R. Nachum Bern’nu recounted the following story to the Old Sadagorer: A village Jew approached the Rabbi of Apta, seeking advice on whether he should lease an arende (an inn/estate) from a squire. The Rabbi of Apta instructed him to include six points in the contract. After the Jew departed from the Rabbi of Apta, the Rabbi of Savran pursued him and inquired about the matter. The Rabbi of Savran comprehended five of the methods, but the sixth eluded him. (The Rabbi of Savran definitely assumed that the Rabbi of Apta had listed six methods of divine worship.) The Jew, on the other hand, did not understand since he could not distinguish between "points" and "methods". When R. Nachum Ber finished recounting the tale, the Elder Sadagorer exclaimed, "I can comprehend that a great person conveys a message that is not in line with their intended meaning. However, I cannot comprehend a situation where two listeners understand a speaker's words differently."

Y.F.

Yaakov Teitelbaum