A prominent rav who was an ardent opponent of the nascent mussar movement once came across Reb Yisrael Lipkin (aka Salanter, the father of the modern path of mussar). Trying to bait him, this rav challenged Reb Yisrael. "Tell me something," he queried, "if one only has time to study for ten minutes during the day, what should he learn? Should he learn mussar or perhaps a page of the gemara?"
A murmur rippled through the crowd surrounding the two rabbis. Such questions don't seem to have any good answer; no matter what Reb Yisrael could answer, he was opening himself up to a counterattack by this rav who sought to discredit the movement!
Without batting an eyelash, Reb Yisrael replied: "Without a doubt he should use that time to study mussar - because one who learns mussar will learn that there is always more time in the day!"
WOW!
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