[Video below.] During his tish held on Purim Demukafin, the Pnei Menachem Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Shaul Alter, shared a number of sharp and insightful remarks in his well-known style. At one point during the gathering, he related a story about a dream that one of the chassidim had told him about. With a smile, the Rosh Yeshiva explained why the fact that the question in the dream was specifically a question in learning actually proves the point he has been making throughout the year. The exchange, part of the shmuessen delivered by the Rosh Yeshiva on Purim, was published by the Machon Dvar Emes, which is dedicated to spreading the Torah of the Rosh Yeshiva.

The shmuessen delivered by Rav Shaul at the tishen he conducts every Shabbos are widely known for their depth and sharpness. On Purim, however, he has a special way of weaving witty and uplifting remarks into his words, bringing joy to those gathered in keeping with the spirit of the day. Indeed, at the Purim tish he held on Wednesday, Purim Demukafin, the Rosh Yeshiva told a story that drew smiles and laughter from those present, though the conclusion he drew from it was his familiar assertion that he is not a Rebbe.

In the course of the shmuess, which dealt with the cheit of the earth that was cursed for failing to produce trees with the same taste as their fruit, the Rosh Yeshiva mentioned a dream that one of the chassidim had recently shared with him. In the dream, the chossid said, he had asked the Rosh Yeshiva a question.

The Rosh Yeshiva, recounting the dream with his characteristic warmth and wit, explained that the story actually proves his point. From the fact that the chossid asked him a question in learning, he concluded that the message must already be deeply ingrained among the chassidim.

As he put it with a smile, the dream demonstrates that “what I say all the time, that I am not a Rebbe, is so firmly understood by the chassidim that even in a dream they know they can ask me a question of lomdus, but not questions for a Rebbe.”

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{Matzav.com}