There was a great, world famous Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the Rosh Yeshiva of Mir in Yerushalayim. Many of us may remember meeting or seeing him. In the Artscroll book about his life, they quote one of the Roshei Yeshiva, Rav Binyamin Finkel, who is affectionately known as Binyamin HaSadik, the Righteous Binyamin, who explained the theme behind Mir Yeshiva under the guidance of Rav Nosson Tzvi. He brought down that Chazal say that at the Yam Suf, there were twelve tracks for the twelve tribes to go through. But it says that Hashem made the walls between the tracks transparent, so that the members of each tribe could see each other and feel that they were part of the overall nation.
Hashem kept the balance of maintaining their identity, while at the same time making sure they were all a part of Klal Yisrael. He said that in the Mirrer Yeshiva, Rav Nosson Tzvi wanted to make everybody feel like they were comfortable and at home, so he had minyanim with different nusachot, and he would sometimes visit the nusach sfard minyan. But when it came to learning, everybody had to be together. That was the beauty of the Mirrer Yeshiva. People came from five continents, and whether they were Israeli, American, European, Sefardi Ashkenazi, Lithuanian, or Hasidim, everybody learned together, regardless of their language or dialect.
During one of the Chanukah gatherings, Rav Nosson Tzvi interrupted his speech to ask a personal favor. He asked each person to turn to his right, and to his left, shake that person‘s hand, say Shalom Alechem, and ask him his name.
When people are at a gathering of thousands, they don’t necessarily know the names of the people they are sitting next to, but he wanted everybody to constantly feel comfortable and neighborly, so he enforced the concept of being outward with a stranger. In order to ensure that the talmidim wouldn’t feel sheepish about fulfilling his request, the entire hanhala/staff, seated at the head table, also heeded the Rav’s request and turned to one another and shook each other’s hands.
Rav Chaim Shmulevitz, the prior Rosh Yeshiva, is credited with starting this sentiment. He would say, as we have quoted from the Pele Yoetz and Sefer Hinuch, that “Love the convert doesn’t only refer to newcomers to Judaism, but newcomers to a Yeshiva or country as well.” Love the stranger. They instilled this feeling in the Yeshiva, so that when someone new came in, they would feel comfortable and welcomed.
He strove to maintain the feeling that yes, we all might have our own customs, but at the same time, we all belong to the Jewish people, in keeping with the beautiful image of the 12 tracks going through the sea with transparent walls, so that we would see each other and feel a part of the whole.
Have a wonderful day.