Why the Rebbe Was Late

Rav Chaim Yosef Arye Prager of Brisk tells of a meeting in Livorno between the Chida and Rav Dovid Ashkenazi of Bichov. Rav Dovid made his home in Teveria, and Rav Avrohom Kalisker had sent him west to raise money for the young and struggling Chassidic community there. His fundraising journey lasted about seven years.

When they spoke of the great esteem chassidim had for the Ohr HaChaim, the Chida answered with modesty. He did not think himself a real talmid, he said, only one who had learned in the Ohr HaChaim's yeshiva. He then shared a story about his Rebbe.

One day the Ohr HaChaim failed to arrive at the yeshiva at the usual time. This was so unlike him that the waiting talmidim wondered what had happened. As the delay stretched on, the Chida summoned his courage and walked to his Rebbe's house to see for himself.

They began to talk, and the Ohr HaChaim remarked casually, “I was late because I was stuck on a difficult Tosafos that I could not understand, until Rabbeinu Yitzchok, one of the Baalei Tosafos, came and explained what he meant.”