The Wedding Escort

Once, Rav Avraham Shrentzel, author of Aysan HaEzrachi, made a wedding and married off his son. He invited many guests, among them noted personalities and rabbanim, including the Maharam. At the end of the affair, out of respect for the great rav, Rav Avraham proceeded to escort him home.

The Maharam, distracted by his own thoughts, took no notice of the escort until he reached his own doorstep. Once he was home, his wife, who had noticed that the well-known Avraham Shrentzel was escorting her husband, turned to the Maharam and said pointedly: “Why don't you notice who is escorting you? Is your own honor so much greater that you ignore his? Could you not honor him by acknowledging his presence or engaging him in conversation?”

The Maharam replied: “And what about his own rebbe and teacher, the author of the Sema? Why did he not join his student and escort me home? Was the Sema's honor so great that he did not feel the need to honor me as well?”

When Rav Avraham Shrentzel heard his own rebbe demeaned, he decided to stand up for the Sema's honor by having the Maharam removed from office. After the wedding he summoned the public leaders of the community, as well as the heads of the Council of the Four Lands, and exerted every influence against the Maharam until he succeeded in having him dismissed.

At that time the city of Lublin sent for him and asked him to serve as their rav. The Maharam left Lwow for his hometown, Lublin, to serve as their rav.