Rebbe Rebbe

around him. He took me to the side and asked why I was not greeting him and if anything is wrong. At that moment my feelings overtook me. Unfortunately I did not hold my- self back at all. I was really tough with my Rebbi and I real- ly let him have it. I told him “Your comment really hurt me. Did you not see how much pain it caused me? Sadly I took it a step too far and said “ If this is what a Rabbi is then I want to have nothing to do with you from now on. As a matter of fact, from this day on you are no longer my Rebbi”. I meant it. I turned around and left to the store to buy some snacks as the lecture was about to begin.

On my way back I had a huge turmoil in me. Should I go back or not ? Maybe I should go to another Yeshiva?
As I neared my Yeshiva, I was surprised to see that all the students outside and the class had not started as scheduled. Unbeknown to me, my Rebbi was actually standing outside near the entrance waiting for my return. He would not start class until he would speak to me. I was nearing the door and my Rebbi stood in the doorway. I did not want to speak about this anymore and tried to enter around him. However my Rebbi stood in the doorway. He looked me straight in the eyes and said “Thank you for being a true friend to me for only a true friend says the truth. I’m deeply sorry that I hurt you. I never intended it as you received it. I didn’t know. From now on I’ll be more careful on my wording around you. You’re not only a student of mine but also a true friend”. He hugged me and asked me to call him for anything, anytime. Our relationship surely grew from then on. That day also had a profound impact on me as its lesson