They say morality (good things – things) To Refine Your Love, an instructive story is brought about a rebuke that worked.
The rabbi of the Ezrat Torah neighborhood in Jerusalem, Rabbi Yechiel Michal Stern, shlita, recounted from his time in Petah Tikva at the Ohr Yisrael Yeshiva headed by Rabbi Yaakov Neiman zt"l: Rabbi Neiman had a regular custom of going every day to Mincha and Ma'ariv in the Great Synagogue in Petah Tikva and raise money in the congregation there for the benefit of the yeshiva, and every day he would take one of the yeshiva members with him. So that they would see how difficult it is to get the money, and they would know how to make the yeshiva's money more valuble.
One day it was my turn to accompany him, and when we finished, we started walking back to the yeshiva. On the way, I noticed my friend walking. It was a friend who was sleeping in my room at the boarding school, a young man with a strong talent, but as great as his talents were, so was his inclination. I immediately understood that he was going to do some stupid thing, and I tried to signal him to run away, because Rabbi Neiman was here. But he gave me a sign from afar. As if to say, 'I don't care.' When we approached, Rabbi Neiman turned to him and asked, "Where are you going?" and the young man answered without batting an eyelid and named the area he wanted, a place that is in Bel Yere'eh for a Torah observant Jew. Rabbi Neiman looked at him for a long time and said, "Yes, but why without a sweater? If you catch a cold, what will I tell your mother? Go back to the yeshiva, get a sweater and then leave." The young man was rude and said, "If I go back to the yeshiva to get a sweater, I'll be late. "Rabbi Neiman approached him and said in his ear: "I know that there is also a second play. Go back and get a sweater, and then leave." The guy had no choice, and he turned around and went with us to the yeshiva. I was convinced that on the way he would "get a good tongue lashing," but he didn't. The rabbi spoke to him in the Limud... The young man, as mentioned, was very talented, and the conversation went on in the best possible way.
When we arrived at the yeshiva, the rabbi said, "Go to the room, take a sweater and go." He went to get a sweater. But as he went out of my sight, I immediately burst out: Rabbi, why are they doing this? How can he be allowed to go? But instead of the rabbi slapping him and stopping him, he slapped me and asked: "How many years have you been the head of the yeshiva?! ... You should know that I have been a Rosh Yeshiva for more than 40 years, and I don't need to be taught what to do." I went to sleep.
At twelve o'clock at night, my friend returned to the room. Now he realized what a fool he had done. "Stern, get up," he shook me from my sleep. "Tell me, what am I going to do? I'm completely confused. I'm completely crazy, what did I do?!" What do you want from me? Why are you waking me up, I replied, eat what you cooked...And I went back to sleep.
In the morning, after the prayers, Rabbi Neiman went to the mashgiach to talk to him. My friend began to tremble and whispered to me: "Look, they are talking about me... Soon they will come. Oh my goodness, who knows what they'll do to me!" but the conversation ended – and no one came over to talk to him... We went to have breakfast, entered the beit midrash and began to study. In the middle of the Seder, my friend heard Rabbi Neiman's footsteps from behind, he hit me in the ribs and said, "Do you hear these steps? This is the end of me, here it comes..." Rabbi Neiman approached him directly: "Well, what did you learn?" and continued to talk to him in limud, without saying a word about what had happened.
When he left, the young man said to me: "Who knows what they are preparing for me? They are probably waiting for Rabbi Yosef Rozovsky to come..." But Rabbi Yosef arrived, the shiur went on as usual, and not a word was said about what happened.
In the afternoon, the same guy called me and said, "Stern, I can't do it anymore. I feel like I'm about to explode, I have to ask Rabbi Neiman for forgiveness. You were with me, maybe we'll go in together?" We went in. My friend burst into tears, and Rabbi Neiman said: "My dear son, your father works in the public works department paving roads. He works in the biggest hamsinim with great difficulty, and at the end of the month he gets five pounds. Out of that, he pays me a pound, so that I can educate you and keep you. Don't you have mercy on your father?! Especially since you are the eldest child out of nine children in the house. And of course, if you break down, everyone will follow you... Tell me, you have no mercy in your heart." The young man did not need more than that, in order to bring about a revolution himself.
