A Seat for the Guest

Rav Ahrele also knew when kano'us was out of place. One Shabbos the former secretary to the chief Rav, by then retired, came to his shul. He was a scion of holy families, yet his past as secretary to the Zionist chief Rav did not endear him to Rav Ahrele's chassidim. They would not even let him sit down.

When Rav Ahrele saw this, he called the man over and gave him a seat. Several chassidim whispered in his ear who the man was and what his former position had been, but Rav Ahrele shrugged them off. When Krias HaTorah began, he told them to give the guest an aliyah like any other guest, and after davening he asked him to sit down for Kiddush. Again the chassidim approached and whispered their protests, and again he ignored them. Finally he answered them angrily, "Do you want to be the one to teach me to be a kanno'i?"

After davening the guest asked the gabbai for permission to speak privately with Rav Ahrele, and he was in there for an hour. When he came out, Rav Ahrele told the gabbai, "You have to know when to be a kanno'i and when it is better not to be. He was crying and begging me to help him do teshuvah, crying over how low he had sunk from his former stature after coming from such a good family. I had to give him chizuk (encouragement). I am sure his illustrious forebears will all thank me very much for helping him."