[Avodah] Are "Gedolim Stories" Good for Chinuch?

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Micha Berger quoted and commented:

>   Surely Rav Yisroel who knew his time was near was deep in
>   thought about life and death, tshuvah and torah. Yet he had
>   the presence of mind in his weakened condition to concern
>   himself with the possible fear of another person.
>
> With one simple word, they defeat the entire lesson. To really
> reflect the message RYS left us, that last paragraph should
> have read:
>
>   Surely Rav Yisroel who knew his time was near was deep in
>   thought about life and death, tshuvah and torah. THEREFORE
>   he had the presence of mind in his weakened condition to
>   concern himself with the possible fear of another person.

I agree with RMB that "therefore" would have been a MUCH better choice. But I don't fault the author.

The author surely meant to give an example of the sensitivity that this gadol had. He wanted to show that this gadol thought of something that most average people would not have thought of. And I think it *is* something that most average people would not have thought of.

It is only we, on Avodah, who have read this thread, that see a problem in what was written. Most people read these stories simply to be inspired by the out-of-the-ordinary things that these gedolim did. But we have sensitized ourselves to the idea that these stories should ALSO show how it is the Torah that brings us to such greatness.

I think this story would have been better with RMB's revision, but it is still okay. Rav Salanter was in an extreme situation, and if the story inspires anyone else to do such chesed in such circumstances, dayenu. The stories that *I* think we should get rid of are the ones where a gadol is portrayed as doing something amazing, when the truth is that he is merely doing something ordinary.

For example: When the post office clerk offered to ship the Chofetz Chayim's seforim for free, did he have the authority to do so? I doubt it. But when the CC purchased an equivalent value of stamps and tore them up, this is portrayed as an amazing feat of tzidkus. Why? Isn't this a basic act which should be expected of *all* of us?

By all means, tell the story. But use it to point out that we should *all* act that way. I hope I'm wrong, but I fear that too many people use such stories to reinforce their belief that these actions are lifnim m'shuras hadin.

(And maybe it *IS* lifnim m'shuras hadin. I recall a tread we once had about a crowded train, where the conductor was unable to collect all the tickets, and some passengers leave the train with a still-valid ticket. I can't find that thread; anyone remember it?)

Akiva Miller

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