The following story was narrated by the Gaon Rabbi Avraham Gnichovsky zt"l, and he would preface by saying that the story he was about to tell was a "hair-raising" This was brought in the wonderful pamphlet "The Red Basin" that was published in memory of the Gaon z"l.
There was a story about a Jew who was particularly angry, and this bothered him greatly, for Chazal had already said that those who boil their lives are not alive (Pesachim, page 113, page 2). Because of his anger, this man was not tolerated at home, nor among his friends. He tried to get rid of his anger in various ways, but he did not succeed. At a certain point, the man came to Maran Steifler zt"l, and gave him his great sorrow: "I have already tried all the advice in the world and it has not helped me," the man said. The rabbi of all the people of the Diaspora looked at him tenderly, and said that there was advice that might reward him from his anger, but on one condition, "Would you be willing to fulfill the condition that I propose to you?" – he asked. "Any condition that the rabbi tells me will not be difficult for me in order to get rid of the terrible habit of anger," the man promised. "I will not ask you for anything too difficult," Maran zt"l said to him, "just that you look at my face for five full minutes, without any pause or distraction at all." The Jew heard and was very happy. First, this is really not a difficult condition, and secondly, who would not agree to look at the face of a righteous person as a Steifler! And now, Rabbeinu zt"l begins to make different and strange faces on his holy and delicate face, one eye up and one eye below, and suddenly he sees a sullen face, full of heat. And so from time to time he changes his holy face from calm looks, to those that express anger and anger... The man stood and was amazed at the sight of such an unusual sight, but since he had committed to look for five minutes straight, he did not move his eyes from the holy face of Maran zt"l, and it was an indescribable nightmare for him... And now, the five minutes have passed, and Steifler returns to his usual title (and purity). He turns to the Jew and says to him: "You know, this is what an angry person looks like! And nothing else!"
"Rabbeinu," said Rabbi Ganichovsky, "he wanted to show the man himself in a 'mirror' and to show him how he looked when he was angry, so that he would understand and feel his depraved form, and cease his bad character." Indeed, the Jew said that the illustration of the Steifler accompanied him throughout his years, and when he was about to get angry, he would draw the facial expressions of that righteous man, and he immediately avoided anger.
