An interesting incident took place with the rabbi of Komemiut, Rabbi Binyamin Mendelsohn zt"l.
After the terrible Holocaust, Rabbi Mendelsohn zt"l survived only a few relatives who immigrated to Eretz Israel, one of whom was privileged to establish a family for which Rabbi Mendelsohn zt"l was a loving, caring and guiding father in all its affairs. Once, a few days before Passover, a young man from the same family wanted to see with his own eyes the baking of matzot in the Komemiut bakery, which was under the supervision of his great relative. The sun was hot that day, and the young man made his way in an old-fashioned bus to the moshav Komemiyut. As usual, the Rav received him at his home with open arms, and as was always the custom, they joined him in his study, peeling fruit for him and serving it to him so that he would refresh himself from the long and tiring journey. After a while, the two finished their studies, and the young man told his relative, the Gaon, that he had taken the trouble to come to him to see the baking of matzot in the bakery, which was under the supervision of the Rav. "Of course, certainly," the rabbi answered, and took the young man by the arm to lead him toward the bakery.
When the building in which the bakery was located was revealed, the young man began to clean his clothes diligently, and rummaged through his pockets again and again to check that there was no crumb of chametz in them, God forbid, and continued to walk happily with the rabbi towards the entrance of the bakery. When the two reached the building, the rabbi began to turn around the bakery building, looking for something. The young man asked for help, and asked Rabbi Mendelsohn zt"l what he could do to help him. "I'm looking for a chair or a stool," the rabbi replied. "A chair? A stool?" The rabbi was already holding an old, rickety wooden stool in his hand, when he placed a soft hand on the shoulder of his young relative and taught him a wonderful lesson in the laws of derech eretz: "Look, my dear. In order to avoid the fear of chametz in our bakery, God forbid, we instituted a law that no one has the right to enter the bakery except its employees." The young man was about to point to himself, as if to say: "But David, we are relatives, can't you do something for me?" but Rabbi Mendelsohn zt"l continued, looking at him with his clever eyes: "But what do you want to say? That because you are my dear relative, I will do 'protection' with you, eh? Well, my dear, 'Protection is dishonesty!' – protection is dishonesty – unfortunately I cannot accept your request to enter the mafia." Rabbi Mendelsohn zt"l concluded his remarks, and placed the stool next to the wall of the bakery, signaling to his relative: "Get on the stool. There, at the top, there is a narrow window through which you can look at the work of baking." "All my life," said the young man, "I will never forget the lesson I learned from my relatives, Rabbi Binyamin Mendelsohn zt"l, guiding light at his feet was that the truth, and in any situation he did not depart from it right or left."
