Stand By Your Decision

It is told that something in the yeshiva once troubled Rav Leib so deeply that he felt he had to register a protest. He gathered several other bochurim, and together they rose to leave the beis medrash and make their disagreement known.

At the door they saw Rav Yerucham, arms folded and eyes blazing, plainly wanting them to take their seats again. The group gave way and sat down.

Afterward the Mashgiach called Rav Leib in. He told him that he had not agreed with the plan, but that Rav Leib had clearly weighed it and judged it right. Why then, he asked, had he changed his mind the moment he saw his rebbi? If he believed in it, he should have stood by his decision, because a person must take responsibility.

Those words stayed with Rav Leib and shaped his sense of mission for the rest of his life.