People often believe they are products or victims of the circumstances that surround them. "Of course, I feel bad! I'm surrounded by such toxic people!"

But is that really so? Might it be the other way around? Does the external world shape us or do we shape the world around us?

In this week's Torah portion, one story stands out:

The Jewish people complained about their uncomfortable conditions and exhausting journey through the desert, with no reliable access to water or food. As a consequence, G‑d sent venomous serpents, and many people died.1

The people repented and asked Moses to intercede with G‑d to remove the serpents.

G‑d instructed Moses to fashion a serpent and mount it on a pole, instructing anyone who had been bitten to look at it.

Moses fashioned a copper serpent, placed it atop the pole, and whoever gazed upon it after being bitten was healed.

Why specifically a copper serpent? What healing properties could it possibly have? How could it heal people, from a distance, from a venomous snakebite?

The Sages, cited by Rashi, ask precisely this question and explain that the healing power did not reside in the serpent at all. It resided in the heart of the one afflicted.

Does a serpent kill or give life? Rather, this comes to tell you that when Israel looked upward and submitted their hearts to their Father in heaven, they were healed; and if not, they perished.2

In other words, what neutralized the poison of the physical snakebite was the person's own attitude and conduct. By looking “upward” and submitting their hearts, including their internal destructive impulses, to their Heavenly Father, they not only neutralized the physical venom but transformed the serpent itself into a source of healing. Looking up at the serpent and recognizing their own ungrateful, serpent-like behavior brought them to repentance and renewal.3

The viperous forces in the world are a reflection of (and are fed by) the viperous character within people. When one manages to master, neutralize, and transform one's own inner serpent, no external serpent or viperous force can touch them.

We find a biblical precedent for this in the story of Joseph and his brothers. The brothers threw Joseph into a pit described as “empty, without water.”4 Why the redundancy? If it was empty, obviously it had no water.

Our Sages explain that while empty of water, it was full of snakes and scorpions.5 How did Joseph survive? An animal can only harm a human who behaves like an animal—i.e., one dominated by instinct. Joseph, who had mastered his instincts, had nothing to fear from the animals.

Snakes and scorpions each carry a different kind of venom; one is “hot” and the other is “cold.” Hot venom attacks the circulatory system; cold venom attacks the nervous system, causing paralysis.

On a spiritual level, there are also two “venoms,” two attitudes that paralyze and kill. The “hot” one is hypersensitivity and obsessive ambition for the approval of others; the “cold” one is numbness and indifference towards growth. Neither of these represents a healthy life. Each one is “viperous” behavior, driven either by hot or cold venom. Neither of these represents a healthy life.

When we raise our eyes heavenward, submitting ourselves to a Higher Power, we then hold the keys to heal from the internal snakebites we’ve experienced.

The tool for this week: When the world around you feels toxic and threatening, don't just complain—reconfigure your own viperous attitudes. You will feel better, and you will be surprised by the change in your surroundings.

Based on Likutei Sichot, vol. 13, pp. 71–77.