The Preacher and the Tefillin
Teshuvah
A story ofRav Yisroel Meir HaKohen Kagan of Radinהרב ישראל מאיר בן אריה לייב קאגאן
The Chofetz Chaim did not believe in fire-and-brimstone preaching. He held that a spoonful of honey works better than a gallon of vinegar. A traveling preacher once complained to him that however much he thundered and rebuked, his listeners ignored his call to repent.
The Chofetz Chaim asked him who had said that the way to fulfill the mitzvah of rebuke is by shouting and storming. Tefillin is a mitzvah as well, he pointed out, and does the preacher yell while he puts them on?