We continue with stories of the great sensitivity of the Steipler.
Bring that that Steipler was a great man in his generation, people would often come to him with their sefer, to ask for an approbation, and would leave a copy of the sefer for the Rav. Over the years, he had accumulated very many new books that were given to him as gifts, but he had no room to keep them, so he gave out the books to his grand children. However, whenever he gave them a book, he would say, “ Take this book, it’s a good book.” He always stressed that there was something they’d be able to gain from it, and explained that he really wanted to keep it in his house, but he had no room for it. And again he would say that it’s a really good sefer. He did this because he did not want there to be any possibility of disgrace to the author, as if he gave it away because there was something wrong with the sefer.
He loved it, he would say, but he had no room for it.
However, was even more careful when he knew the author wasn’t coming from a distant place, but rather, was someone who was often in his home.
In those cases he would not give away the books, because he understood that the people liked to look and see that their books were still on his shelves. If they didn’t see their books, they would be insulted, so he kept track of the local authors that gave him sefarim, so that he wouldn’t possibly insult them by giving away they’re sefarim.
In another extreme example of his sensitivity, it was about 11am on Erev Pesach. A Bechor/first born had been late to shul that morning and did not hear the siyum. He asked Steipler what to do, because he did not want to have to fast all day. The Steipler told him to come back in one hour. The young man thought the Steipler would look into the question and tell him what to do in an hour’s time. But when the man returned an hour later, the Steipler told him that in that hour, he had a chance to finish a Masechet on the man’s behalf. He could now make a siyum, so that the man would be able to eat.
Wonder of wonders! A great man, on a busy Erev Pesach, took an hour of his time to make a Siyum on a Masechet Horayot, with 11 daphim/22 sides, just to help a man, so that he wouldn’t have to fast on Erev Pesach (which is what the first borns have to do unless they hear a siyum)..
I’m another display of his great sensitivity, on the day before Yom Kippur, large amounts of people would come to get a beracha from the Steipler for a good year. Although he was old and weak, he saw people from seven at night until 12, without a break. People asked him why he couldn’t just lock his door, but he answered, “How can I push off people on Erev Yom Kippur? On the day that you need the most zechuyot, I should push someone away?”
Sometimes we get bothered by calls, and things, but this is way and Adam Gadol looks at things.