No Movement Without Reason

Wondrous stories circulated in Kelm about the amazing control the Alter had over every limb and every one of his senses. Rav Yeruchom would extol this ability, describing how every movement the Alter made was the result of forethought. Even the movements of his eyes were carefully controlled.

For example, the Alter never let his gaze wander sideways. When he needed to look at something to one side, he turned his whole body in that direction and looked at it straight on. In Kelm, turning one's head to the side without very good reason was generally considered something to be ashamed of.

Rav Nosson Wachtfogel, who was mashgiach in Lakewood, related the following. "My teacher, Rav Doniel Movshovitz, who was one of the leaders of the Kelm Talmud Torah, never refrained from discussing any topic that came up, even when there was a widely held view on the matter. Whatever the subject, Rav Doniel would examine and argue and try to establish the truth. Yet when the discussion turned to some aspect of the Alter's conduct or outlook, he would set aside his own opinion and would stake his very soul in order to fathom the Alter's thinking. He toiled to comprehend the Alter, whom he considered someone it was imperative to understand.

"When he was asked to explain his special approach to the Alter's conduct, Rav Doniel said that his great admiration arose after he had watched the Alter's movements and actions and discovered that he never made even the slightest movement without first thinking about it. The Alter did nothing without forethought. He did not open an eye or move his little finger without a reason or without preparation. Everything was calculated, befitting the level of an earlier generation.

"'So,' Rav Doniel concluded, 'how can we imagine that we are capable of fathoming someone who did not move his little finger without thinking about it first?'"