Rav Yosi says: Apply yourself to the study of Torah, for it is not something you can just inherit” (Avos 2:17).
Rav Ovadia Yosef used to tell the following story about the Bais HaLevi to illustrate this Mishna:
When Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik was still a bochur learning in the Volozhiner Yeshiva, he heard from his uncle, Rav Yitzchok, about the great Gaon Rav Shlomo Kluger, his greatness in Torah and Yiras Shomayim. This sparked in him a great desire to meet Rav Kluger and discuss words of Torah and bask in his glory. The only problem was that Rav Shlomo Kluger lived in Brodie, and Galicia and Volozhin were very distant from one another. The young Yosef Dov had no money and no way of reaching his far-off destination. One day, he overheard guests in the Yeshiva discussing their travel plans, saying that their destination lay in Brodie. Now he hatched a plan to fulfill his dream! He approached the coachman and explained to him that he wanted to hire himself out as a wagondriver.
“Surely the journey is long and you need the extra help? I can take over the horse’s reins so you can rest and help you feed and harness the horses when we stop over.”
The coachman looked at the pale, scrawny frame of this Yeshiva bochur, who was not used to doing any hard-physical labor, and doubted that he could handle the job.
“And what are you asking as a wage?” he countered skeptically.
“I have a need to travel to Brodie and so I am willing to work for free. My sole wage will be a bed to sleep in when we stop for the night and some simple food for the journey.”
That settled it – free help was an idea that appealed to the coachman.
“All right,” he agreed. “Let’s start by harnessing the horses and readying the wheels for the journey.”
The young Yosef Dov had never done any manual labor. His soft hands, so used to caressing pages of the Gemora, were soon bruised and bleeding from the hard leather harnesses, and burned from the hot tar and pitch used to smear the coach wagon’s wheels for the long journey. Nonetheless, young Yosef Dov did not complain. As tired as he was, he sat holding the reins while the coachman snoozed and his young mind reviewed the Torah he was excited to discuss with Rav Shlomo Kluger! He was so absorbed that the horses wandered off the road. The bumps woke up the coachman; startled, he quickly took charge of the horses and set them back on the road.
“You lazy slouch!” he yelled at the poor Yeshiva bochur and aimed a good slap right across his face. “That will teach you to keep the horses on the road!” he berated him.
Yosef Dov said nothing; he accepted the rebuke and resolved to work harder. Eventually, after several harsh days of travel they reached their destination. The young Yeshiva bochur knew no one in Brodie and immediately began asking for Rav Shlomo Kluger’s home. When the door was opened, they found a dirty, unkempt, disheveled vagabond at the door, in place of the Yeshiva bochur that this tramp claimed he was.
“You say you are the grandson of Rav Chaim of Volozhin?” the servants said doubtfully, and even Rav Shlomo Kluger had his own doubts as to the identity of the rough-looking youth whose torn clothes, dirty, cut hands and appearance were more of a coach driver than that of a Yeshiva bochur-grandson of Talmidei Chachomim. “Where is your letter of introduction?”
Yosef Dov had none, but in place he pleaded to show his prowess. “Let me instead discuss the answer to the difficult Rambam I have prepared,” and so he demonstrated his Torah knowledge and convinced Rav Shlomo Kluger of his true identity.
“I apologize for mistaking you and not believing your word. Your Torah is true and to make it up to such a budding Gaon and Talmid Chochom, this Shabbos in shul, you will be honored to deliver the derosha in my place!” invited Rav Shlomo Kluger.
Brodie was filled with Talmidei Chachomim and the entire town, young and old, packed the shul, to see and hear the young prodigy that Rav Shlomo Kluger had honored to deliver the derosha. When I say everyone came, I mean everyone, even our coachman! When he saw who the Rav and scholar delivering the Shabbos derosha was he almost fainted! He began to cry and sob hysterically! He approached young Yosef Dov and begged his forgiveness.
“I am so sorry I treated you so harshly and even slapped you!”
Rav Soloveitchik forgave him wholeheartedly. “If you had slapped me for not knowing Torah and called me a simpleton and one who doesn’t know how to learn, you would be liable, but you told the truth. After all, when it comes to knowing how to handle the coach and drive the horses I am a true am haaretz!” (Anaf Etz Avos 2:17)
