While the Mekor Boruch of Seretz-Vizhnitz served as Rav in Seret, he would daven on Shabbos morning in a different shul each week. One Shabbos, when he entered one of the shuls, he saw that for some reason, the tefillah had been moved earlier, and he had not been notified. By the time he came in, the mispallelim were after Birchos Hashachar. To the surprise of the mispallelim, the Rebbe walked out to go to a different shul. The gabbaim felt very bad and asked him that once he’d already made the effort to come, perhaps he could stay to daven with them. But the Rebbe stood his ground and left the shul, remarking with a smile, “I am not Eisav...”
When he saw the puzzlement on their faces, he explained briefly: “Eisav came after the brachos...” and then left. (Naom Habrachah p. 84)
Another time, the Mekor Boruch came into the shul and saw that on the bulletin board there was a time for Birchos Hashachar, and under it a time for reciting Hodu. This seemed to be an effort to enable anyone who wanted to come late to make it in time for Hodu to do so. The Rebbe was not pleased with this, and remarked in a similar vein: “One should arrive for tefillah betzibbur from Birchos Hashachar. This is how it was practiced in all previous generations. Only Eisav came after the brachos...” (ibid p. 177)
