of the divine attributes and infused in him a soul composed of three parts: nefesh, ruach, and neshamah. Among these, the neshamah (soul) is the highest, a divine force to guide the person in keeping G-d’s commandments.

If this soul is drawn into serving something false such as idolatry, all three layers of the soul become contaminated, because they are one.

Even if a person appears righteous by studying Torah and observing commandments, it is impossible to truly judge their inner state. How can you tell whether someone is genuinely good not? The answer is by observing their anger. If they know how to control their anger and protect their soul from being displaced, they are a true servant of G-d, and a complete human being.

If however they give in to anger, they uproot their holy soul and replace it with a foreign, impure force- the Sitra Achra. This is the meaning of the verse “He tears his soul in his wrath”- he literally rips it out and invites in a foreign entity. The Zohar goes so far as to say that such a person is like an idolator.

If you argue, "But the soul returns once the anger subsides," the Zohar says that it’s not that simple. Once the soul is displaced and the impure force enters, it clings to the person unless they go through a process of purification by avoiding anger going forward and learning Torah to draw back holiness. Anger contaminates both the body and soul.

The verse therefore warns: “Cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils...” meaning, stay away from someone who has replaced his soul through anger because such as person has become a spiritual danger, and whoever associates with him becomes affected as well.

The Teachings of the Arizal and Rav Chaim Vital

In Sha’ar Ruach HaKodesh, Rav Chaim Vital quotes his teacher, the Arizal, who was more concerned about anger than about any other sin because most sins harm only one part of the soul, but anger damages the entire soul and can replace it altogether.

When a person becomes angry, the holy soul departs completely, and a spirit from the realm of impurity enters in its place.

If a person had acquired a higher soul temporarily- such as the soul of a righteous person sent to help them- anger causes even that to leave. For this reason, a person who regularly succumbs to anger cannot attain any true spiritual elevation, even if they are righteous in every other area. With each angry outburst, they destroy any spiritual gains they had made.

Not a Cause for Despair- but for Determination

This truth should not lead anyone to despair. Anger exists on a spectrum, and there is a big difference between someone who feels a moment of irritation and someone who loses control and breaks things. Everyone is expected to work on themselves at their own level, but even someone who has a long history of severe anger should not give up. On the contrary, the more one understands the spiritual harm caused by anger, the more motivated they should be to fix it, using the guidance and tools available.

The One Who Suffers Most from Anger

Contrary to the illusion that rage mostly harms others, the truth is the opposite: the primary victim of anger is the angry person themselves. In fact, medical studies have shown that many sufferers of serious illness carry unresolved rage. Someone who cannot forgive may think they are punishing the one who hurt them, but in reality, they are poisoning their own body and mind.

This awareness can awaken a deep desire to rid oneself of this toxic trait. When this desire takes hold, the person can then begin to study and apply techniques that help defuse anger before it even takes root.

Three Foundational Ideas to Break the Pattern of Anger

To transform from an angry person into someone calm and balanced, one must internalize three key spiritual principles:

1. Everything Is from Heaven

Not even a minor scratch happens without a divine decree. If someone hurt or upset me, they were merely the tool and the pain was destined for me, from above. Why be angry at the stick? Instead of lashing out, I should ask: What can I learn from this? What do I need to correct? If I believe that someone took something that was “mine”, I must remember: “No one can touch what’s meant for another, even by a hair.”

2. Who Am I, Really?

Who says I deserve everything I want? Who am I that my wishes must be fulfilled by others? Maybe I need to lower my expectations and let go of my ego. The Mishnah reminds us: “Know where you came from and where you’re going...from a putrid drop...to a place of dust and worms.”

3. It’s All Temporary

Honor, wealth and status are fleeting illusions. Should I really lose my peace of mind over something that won’t last? In the words of the Pele Yoetz: “All the honor and shame of this world are nothing but vanity and illusions.” Why allow temporary things to ruin my eternal soul?

On Differences of Opinion

Many arguments arise when people disagree. A powerful antidote: “Just as no two faces are alike, so too no two minds are alike.” We don’t get angry at someone because their face is different, so why be angry because their opinion is?

Imagine someone calls their dentist but dials the wrong number and ends up speaking with a linguistics professor. They say, “I’m having pain in the root,” and the professor replies, “Yes, root words are tricky!” They’re having two completely different conversations using the same words. Would you be angry at the professor?

This is what it’s like when two people have different perspectives. Even if they use the same words, their understanding may be completely different which is normal, because "no two minds are alike.”

In matters of Torah, truth is absolute, but in human affairs, disagreement is part of life. Understanding that can help us meet differences with curiosity rather than rage.

We were not created to remain prisoners of our temper. Anger is not “who we are”, but a challenge we are capable of overcoming. The more we learn, reflect, and take responsibility, the more we can uproot it from our hearts and restore the purity of our soul.