The Manchester Rosh Yeshiva would often relate the following story to his talmidim:
After the petirah of R’ Yosef Shmuel, the HaGahos HaShas, his prominent talmidim continued their studies in the same bais medrash. One day they were shocked to see their rebbe appear before them.
He recounted that when he arrived in Shamayim he was sent to sit in Gan Eden next to the Shloh HaKadosh. But the Shloh HaKadosh protested that although R’ Yosef Shmuel was an illustrious gaon and an eminent disseminator of Torah, he had not instructed his students in matters of mussar and yiras shamayim. “Therefore,” explained R’ Yosef Shmuel, “I was sent back down to this world to emphasize to my talmidim the importance of learning mussar. I hereby request that you accept upon yourself the obligation to learn mussar.” The talmidim immediately agreed and the rebbi vanished.
Rav Segal would then turn to his talmidim and say, “We have to strengthen our learning of mussar. Why should we have to wait until I come back from the olam ha’emes to learn mussar? I am informing you now of the compelling duty to learn mussar regularly.”
