A Bachur who learned in the Mir Yeshivah in Eretz Yisroel, would Daven in the Yeshivah, and would enter into the Beis Medrash through a door that was near the Rosh Yeshivah, Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, zt”l. As he would enter, he would say “Good morning” to his Rebbe, and the Rebbe would respond to him with “Good morning” also.
One morning when this young man entered and approached the Rosh Yeshivah, he saw that his Rebbe had already put on his Tefillin Shel Yad and had not yet put on the Shel Rosh. Knowing that his Rebbe couldn’t speak at that moment, he didn’t say “Good morning,” but made his way to his seat instead, in the back of the Beis Medrash and began Davening, not thinking anything of it.
When Davening was over, the boy noticed that the Rosh Yeshivah had stood up from his seat, and with great difficulty, was walking through the Beis Medrash and making his way slowly to the rear. It was so difficult for the Rosh Yeshivah to walk that he was usually wheeled in and out of Davening in his wheel chair, yet he carefully made his way down the aisle.
All eyes turned to watch as they tried to imagine what was so pressing for the Rosh Yeshivah to make such a strenuous effort to get through the Beis Medrash. When he arrived at this Bachur, the Rosh Yeshivah said to him, with a voice full of love, “Good morning!” and then turned around and made his way back to the front.
The young man was overcome with emotion because, like so many others, the Rosh Yeshivah made him feel like a prized Talmid. To Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, every Talmid and every Yid was prized and special!
Reprinted from the Parshas Vaeschanan 5784 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
