1. When discussing the various kinyanim (methods of acquisition) through which one can acquire an item, Rav Pam smiled and asked, “And how is one koneh (acquire) a talmid?” That is, what methods should a rebbi use to bring out the best in his taimidim? He answered, “With meshichah (pulling, i.e., by drawing the talmid close) and hagbah (lifting, i.e., by instilling confidence in the talmid and raising his self-esteem) (kinyan, mekarvan latorah) (Rav Pam)
  1. In a very similar vein, prior to Rav Dessler’s arrival in Ponevezh, one of the bachurim went around telling everyone that he would be very strict and that “even the best would not be good enough for him.” Yet the bachurim soon found out that he was the warmest and gentlest of men. Indeed, there were those who complained to the Chazan Ish that he was not strict enough. The Chazon Ish replied, “M’shichah (drawing something towards one) is a stronger kinyan (means of acquisition) than chazakah (showing one’s control over an object). Rav Dessler, By Rabbi Yonason Rosenblum, Published by Artscroll Mesorah, page 262 (kinyanim)
  1. Nosson Grossman lived in Yerushalayim in 1949. It was very hard to earn a living. He made a livelihood by selling milk door to door. After a while he developed a steady milk route and was able to make a meager but sufficient parnassa to support his family. But tragically he became ill, and the doctors said he had to be hospitalized for several weeks. A few days after he was admitted to the hospital he heard that his competitor, Pinchas Ravitz began selling milk on his route. Nosson said to his family “it makes sense. Someone has to do it and I can’t be there for my customers. Hashem will provide for my parnassa in another way”. After a few weeks he was finally able to return home. On the first night home he began to think about new options for a livelihood now that his milk route was taken over. Suddenly a man knocked at the door. It was Pinchas Ravitz, his competitor. “How can I help you”. He took out a large stack of bills, “I have your money”. What money? “Well, while you were sick I decided to continue your milk route so that you can continue to have a panrnasa. “I can’t take it. It is your money. You did all of the work”, said Nossen. “No it was your customers and I did it for you”, said Pinchas. They each refused to give in and decided to go to a Din Torah. Pinchas insisted that Nosson take the money and Nossen insisted that it belonged to Pinchas. 135 competition, chesed, din torah (Visions of Greatness 2)
  1. Two ninth-grade students at Yeshivah of Staten Island came to Reb Reuven Feinstein for a “din Torah.” One had borrowed a cassette recorder from the other and had swung it by its strap, causing it to hit a wall and break. They wanted to know whether the borrower was liable for damages. At that time, the yeshivah was learning Bava Metzia which discusses the laws of shomrim (watchmen), including a sho’eI (borrower). Reb Reuven asked the botrower, “What are the responsibilities of a sho’el?” The bachur replied correctly that a sho’eI is liable even for unavoidable accidents (onsim). “And certainly he is liable for pshi’ah (negligence),” responded Reb Reuven, meaning that there was no question he was liable in this case. The boys walked away satisfied that their question had been resolved, but Reb Reuven was troubled that they had come to him with a question whose answer was so plainly obvious. That night he asked his father, “How can it be that they are learning these halachos in yeshivah and they cannot apply it to their own lives?” ‘ Reb Moshe responded, “Ask them what they learned for haschalas Gemara.” Reb Reuven followed this directive and discovered that both boys had begun with Masechid Berachos. Reb Moshe was not surprised. He said, “in Berachos, they learned some things that to their minds are not put into practice. They learned that the ideal time for praying the Shemoneh Esrei of Shacharis is at sunrise, but how many people actually do this? They learned that there is a deadline each morning for the recitation of Shema and Shemoneh Esrei, but they may have seen their fathers or older brothers daven late and miss these required deadlines. So what have they learned? That there are things in Yiddishkeit that are nice to do, but it’s all right if you don’t do them. So they apply this logic to Bava Metzia as well.”    (Reb Moshe, Expanded Edition) (din torah, anashim mulamadah)
