Rebbe Rebbe

was short and on point and the tzibur definitely enjoyed it”.

My grandfather’s close talmid once questioned him on this incident; why did the Rav refuse to speak Divrei Torah? HaRav Shmuel replied that the real reason he declined the speech was because he noticed that the first two speakers failed to connect with and inspire the crowd; they were not great speakers. If my grandfather would speak, he was wor- ried it would overshadow and embarrass them. People would associate the event with him alone which would re- flect poorly on the honor and reputation of the first two speakers.

I heard this next story about my grandfather from Rav Mordechai ‘Max’ Braude. Rabbi Braude was once met with an offer to buy an existing business. It was a tremendous opportunity, except he didn’t have the money to invest. He went to my grandfather to seek advice regarding the merits of the deal. At the time, Rav Shmuel Dovid Walkin was stay- ing at a bungalow colony in the mountains.

When he sat before him, Rav Braude focused on the ques- tion of sound business and only slightly implicated that he was short of funds. Rav Braude returned to his bungalow af- ter the meeting. After a short moment, he heard a knock on his door and opened it to find HaRav Shmuel Dovid’s son holding an envelope in his hand. “Here,” he said. “My father wants to help you start the business”.