A Jewish Hasidic Karlin came to the beit midrash of the author of the letters, Moshe, zt"l. It is true that the visits of Jews from the Land of Israel to the courts of the rabbis in America were not at all uncommon; on the contrary, a place of honor was reserved for Jews from the Holy Land, and even honorable appointments for Torah study were given to them. However, in this case, when the guest arrived and entered the beit midrash, a decidedly unpleasant surprise awaited him.
As is well known, the 'work of God' of Karlin Hasidism is unique in its own right. Anyone who happens to visit a Karlin synagogue will find it difficult to miss the powerful roars that come from the hearts of the Hasids during prayer. The Lithuanian 'Az Yashir' is not like the Karlin work of poetry, nor is the Sephardic 'Nesmat' similar to the blood-curdling cry of 'Nesmat Kol Chai' of the Hasidism. Indeed, this is 'work'.
And so, when the devout Jew arrived at the synagogue on a holy Sabbath, he was called to Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, who warned him in a side room: "This is a Lithuanian synagogue, here the worship of God is done with trembling, with peace and contemplation. Know that if you hear one shout from your direction during prayer, you will immediately find your place outside." And while the devout Jew pondered whether such harsh words as these had indeed come from the rabbi's mouth, Rabbi Moshe continued firmly: "The synagogue's collectors are standing ready and have already set their eyes on you. Be careful.".
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And the Hasid, seeing all this and fearing the awe of the loftiness, returned to his place with trepidation and began the prayer like the people of the place, quietly and deliberately. Time and again he fought with himself, and almost cried out a great and bitter cry, but the great eyes of Rabbi Moshe stood before his eyes and he immediately fell silent.
But suddenly, without control and without prior preparation, a tremendous roar erupted from the guest's mouth, a roar bigger and stronger than ever, a roar that comes out and erupts from the depths of a locked cage: "N-S-M-T K-L H-Y.".
The man, who realized what he had done, looked in all directions in awe and fear, his eyes searching for the tax collector, preparing himself for the shameful moment of being 'thrown out' of the synagogue. But nothing happened. A minute passed, and another minute, and the prayer continued as usual, no tax collector, no policeman, no anger, no rage.
At the end of the prayer, the guest approached Rabbi Moshe with trepidation, trying to understand what had happened: first from May Xaver, and finally from May Xaver.
But the rabbi received them cordially and with a cheerful countenance, and even added a great blessing of "Yesher Kaach." Here the Hasid could not hold back at all and asked the rabbi: "Let our rabbi teach us. Didn't his honor warn me at the beginning of the prayer about the greatest and most serious of warnings? But now, not only is there no caution here, but there is a blessing here?"'
Rabbi Moshe smiled and replied to the Hasid as he explained a chapter in the service of God: "It is true, at first I warned you and commanded you not to shout and not to make noise. I do not desire any loud noises here. External cries. But then your cry came, which came without preparation and without prior planning. It is precisely a cry that came from the depths of the heart, from the interior and not from the 'external'. This is precisely what is excellent in the service of God. May my share be with your share.".
A very important chapter in the work was taught to us by Rabbi Moshe. There is a cry and there is a cry. There is an internality and there is an externality. Two people may stand in the same place and at the same time and the same cry will come out of their mouths, but for one it is considered the greatest and most excellent of prayers. And the other, may God have mercy on him - cries and is not answered.
It seems that this is the great virtue of the period of the days between times - the coming days, the week that still remains. Study is beautiful and maintaining the arrangements in the days of time is important. However, the work is ten times greater in the days of mundaneness, in the days of no order that are absent even in the 'between the arrangements'.
On days like these when the clock is not counting minutes, and the counter is not ticking the strict "keeping of the rules," it is precisely then that the servant of God resembles the angel of God, the one who is in the middle. For internal work, Rabbi Moshe taught us, is ten times more powerful than external work.
