A big machlokes once broke out in the city of Vilna, with many people opposing the local Dayan. The reason they disliked him was because he would not blindly obey the directives of the powerful members of the community and he often stood in support of the simple and weak people.
During this difficult time, The Dubno Magid zt”l came to visit the Vilna Gaon zy”a in his home. When he entered, the Gaon asked him, “Please tell me some words of mussar.”
The Magid said, “In the story of the destruction of Sodom, Avrohom Avinu told Hashem (Bereishis 18:24): ‘Perhaps there are 50 righteous men in the middle of the city?’, in whose merit Sodom could be saved. Why did he describe these tzadikim as living ‘in the middle of the city’? We learn from this that some tzadikim live in a city, but they aren’t ‘in the middle of the city.’ They are not involved in communal affairs. But only tzadikim who are ‘in the middle of the city’ could have saved Sodom.”
He turned to the Gaon and said, “Rabenu, you are hidden away in the tents of Torah. You are immersed in serving Hashem all day and night. But a fire is burning outside. A machlokes is raging. And you are not getting involved. You are being silent as the fire spreads!”
Rosh Hashanah was a few days later. When it came time to blow the shofar in the main bais haknesses of the city, the baal tokeiah was unable to make a sound. The shofar was stuffed up and no sound emerged, no matter how hard he tried. Everyone was very worried that they wouldn’t be able to fulfill the mitzvah, so they hurried to the Gaon’s bais medrash to hear the shofar being blown there.
However, when they got there, they saw that the tzibur had already begun to daven Mussaf. The Gaon was standing and facing the wall and the chazzan had already begun to recite: “Hineni he’ani mima’as.” When the chazzan reached the words, “And all of our problems and sins turn over for us…truth and peace are beloved to You”, the Gaon suddenly turned his head to face the people who had just come in. His expression was like burning like a fire and he said in a loud voice, “Truth and peace are beloved to Him!”
The people then understood the reason their shofar had not worked. They knew that it was because of the machlokes they were involved in against the Dayan. They immediately ran to appease him and invited him to daven with them at the front of the main shul. And as soon as they did so, the shofar began to work. It blew out loudly and clearly for all to hear!