How Rabbi Shagar Responded to a Blunt Question

On the anniversary of Rabbi Shagar’s death, Rabbi Nehemia Ra’anan shared personal memories and a story that illustrates his extraordinary honesty. Reflecting on his years of study at Yeshivat Siach, Rabbi Ra’anan pointed to one trait that more than any other characterized the rosh yeshiva, a commitment to truth and sincerity. It was דווקא in the simple, unplanned moments that Rabbi Shagar’s unique personality was revealed in full force.

Rabbi Ra’anan said that in the early years of Yeshivat Siach, it was attended mainly by army veterans and men in the second stage of the hesder track. At a certain point, the idea came up to open a first-year class as well, and Rabbi Shagar asked to speak with the veteran students in order to explain the importance of the move and enlist their support. During that conversation, after Rabbi Shagar presented his view and the reasons for the initiative, one of the students surprised those present with a direct and unusual question. “Rabbi, why all the lengthy explanations and talk? Just say it simply: Shimon Gershon Rosenberg wants to be a rosh yeshiva. Why all the length?”

Rabbi Ra’anan said the reaction in the room was immediate. “We were stunned. I mean, how do you say a thing like that to Rabbi Shagar?” He added that the very possibility of saying such a blunt remark reflected the special atmosphere that prevailed in the yeshiva, but even within that openness, it was an utterance that crossed the accepted boundaries of discourse.

But the moment that remained most firmly in his memory was what happened next. “The great surprise in this story is Rabbi Shagar’s response. We were in shock, we wanted to see what would happen now. Rabbi Shagar did not bat an eye. He answered in the simplest, most open and direct way.” Rabbi Shagar did not try to deny the words or evade the question. “Are you talking about personal ambitions? Of course I have them. What, am I not a human being? I’m saying that above ambitions there are also values and important things.”

Rabbi Ra’anan sees that answer as a clear expression of Rabbi Shagar’s character. “That is so much Rabbi Shagar, so much the mark of Rabbi Shagar’s truth. That honesty. He did not come to hide anything. Personal ambitions, I have them.” No less than the content of the words, he was struck by the way they were said. “What is even more amazing than the substance of the answer is how it was said, in such a simple and direct manner. Rabbi Shagar was not upset. I didn’t even see that he was offended by the question or anything like that.”