It's dusk and I'm knocking on the door of the yeshiva's head, Rabbi Ezrachi. I want to 'speak in study.'.
Who doesn't know the conversation in the study with the 'Rosh Yeshiva'? The elderly guru leans back in his black chair, in the small back room at the edge of the famous living room, his tall dome perched on the forehead of his head, and he listens calmly. The response to the lecture, which may include a brilliant ten-minute walk on the subject, will be brief. A hum and a question or a comment of a few words that suddenly sheds a new beam of light on the scene.
Well, those who don't know, will never know.
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Anyway, the Rebbetzin opens the door, I enter and the Rosh Yeshiva is in the living room. Next to him sits another elderly Jew with an especially long beard. Rabbi Yehuda Ades, Rosh Yeshiva 'Kol Yaakov'. I wanted to speak to the 'Rosh Yeshiva' in the study, I said apologetically, and Rabbi Ades, with his many years, simultaneously leaps from his chair and makes way for me.
In his opinion, does Zorev deserve to 'speak in learning'? Pishita, he has the right to go first.
Then the thunderous voice of Rabbi Baruch was heard [and it echoes, I am convinced, now in the head of every reader]: "I would be happy to talk to you, but one of the 'great men of the generation', Rabbi Ades Shlita, is sitting with me and I cannot. Please come back later." It seemed that he was also apologizing, I must understand, after all, one of the great men of the generation is sitting in the living room and if I could, I would forgo the urgent conversation.
I gave up. And I came back later.
The head of the yeshiva felt unwell. Very ill. He was weak, his voice barely coming out of his throat, but he received me and asked me to wait a moment. Happily, I agreed, and he stood up, headed for the door, pulled on his blue, floral robe, and draped it over his body.
I'm still pondering the strange situation and his squeaky voice is heard: "I can barely lift both of my arms above my shoulders, but it was important to me that you see that I ask to respect you. When you come to speak in class, you must dress accordingly. It's not respectful to talk while wearing only pants, a tie, and a shirt.".
But I could have brought the robe, I hissed.
True, but I asked you to experience for yourself the importance of a conversation between a rabbi and a student.
Does the student respect the rabbi? Absolutely. But no less important than that, the head of the yeshiva, the gaon of the generation and a member of the Council of Torah Scholars, also respects the student. He stands up and waves his weak hands in order to, with great difficulty, put on a rabbinical robe.
