Slow to Anger

Rav Sosana, the Rosh Kollel of Ohr Dovid in Rishon LeTzion, told the following story. "I once traveled to meet Rav Kaduri to ask him to write a kamiya (amulet) for a friend who needed his help. Writing a kabbalistic amulet is a painstaking and time-consuming process. It requires concentrated preparation, with yichudim and other kabbalistic kavanos. I was hesitant to ask, except that my friend's need was great.

"When I sat with Rav Kaduri and explained what I needed, he smiled in his usual way and agreed at once. He sat down and got to work, while I sat patiently waiting. After an hour or so, the voice of the rebbetzin was heard calling the Rav to supper. The Rav was so engrossed in the task that he did not hear her.

"Seeing that there was no response, the rebbetzin came in, not knowing about the amulet or what the Rav was doing. She was simply looking after him, making sure he ate his regular meals, for she worried that he was taxing his health with his rigorous schedule. As she approached, the Rav was so engrossed that he did not respond, even when she repeated herself and said that his food would get cold. To get his attention she shook the table a little, but that little was all it took. The table shook and the inkpot spilled, ruining all the work the Rav had done. I sat to the side, watching, not knowing what to do.

"Instead of getting upset at the rebbetzin, who had accidentally ruined all his work, Rav Kaduri began to laugh. He turned to me and said, 'She knows what she is doing.' I learned a great lesson that day, and I glimpsed the gadlus (greatness) of the Rav."

Rav Benayahu Shmueli once testified that he never saw Rav Kaduri get angry, even when there seemed to be a justifiable reason. He laughed off even the most infuriating circumstances. He was totally absorbed in Torah, and his whole being cried out, "I am a servant of Hashem."