“Take my seat beside the aron kodesh.”
Last week, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlita, the rosh yeshivah of the Slabodka yeshivah in Eretz Yisrael, arrived in America for a visit spanning multiple cities. One of his first stops was in Lakewood’s Beth Medrash Govoha, where Rav Hirsch gave an intricate, brilliant shiur on the sugya of heilich to thousands of Lakewood talmidim who packed the yeshivah’s enormous dining room.
Rav Hirsch arrived in the yeshivah in time for Minchah and he was led to the “yashan” beis medrash — aptly named for its distinction as the yeshivah’s oldest building. He and his entourage were led to the front of the room, and Rav Hirsch began making his way to a seat in the corner of the mizrach vant. The crowd had largely settled down and taken their seats, but photographer Yissochor Dunoff trailed behind Rav Hirsch, camera in hand. Suddenly, the rav stopped. Standing in his way was a smiling Rav Yerucham Olshin, rosh yeshivah of Beth Medrash Govoha.
“By the aron kodesh,” the Rosh Yeshivah motioned, “take my seat beside the aron kodesh.”
But Rav Hirsch demurred, insisting he would take a different seat, some distance away from the aron kodesh. For a precious 15 seconds, the two Torah giants engaged in a friendly disagreement with each insisting that the other assume the more prominent place along the mizrach vant. Ultimately, Rav Olshin acquiesced, allowing Rav Hirsch to go to the farther seat.
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