I merited to learn in Yeshivas Lubavitch Toronto for four years. I was there for two years (5758-5759) as a Talmid and two years ( 5762-5763) as a Shliach. From the very beginning of my time there, Rabbi Akiva Wagner Shlit"a (may he have a complete Refuah Shleima!), pushed us to "go Farbreng with Reb Mendel Aharonov".

For many years, he was a "lonely but proud soldier" in the "down south" Toronto community. Yet, in his unique stubborn way, would always have special Farbrengens in one of the local Batei Midrash (which was near the Yeshiva) accompanied by his son-in-law Rabbi Wilhelm. As time went on, he would come to the Yeshiva after davening and Farbreng. While their styles of Farbrengen differed tremendously, (Rabbi Wagner is Chessed and Hispashtus and Rabbi Aronov Gevurah and Tzimtzum) , Rabbi Wagner would always sit quietly and wait for Rabbi Aronov to speak or until he said "Rosh Yeshiva, zug epes".

To be open and honest, it took a long time to get used to and "appreciate" the Farbrengen style of Reb Mendel Aronov, but - as I matured, and with constant encouragement from Rabbi Wagner - I learned lessons and teachings that stay with me until today. I will share three stories and lessons (from dozens) that I heard from Rabbi Aharonov.

1) This story, he witnessed as a child: When I was a child, we once had an important guest in our house - Reb Dovid Horodoker. In general, because of the poverty, we didn't have fleishig in the middle of the week. But in honor of the guest, my mother bought a chicken. She took the chicken to the shoichet, to be slaughtered. But, as chazal teach us בתר עניא אזלא עניותא So, sure enough, there was a shailah on the chicken. My mother took it to the Rov, who said it was okay. When my father came home, my mother told him the whole story. My father said: "if Dovid is eating from the chicken, and there was a shailah, then he has to be asked the shailah. My mother brought him the shailah. He looked at it and immediately said: מען האט שוין געפרעגט א רב, וואס האט שער רב געזאגט? כשר? איז דאס כשר! ווער איז געווען דער רב? (I think he said the Rov was dubrawsky, not sure). And he followed the ruling of the Rov (he just needed to know who the Rov was). Rabbi Aronow always emphasized how he saw this ruach hakodesh with his own eyes (as a child), how dovid Horodoker knew by looking at a chicken that a Rov already ruled on it!