Rav Yaakov, Rav Kook And Rav Sonnenfeld

I read two interesting stories recently that I want to share with you. They are not connected to each other. just two separate stories (I guess one could figure out and make drashos how to connect them, but I am not going to do that).

The first is from AMI magazine, and the second is from an alon shabbat put out by an organization called Rosh Yehudi.

1. Rav Mordechai Laminetsky related this story of his grandfather, Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky, zt"l.
   
   Rav Yaakov had gone into a small siyum celebration by a simple Jew named Yankele. Rav Yaakov wanted to congratulate him for finishing the portion he had learned, and then he sat down.
   The gabbai got up shortly after and announced "And now our good friend reb Yankele will say the hadran, the closing paragraph, thus finishing the tractate."
   
   Rav Yaakov didn't realize the gabbai was referring to the much younger host whose name was Yankele. He stood up and apologized saying that as he did not do the learning, he should not be the one to render the closing ceremony.
   
   As Rav Mordechai Kaminetzky writes, "in his immense humility one of the oldest and most revered sages of the generation still replied when he thought he heard himself addressed as Reb Yankele, a name affectionately used for an unpretentious younger person."
   
2. My friend Baruch Kelman scanned the Rosh Yehudi alon with the following story and sent it to me.
   This story was told over by the assistant of Rav Kook, zt"l, and was told to the writer by his grandson. In the early years of Rav Kook's presence in Jerusalem, he went to a government ceremony with a performance. At the event there was a reception for the people to meet and see Rav kook, and his gabbai, along with Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, zt"l.
   Suddenly, a the performance, a female singer took the stage and began singing and dancing. Rav Kook immediately got up and ran out of the area. Rav Sonnenfeld in the meantime stayed in his seat and stuck his fingers in his ears, looked down while shaking his head and didn't pay attention.
   
   His gabbai asked him, how is it that you the kannoi could stay in and just not pay attention that while Rav Kook, who is not a kannoi, ran out?
   
   Rav Sonnenfeld responded that it is against "kvod hamalchus" to leave, which is why he stayed. Rav Kook, on the other hand, was so careful about not listening to women sing that he was not willing to listen to the singer even at the price of causing damage to the kvod hamalchus. 

Take what lessons you will from these stories.