בבא בתרא ט

Rav Yoseph Ber Soloveitchik once sent a letter to an עם הארץ, addressing him as ‏הרב, הגאון, המאור הגדול. The recipient felt humiliated. To address an ordinary villager that way could be nothing but sarcasm. On his next visit to the city, he went to the Rav’s house, letter in hand, and said: “True enough, I am an unschooled man but does that give you the right to ridicule me? Perhaps, if I had had the opportunity, I too would have been a למדן.” The צדיק gasped in astonishment. “I insulted you? Why would I insult a fellow Jew?” The עם הארץ displayed the letter and pointed to the offending titles. The Rav looked at the words he had written and said: “Believe me, I meant no offense. That is the way people address me too.”

06/10/2021