קבלה אויף שמות 34:17

Similarly, Zohar states in Parshat Tetzaveh,³⁹⁰Zohar II 182a-b “An angry person uproots his holy soul and replaces it with the opposite of holiness (Sitra Achara). Such a person rebels against his Maker and it is forbidden to come close and attach oneself to him. About him the verse states,³⁹¹Job 18:4 ‘You who rips your soul apart in your anger,’ and he causes an alien god to dwell within him. Such a person is considered as if he built a personal altar to idolatry within himself, and therefore, whoever adheres to him, it is considered as if he has attached himself to actual idolatry, since idolatry dwells within this person. It is forbidden to look at the face of a person who is angry and about this the verse states,³⁹²Leviticus 19:4 ‘Do not turn to gods that are nothingness,’ and,³⁹³Exodus 34:17 ‘You shall not make molten gods for yourselves.’”

Keri comes because of a few reasons and we need to explain them. The first is what Rabbi Shimon said in the Zohar in Kedoshim regarding “Do not turn to the idols” and it is the issue of looking at women, since that leads a person to negative thoughts and impurity, and he goes against the precept of “do not make for yourself molten gods” (Leviticus 19:4) since after his entire body warms up from the spirit of defilement it is considered like he made himself into a molten god. And the meaning of “for yourself” is like saying “do not make yourself into a molten god”, as it explains in the Zohar in Tetzaveh regarding anger, that it says anger is different from all other defilements: 60. Other impurities are different, for they cannot do more THAN DEFILE HIM ON THE OUTSIDE, but one WHO GETS ANGRY is different from them all, for his whole body becomes defiled inside and out, and he contaminates the soul and everything else. 61. Therefore, it is written: “You shall make you no molten Elohim” (Shemot 34:17). “Make you” MEANS you shall NOT harm yourself.