האי מאן דבמאדים יהי גבר אשיד דמא א"ר אשי אי אומנא אי גנבא אי טבחא אי מוהלא
He who is born under Mars will be a shedder of blood. R. Ashi observed: Either a surgeon, a thief, or a circumciser.
אי מוהלא כו'. ה"נ יש לפרש דלא נגזר אלא שיהא אשיד דמא ולפי בחירתו של אדם אי אומנא שהוא רשות אי גנבא שהוא איסור ואי מוהלא שהוא מצוה:
This could be explained by saying that man is limited to shedding blood, but he has the choice which way to take this proclamation. According to his free will he could choose to be a thief- which is prohibited- or be a mohel- which is a mitzvah.
2 examples of traits used for good in the Torah:
אמר רבי הונא: בשלשה מקומות כעס משה ונתעלמה ממנו הלכה
Rabbi Huna said: On three occasions Moshe got angry, and because of this anger a halacha was forgotten.
Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, Temper- Lost and Found
What does the tradition mean by this? The Halakhah is God's way for man, it is a method whereby God enters into human life and sanctifies it. But in a state of kaas, man's ego expands explosively, and it casts out the word of God, it ejects any other consideration but that of itself. Hence, the Halakhah was forgotten, for God was momentarily displaced in the heat of wrath.
(ח) וְיָרְד֣וּ כָל־עֲבָדֶיךָ֩ אֵ֨לֶּה אֵלַ֜י וְהִשְׁתַּֽחֲוּוּ־לִ֣י לֵאמֹ֗ר צֵ֤א אַתָּה֙ וְכָל־הָעָ֣ם אֲשֶׁר־בְּרַגְלֶ֔יךָ וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵ֖ן אֵצֵ֑א וַיֵּצֵ֥א מֵֽעִם־פַּרְעֹ֖ה בָּחֳרִי־אָֽף׃
(8) And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down unto me, saying: Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee; and after that I will go out.’ And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.
Rabbi Lamm
He was speaking to Pharoah, and knew the psychologically right moment to intimidate the Egyptian ruler, and so prepare for the exodus of Israel. The wrath of Moses was a posture, it was simulated, it was not really expressive of any inner loss of control... it is not a loss of temper, but a calculated move by Moses to educate Pharoah, to carry out as a Divine plan and further God's program
(ט) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה רָאִ֙יתִי֙ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֖רֶף הֽוּא׃
(9) And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people.
(ט) וַיֹּ֡אמֶר אִם־נָא֩ מָצָ֨אתִי חֵ֤ן בְּעֵינֶ֙יךָ֙ אֲדֹנָ֔י יֵֽלֶךְ־נָ֥א אֲדֹנָ֖י בְּקִרְבֵּ֑נוּ כִּ֤י עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֙רֶף֙ ה֔וּא וְסָלַחְתָּ֛ לַעֲוֺנֵ֥נוּ וּלְחַטָּאתֵ֖נוּ וּנְחַלְתָּֽנוּ׃
(9) And he said: ‘If now I have found grace in Thy sight, O Lord, let the Lord, I pray Thee, go in the midst of us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance.’
Rabbi Noach Orlowek, Aish.com
What kind of a defense attorney is that? The very thing that upsets the judge is what the lawyer says should spur him to show favor? The quality that causes God to want to destroy us is the same quality that will save us. Being "stiff-necked" means being stubborn. And stubborn people are the least likely to change -- or admit a mistake. They don't listen. They know what they know and they're going to do whatever they please because of it. But Moses understood the flip side to stubbornness. You have to stand by us, because no other nation is going to stand by you. Once a stubborn person's loyalty is assigned, he stays true to it.The Jewish people, the stubborn nation, stayed true to God throughout history. They didn't accept false messiahs. They didn't accept distortions of God's words. Throughout history, they died rather than abandon their relationship with God.
Taking it l'maaseh!
Now that we have seen some examples of using a bad trait for good, let's see how we could employ this practice into our own lives! Break into groups of two and find the positive usage for 3 bad traits that I will assign to you. After 5 minutes we will meet together and discuss! If you are finished early, think of two more traits!
Group 1: Lazy, Shy, Nosey
Group 2: Impulsive, Judgemental, Picky
Group 3: Silly, Arrogant, Unrealistic
Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sasov, When It Is Good to Deny the Existence of God
There is no quality and there is no power of man that was created to no purpose. And even base and corrupt qualities can be uplifted to serve God... But to what end can the denial of God have been created? This too can be uplifted through the deeds of charity. For if someone comes to you and asks your help, you shall not turn him off with pious words, saying: "have faith and take your troubles to God!" You shall act as if there were no God, as if there were only one person in all the world who could help this man- only yourself.