  1. Two women once came to Reb Archik, the Rav of Lomza, with a din Torah.‘ They were neighbors who shared a clothesline and now each claimed an entire wash as her own. Reb Archik told them to leave the laundry with him and he would announce his psak (verdict) the following morning. After the women left, he took some of his own clothing and mixed it with the bundle they had left. The next day he called in one of the women and she immediately picked out her laundry, separating Reb Archik’s from it, stating “These are not mine.” When the other woman’s turn came, she looked over the laundry and stated with a conviction that betrayed her dis- honesty: “The entire laundry is mine!” The city of Lomza was in a stir over the practical wisdom of their Rav. (The Torah Personality)   (din torah)
  1. Seeing how desperately ill their rebbe was, the chassidim wanted to summon a medical specialist:’ perhaps he would still be able to do something. The patient was Reb Yekusiel Yehudah Teitelbaum, the author of Yitav Lev, and the grandson of Reb Moshe Teitelbaum of Ujhely. He would not hear of the suggestion, and said: “Let me tell you a story that happened in Poland about two hundred years ago.” This is the story he told his chassidim. Rabbi Yoel Sirkes, the celebrated author of Bayis Chadash, one day visited his renowned son … in-law, Rabbi David hen Shmuel HaLevi, the author of Turei Zahav. (The two scholars are commonly known by the acronyms of the titles of their legal commentaries, as Bach and Taz. respectively.) The entire town turned out to welcome him. One young scholar alone did not step forward to extend the traditional greeting of “Shalom.” ”How is that possible?” Rabbi David hen Shmuel protested. The young mah answered that he had been informed by the mouth of Eliyahu the Prophet, of blessed memory, that the visiting luminary had been placed by heaven (God forbid!) under a ban. The reason was that when he was once passing through a certain town he encountered two men who were arguing about a wagon full of wood that one of them had bought from the other. The purchaser held that the agreed price was three gold coins, while the seller claimed that they had agreed on three gold coins and one-tenth. Seeing Rabbi Yoel Sirkes, they had asked him to adjudicate their lawsuit. “What sum is under dispute?” the famed rabbi asked. “A tenth of a gold coin,” they said. “And should I be held up in the middle of a journey,” he protested, “for litigation involving a tenth of a coin?” The accusing angels in heaven made much of his retort, for the rule the Sages teach us is, “A suit involving one copper coin is to be treated as earnestly as a suit involving a hundred coins.” Having now heard such a story about his father-in-law, Rabbi Shmuel asked him whether the account of it was true – and indeed it was. It was clear to them both that this young man had been caused by Divine Providence to be present at this time and place in order that the misdeed should be set right, and a rabbinical court of three was immediately constituted, and charged with annulling the ban. Rabbi Y oel then said to the young man: “Since I see that in the eyes of heaven you are a man of some stature, I would ask a favor of you. I would like to give you the manuscript of my commentary on the Arba’ah Turim, which I plan to publish under the title Bayis Chadash. Before it goes to press, I would like you to look over it and to give me your opinion on it.” Sometime later Rabbi Yoel asked him if he had completed his perusal of the manuscript and if he was ready to return it. “I won’t want to return it to you even in twenty years’ time,” said the young man. “Why so?” asked Rabbi Yoel. “If the book does not meet with your approval, then please tell me, for did I not give it to you in order to hear your critical comments?” “Your book is good and does good,” the young man assured him. “However, as soon as you publish it and distribute it around the world, you will have completed your life’s task of tikkun, of setting yourself in order: you will have nothing more to do in This World. And that is precisely why I want to delay its publication – so that you should continue living with us here.” “If that is what is holding you back,” said Rabbi Yoel, “then I hereby commit my soul to my Creator, and will not delay the publication of the boo~ for the reason you give, because the world needs it.” The young man had no option but to return the manuscript to its author, who proceeded to have it published, volume by volume, beginning in 1631. And in 1640, soon after the appearance of the final volume, Rabbi Yoel Sirkes passed away. Reb Yekusiel Yehudah had completed his story. “And so it is with me, too,” he said to the chassidim who stood anxiously around his sickbed. “If with the help of the Almighty I have already set my spiritual affairs aright, then I have nothing more to do in This World – and I do not want you to call another doctor.”  (judge even small amount) A Treasury of Chassic Tales on the Festivals, By Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, Published  By Artscroll Mesorah page 177