A friend - we'll call him "Chaim" - told this writer about the time the Rosh Yeshiva gave him his "farher" (entrance exam). Chaim was totally unprepared. It was not just that he made mistakes, he couldn't even begin to answer a single question. Needless to say the Rosh Yeshiva didn't in any way show displeasure or intimate to Chaim that he should have come a bit better prepared; rather he gave Chaim a short "Sugya" to study and told him to come back Shabbos for another test. The talmid prepared and came back. While sitting in Bais Medrash someone came over and said, "my father asked that I test you". Reb Shneur began asking questions on the prepared Sugya, but the results of the second test were dismal, hardly better than the first. Reb Shneur made some small friendly conversation and then told Chaim that the Rosh Yeshiva would speak to him later.

A while later the Rosh Yeshiva called Chaim in and said: "You are young. Here we have an older "Olam" (group). You won't be able to get chavrusos [study partners]. Therefore [I suggest that you] go to Rav Elyah Chazan, [Rosh Yeshiva - Torah Vodaas] for a year, after which we'll see.

The bochur was devastated but left without a word. After he cried himself out, he came back to the Rosh Yeshiva and began... "Ich farshtei nisht... I don't understand..." Before he could say another word the Rosh Yeshiva interrupted and said "vos farshteit ir nit? What don't you understand?" and repeated "You are young - here we have an older "Olam". You won't be able to get chavrusos - go to Rav Elyah Chazan for a year and then we'll see. [The bochur later commented that besides covering up the real reason for not being able to get chavrusos, the Rosh Yeshiva never even implied that Chaim really needs to attend a good "blatt shiur" for a while before being ready for Lakewood].

The bochur then said to the Rosh Yeshiva "I don't understand... the Rosh Yeshiva made a yeshiva out of town so that bochurim could learn away from the city and now the Rosh Yeshiva is sending me to learn in N.Y..?

When the Rosh Yeshiva heard that, he leaned back in his chair, smiled from ear to ear and said, "oib azoi kent ir kummin - if so [i.e. if it means so much to you and you won't be satisfied learning in N.Y.] then you can come". The Rosh Yeshiva then arranged for a tutor to bring Chaim up to par and since then Chaim has become a successful Maggid Shiur.

As for a newcomer to the yeshiva... Rav Moshe Cohen, longtime Maggid Shiur in Torah Academy of Baltimore and presently of Yerushalaim likes to tell of his welcome to Kletzk - Europe.

Rav Moshe, at the age of thirteen, resided in Warsaw, Poland where he studied under one of the Rosh Yeshiva's Talmidim. Once there was a meeting of Torah leaders in Warsaw which the Rosh Yeshiva attended. The Talmid, rebbi of our Reb Moshe, brought a number of talmidim - Reb Moshe included - to where that meeting was being held with the hope of introducing them to the Rosh Yeshiva.

When they entered, the Rosh Yeshiva was "talking in learning" with the great, saintly Kamenetzer Rosh Yeshiva, Reb Boruch Ber Leibowitz Z.TZ.L.. Nevertheless, the Rosh Yeshiva excused himself from Reb Boruch Ber and walked over to his talmid.

The talmid asked the Rosh Yeshiva to "farher" his talmidim and the Rosh Yeshiva complied. He asked a few questions, was impressed and asked Moshe to come study in Kletzk. Being only thirteen years old at the time Moshe's parents would not let him leave till about two years later when he then came to the yeshiva. He arrived on an Erev Shabbos, went straight to the Rosh Yeshiva, who greeted him warmly and promptly invited Moshe to be his guest for the Shabbos Seudos (meals). It was the Rosh Yeshiva's practice to invite all the older bochurim to eat with him on Shabbos, thus Moshe found himself surrounded by the cream of Kletzker Talmidim. As always, the seudos were permeated with constant "talking in learning" and Moshe, who was a young bochur at the time, could not follow what was being said at all. Slowly but surely Moshe was feeling more and more out of place... Maybe, he thought, he should not have come to the yeshiva at so young an age after all.

Suddenly he noticed that the Rosh Yeshiva was not "talking in learning" but rather had brought up the matter of a recent problem affecting the Jews of Warsaw. The Warsaw politics of the day. There was silence. No one knew a thing about the problem - no one, that is, except Moshe.

Suddenly Moshe was thrown into the lime light. He knew all about that problem - every detail, and he volunteered all the information and ideas he had. The Rosh Yeshiva spoke with him for some twenty minutes; all eyes and ears were upon him; he was the center of attention and "felt like a million dollars."

At the time Reb Moshe didn't think that anything was at all unusual about the incident. The Rosh Yeshiva had brought up the subject of that Warsaw decree and he happened to know about it.

But as time went on and Moshe became more and more familiar with the "goings on" at the Rosh Yeshiva's table he realized how unusual that conversation really was. The Rosh Yeshiva never spoke about problems or politics at the Shabbos Seudos (nor in yeshiva altogether). His Shabbos table was devoted solely to Torah, to spirited "talking in learning". On occasion - such as on Yomim Tovim, the Rosh Yeshiva could tell stories about Gedolei Yisroel too, stories about the Vilna Goan and his talmidim, Reb Meshulum Igra, Rebbi Akiva Eger, Reb Yisroel Salanter... To know the greatness of Chachmei Yisroel is to understand and appreciate the Mesores HaTorah, (The transmission of Torah throughout the generations), to know their ways and their words is to know Torah itself. But to discuss politics in yeshiva - never - except that Shabbos... to reach out to a young bochur who was feeling very out of place. Reb Moshe attributes many succesful years of learning to that "welcome". (As told by Reb Moshe Cohen to Reb Yeruchem Olshin shlita)