Reply To: Rav Wolbe

As was mentioned last week, the Chinuch Rav Wolbe gave his Talmidim was that Bnei

Torah don’t run.

This he learned in the Mir.

Rabbi Wolbe told his Talmidim that no one ever ran in the Bais Hamedrash. Once,

in middle of learning, Rabbi Wolbe’s Chavruso suddenly closed his Gemara saying,

“There’s a fire, we must run to help.”

(Since in the old Shtetel the homes were built from wood, and in those primitive

areas there was no fire department, if a fire ever broke out, it endangered the

entire village. The Yeshiva Bochurim were the first, and usually the most instrumental

in putting out those fires.)

Rabbi Wolbe was amazed how he knew that there was a fire, there wasn’t an announcement

made in the Bais Hamedrash! His Chavruso replied simply, “Didn’t you see someone

running now? As soon as I saw him running I knew that there must be a fire.”