Some highlights [of countless!!] from the new biography of Rav Dovid Soloveitchik ztz"l:
In Brisk they were so poor that he didn't own his own pair of tfillin until years [something like six] after his Bar Mitzva. Until then he used the tfillin of his father Rav Velvel and when he was away, those of the Dayan Rav Simcha Zelig Reeger.
He thought it to be great chutzpah when they advertise that if you give to a certain Tzdaka then Rabbonim make a decree that you will have good health, parnassa etc. etc. Who are we to make decrees on Hashem???
He didn't have a phone at home, couldn't understand how people could walk around with a טעלעפאן מטלטל [i.e. cellphone] and had a phone in a small room in the Yeshiva [for Yeshiva business] which he almost never used. He also ran an entire Yeshiva with no secretary, executive director etc. etc. All by himself. And w/o taking a penny from the "Reshaim" [i.e. the government]. And w/o flying overseas to fundraise. People just threw money at him [which he would refuse (!!!!!!) if he didn't think the Yeshiva needed it at that time]. And he didn't have to recruit b/c boys would die to get into his Yeshiva.
An amazing story.
He also lived in a old, decrepit apartment in Geula and refused to renovate [even though he could have done so w/o having to pay for it himself] b/c why renovate your apt. if the same money could be used for Torah and Tzdaka? He refused to put in AC for many many years until he saw that the boys would learn much better with it [his "living room" was the shiur room].
זיע"א!!!
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Sorry - can't get over that. A RY refusing offers of large donation$$$$ to his Yeshiva.
WOW!
