When Grandpa’s father was in his last illness at the
hospital, Grandpa was visiting him and thought to cheer him up by asking him to
tell a story of Rabbi Israel Salanter. Israel
Lipkin known as Salanter (1810-1883) was both a student of ethics and an exemplar. He founded a moral movement based on the
study of traditional and ethical literature, and when cholera swept Vilna in
1848, he worked in all the most dangerous relief activities. When the Day of Atonement fell during the epidemic,
he ordered the congregation to partake of food, and he set the example by
publicly eating.
Grandpa’s father told the following story: Once Rabbi Israel
Salanter was in the middle of giving a talk when his favorite student, Rav
Isaac walked in. Salanter said, "Rav Iz’l
you’re late,” and then continued with his talk.
Shortly after, Grandpa’s father died.
The following Shabbas, Grandpa was with Prof. Lieberman and Prof. Ginzberg, and, after talking to them for a while, he fell into silent thought.
Ginzberg said to him, "Louis, you are pensive. Remember it is Shabbas, and forbidden to mourn."
Grandpa answered, "It's not that. I'm puzzled by a story." He told the story of Israel Salanter and asked, "Why did Salanter insult his student that way?"
Ginzberg and Lieberman replied together: "It was a compliment! He called him Rav Iz'l to show him honor. It was understood that if Rav Iz'l came late there was some good reason for it. Israel Salanter was saying, 'You're late, Rav Iz'l. I missed you'."
Frequently my father, retelling the story, reflected: "You see how easy it is to misinterpret events unless you understand the whole context. They knew immediately what Rabbi Salanter meant...And yet we try to understand old texts!"
The following Shabbas, Grandpa was with Prof. Lieberman and Prof. Ginzberg, and, after talking to them for a while, he fell into silent thought.
Ginzberg said to him, "Louis, you are pensive. Remember it is Shabbas, and forbidden to mourn."
Grandpa answered, "It's not that. I'm puzzled by a story." He told the story of Israel Salanter and asked, "Why did Salanter insult his student that way?"
Ginzberg and Lieberman replied together: "It was a compliment! He called him Rav Iz'l to show him honor. It was understood that if Rav Iz'l came late there was some good reason for it. Israel Salanter was saying, 'You're late, Rav Iz'l. I missed you'."
Frequently my father, retelling the story, reflected: "You see how easy it is to misinterpret events unless you understand the whole context. They knew immediately what Rabbi Salanter meant...And yet we try to understand old texts!"
- Hadassah Davis, daughter of Louis Finkelstein.
The tale speaks of profound truths. We hold powerful narratives that have three powerful meanings at the same instance.
The first is for the listener to absorb and learn as it carries a lesson
that will enrich the one who hears it.
The second is that each tale is a key which unlocks a profundity about
the speaker. After all, we only tell
stories that bear meaning to us. Thirdly, only when we hear the context of a story can we truly understand it.
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