The Wrong Sefer in Verboy

During his year in Verboy, the Kol Arye's seat at the shiur of the Shaarei Torah was close to the Rosh Yeshiva, as it had been in Pressburg. One day the Shaarei Torah presented a chiddush, and the Kol Arye challenged it. The Shaarei Torah replied that the Rambam in Hilchos Me'ila supported him, and he asked the Kol Arye to fetch the sefer so that they could examine it together.

The bookcase stood on the far side of the room, and the talmidim sat so densely packed that the Kol Arye could not get through the rows. He asked the row behind him to pass on the request, and it traveled from row to row until someone brought the volume and handed it to him. The Kol Arye saw that he had been given Sefer Ahava and not Sefer Avoda. Somewhere along the chain, Hilchos Mila had been heard in place of Hilchos Me'ila.

He understood at once what had happened. Not wishing to embarrass the talmid who made the mistake or the one who fetched the book, he composed himself and declared, “I can prove the answer to the question from Hilchos Mila instead.”

The whole room stared in stunned silence, wondering if they had heard him correctly. Calmly, the Kol Arye built, on the spot, a complete and solid argument from the Rambam's Hilchos Mila that fully supported his point. The Shaarei Torah was amazed and delighted. He rose from his place, crossed over to the prized student, kissed his head and gave him a gulden, which in those days was a sign of respect for especially wise talmidim.