Rav Dovid’l Tolner was a great ba’al middos – he had a big heart and sterling character. The following incident serves to illustrate: Once the Rebbe sat surrounded by family and Chassidim at a seudas mitzva. As was his custom, he wore the sable fur shtreimel on such occasions and sat near the open window. The window was much higher than the outside street level and to passersby it must have appeared that the shtreimel was just sitting there on the open windowsill. A passerby saw the shtreimel, grabbed it and ran off.
Meanwhile the house was a tumult – the Chassidim and family were in an uproar! What chutzpa! To steal the Rebbe’s shtreimel, right off his very head, no less?! They were about to run off to catch the lowly thief but Rav Dovid’l would hear none of it. “Leave him be. I order you not to pursue him. He is no thief; obviously he must be in a really bad situation and needs the money, so he probably went to pawn the shtreimel to feed his hungry family – poor souls, they must be starving. Listen, he is no thief, the shtreimel is ownerless, I relinquish all ownership of it – hefker!! I hereby declare it hefker, and no one should be held responsible or punished on my account! Why should you pursue him and shame him? We will simply buy a new shtreimel!”
(Ner Yehoshua)
