Type A and Type B

The journeys of the Jewish people in the wilderness combined constant uncertainty with remarkable order and structure. 

Almost everyone experiences stress, but not everyone reacts to it in the same way. Part of that difference comes from personality. The Type A and Type B personality theory, developed in the 1950s, describes two distinct styles. Today, most psychologists agree that people usually possess traits of both types, though one tendency is often more dominant.

Type A personalities are outgoing, driven, and always in a hurry. They are constantly searching for a better way to do things, and often find it because risk does not intimidate them. They are efficient, strategic, and detail-oriented. They love schedules, dislike delays, stay focused on goals, and appreciate getting straight to the point. They explain themselves once and expect others to listen and understand. They want to see results, progress, and projects brought to life.

 With Type A people, there are rarely any question marks. You know exactly what they think. Patience and interpersonal sensitivity are not usually their strongest qualities, and those are often the areas they need to work on most. Because eventually, even Type A personalities become stressed. When that happens, their short fuse becomes even shorter, and that kind of stress is not especially healthy.

Type B personalities do not always appreciate Type A personalities. Time means little to them, while relationships mean everything. They are the people who show up when others need them. They are patient, empathetic, and compassionate. Type B is the shoulder you can cry on. They tend to be cautious and prefer to understand all possible scenarios before making a decision. Even then, they may still hesitate. Not because they do not care, but because they are naturally conservative and feel they have all the time in the world.

If Type A personalities like doing things their way, Type B personalities, although often more reserved, prefer having people with them along the way. They enjoy teamwork and care deeply about being liked. Deadlines feel somewhat abstract. Why do today what can be postponed until tomorrow? Yet this is precisely what can push Type B personalities to their limits. Despite their relaxed nature, they often find themselves running late, falling behind, and ultimately feeling stressed. That only increases the pressure they experience.

How did this research begin? In the 1950s, heart disease became a leading cause of death in the United States. Most researchers focused on physical factors such as smoking, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Two Jewish cardiologists, Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman, introduced a revolutionary idea: perhaps the way a person lives and behaves also has a significant impact on heart health.

They followed thousands of men over many years and appeared to find a connection between high stress (more Type A personalities)  and a higher incidence of heart disease. Their findings attracted tremendous attention and influenced both medicine and psychology for decades.

The Rebbe often wrote about a similar concept: the body and soul are not two separate worlds. A state of joy, calmness, and trust in G-d gives a person strength and positively affects physical health, while worry and sadness can weaken the body’s resources. For this reason, cultivating positive thoughts and trust in G-d is itself a powerful tool for healing and recovery.

The Moving Clouds

In Parshas Behaalosecha, we read about the journeys of the Jewish people through the wilderness, a life conducted entirely according to the will of G-d. When the Cloud of Glory rose, they traveled. When it rested, they camped. No one knew in advance where they were going, how long the journey would last, or how long they would remain at the next destination.

Life under such conditions was far from simple. The moment the cloud began to move, the entire nation had to prepare for travel. Everyone folded up their tents, packed their belongings, and the Leviim dismantled the Mishkan, a task that required considerable effort and time. Then they set out, not knowing where they were headed or how long the trip would take.

When the cloud stopped, the entire process reversed. The Jewish people reestablished themselves according to the prescribed arrangement: three tribes on the east, three on the west, three on the south, and three on the north. Each family rebuilt its tent and settled into place. The Leviim reassembled the Mishkan, a task that could take an entire day.

Imagine someone who has just finished unpacking, organized the family, erected the tent, and finally sat down to rest. Moments later, word spreads that the cloud is moving again. Immediately everything must be dismantled, packed up, and started all over again.

The Torah emphasizes that there was no predictable pattern. Sometimes they remained in a location for only a day and a night. Other times they stayed for many days, months, or even years. In one place they camped for nineteen years, while elsewhere they stayed only overnight. No one knew in advance how long they would remain, when they would move on, or where the next stop would be.

Using today’s terminology, we might say that a Type B personality would manage such a reality relatively easily. They flow with change and adapt naturally to new circumstances. A Type A personality, however, who thrives on planning, structure, and knowing what lies ahead, would likely find this way of life extremely challenging, since every day could completely alter the plan.

And immediately following this section about the journeys, where everything depended on the cloud and the future remained unknown, we encounter another commandment that seems tailor-made for the Type A personality.

Organized Chaos

G-d tells Moshe: “Make for yourself two silver trumpets.”

The purpose of these trumpets was to bring order and organization to the entire camp. No one knew when the cloud would rise, how long the journey would last, or where the next destination would be. Yet when it came time to act, everything was carried out with precision and structure.

One blast summoned the tribal leaders. Two shofarsblasts gathered the entire nation. A teruah signaled the beginning of travel. Every sound had a specific meaning, and everyone knew exactly what to do upon hearing it.

In other words, even when it was time to travel, there was a clear system. The camp had leadership, procedures, and established signals. Everyone knew what to expect and understood the meaning of every sound.

Just as a school bell or different alarm signals each communicate a distinct message, so too in the wilderness. Every blast carried its own instruction, and every teruah conveyed a different directive. Everything was organized and orderly.

Only after the cloud signaled that it was time to move, and only after the appropriate trumpet signals were sounded, did the camp begin its journey. The Jewish people lived in a reality where they could not know how long they would remain in any location or where they would go next. Yet within that uncertainty there existed remarkable order. Nothing was done in confusion or haste. Every stage had its time, its signal, and its clear instruction.

We therefore find two seemingly opposite principles in the very same parshah. On the one hand, the Clouds of Glory taught the Jewish people how to live without being in control. G-d is in charge. On the other hand, the trumpets introduced order, planning, and structure into every detail. Even when we cannot know what tomorrow will bring, we can know how to conduct ourselves today.

The Rebbe quotes (Toras Menachem 5747, Vol. 2, p. 205) the words spoken by the Previous Rebbe upon his arrival in the United States in 1940. G-d brought us to this country not so that we should view it as our permanent home, but so that we should live here as Jews awaiting the imminent redemption. Just as Yaakov descended to Egypt on a temporary mission from G-d, so too we are in exile for a limited time, until we merit to journey together with Moshiach to Eretz Yisrael.

At the same time, while anticipating redemption, the Torah teaches us not to neglect our mission wherever we are. In the wilderness it was said: “By the word of G-d the Children of Israel traveled, and by the word of G-d they camped.” Some locations were temporary stops lasting only from evening until morning, while others lasted months or years. Yet wherever they arrived, even for the briefest period, they erected the Mishkan.

This is a lesson for every Jew in exile. Even though we know our presence here is temporary and believe that redemption may come at any moment, that does not exempt us from building Torah institutions, yeshivos, shuls, and centers of Jewish life. A Jew must invest fully wherever Divine Providence has placed him, without calculating that the stay is only temporary. As long as we are somewhere, that is where we must build our Mishkan and spread Torah and Judaism with all our strength.

And just as the Torah teaches that even when one’s circumstances are temporary, everything should still be done in an organized and orderly fashion, the same is true today. Although we know that exile is temporary and await Moshiach every day, as long as we are here, our work must be done in the best possible way.  Through this approach, may we merit to hasten the true and complete redemption, speedily in our days. Amen.