As a young bar mitzva boy, R' Shimon was taken to Zanz by his father, R' Yehuda, zt"l, to spend the yom tov Shavuos in the elevated atmosphere prevalent in the court of the Divrei Chaim of Zanz.
That year, as always during the "milchige kiddush" on yom tov morning, the Divrei Chaim began giving a great pilpul in the presence of elderly rabbonim and the elite of the sharp Chassidic masters, all of whom drank in thirstily every word of the Zanzer.
The young bochur Shimon Greenfeld squeezed his way in until he found himself behind the Rebbe's chair.
He listened intently to the Rebbe's pilpul until he suddenly could no longer contain himself. Bursting with a fiery passion for Torah, he dared to speak up and ask a profound kushye.
When the Divrei Chaim finished speaking, he turned around to the brilliant boy and asked him to repeat his query. Before the amazed eyes of all those assembled, the Divrei Chaim spent the next long hour enjoying a Torah talk with the newcomer, R' Shimon.
***
In the yeshiva of the Maharshag, the bochurim were serious lamdonim and yirei Shomayim.
One zman, a group of boys came to join the yeshiva. These were not shtetl bochurim, but from the big city and their behavior was not like that of the rest of the yeshiva. After about a month, some of the older bochurim came into Rabbi Shimon, suggesting to him that he rebuke the newcomers and admonish them to change their ways.
Rabbeinu's gentle reply was in the form of a story that he had heard from the rov of Kleinvardein, R' Avrohom Yitzchok Weinberger, zt"l.
When the Jews were given permission to buy land and property in their own right and under their own names, certain sheilos arose concerning a heter mechirah lenochri beShabbos. Various people in the community did not do as the halochoh bade and the Rov tried to admonish them. His words, however, went unheeded. R' Avrohom Yitzchok noticed that those in question were chassidim of the Ateres Tzvi of Zidichov and he decided to give the case over to their rebbe.
Having made the arduous journey once without seeing any results following, R' Avrohom Yitzchok tried again. "This time," he told the Ateres Tzvi, "perhaps you should punish them by expelling them from the chassidus and then they'll learn their lesson."
The Ateres Tzvi calmed down the agitated rov of Kleinvardein.
"Every leader of our generation has his own unique task to fulfill. The general aim is to arouse the people to do teshuvoh and to come closer to Hashem, but each one's strength lies in a different field.
"My power," continued the Ateres Tzvi, "lies in tefillah. If there is someone who has gone astray, I make sure he hears my prayer of Hakol Yoducho. If that doesn't turn his heart back to Hashem, I can do nothing for him."
Finishing the anecdote, Rabbi Shimon encouraged his talmidim.
"Our entire power lies in the force of our limud - our Torah learning. We must learn with all the intensity we can muster and through our iyun and hasmodoh, spread the spirit of correct behavior over to these new bochurim. Anyone who is not positively affected by our Abaye VeRovo, I pray that he not come to our yeshiva."
His talmidim threw themselves into their pursuit of Torah and within several weeks the new group of talmidim were transformed, becoming devout and pious — all through the koach HaTorah of their peers.
***
During the First World War, many Jewish young men were drafted to the front, never to be heard from again. The aftermath of the war brought with it the problem of hundreds of agunos, women who had no idea and surely no sound evidence that their husbands had died, R"l.
Rabbeinu took upon himself with his koach haTorah to free about three hundred such widows. A while later, while resting at a health resort, R' Shimon met the great posek HaRav Shmuel Engel, zt"l. Rabbenu laid down the principle rulings in his psokim concerning giving the heter to agunos and R' Shmuel countered that in the poskim his heter is not readily understood. Their halachic argument continued well into the night.
The next morning, R' Shmuel came towards R' Shimon with a smile of agreement. He explained: "Last night a talmid of yours described to me how you had sat for days and nights, stretching into weeks and months, of learning the sugya concerning agunos, and through all the yegiah you came to your chidushim and conclusions.
"I am certain," finished R' Shmuel, "that after such toil in learning, your words cannot be easily refuted. Such a psak is surely correct."
***
His every action indicated the life of Torah, halochoh and middos that he led.
R' Shimon's talmid, the Ateres Moshe of Makova, related that once R' Shimon showed him seven ra'ayos to one question. However, upon committing it to paper the Makova noted that his rebbe had only written three proofs. He asked R' Shimon if perhaps the other ra'ayos were in some way lacking.
"I will reveal to you how I answer a teshuvoh in halochoh.
"First I am concerned about giving a feeling of inferiority to the rov who asked, in that a question to which he had no answer, I bring seven proofs.
"Second, I want to show the rov about replying to a matter of derabbonon. If I give seven ra'ayos they'll think for every derabbonon they need so many proofs. In truth, three are enough."
***
Rabbeinu was steadfast in his principles, his humility notwithstanding.
He would never speak about a person who was not in his presence at the time.
When Rabbi Shlomo Shapira was appointed rov of Munkacs, Rabbeinu traveled with his father, who was one of the roshei hakehillah, to welcome the new rov.
The rov, Reb Shlomo, entered the splendid carriage provided by the community and began conversing with the young man inside. Upon learning from R' Shimon that he was a talmid of the Maharam Shick, R' Shlomo begged him to relate a little of the greatness of his Rebbe.
In a low voice, the avreich R' Shimon, humbly replied, "I have never spoken about someone who was not present at the time."
So impressed was R' Shlomo that he rose to his full height there in the carriage in honor of Rabbeinu.
***
Rabbeinu would usually refrain from attending weddings and other simchos as his Rebbe, the Maharam Shick, had done. The latter would say that we'll never regret having learned another daf gemora.
On one occasion he attended the wedding of a close talmid. As was to be expected, all his talmidim, the city's distinguished people, rebbes and rabbonim from the surrounding area all gathered at the wedding, hoping to catch a glimpse of the godol and perhaps exchange a few words of Torah with him.
Upon his return home, R' Shimon told his talmidim that after having such a crowd coming just for him, he was afraid that now his pride would incline him to attend simchos. He therefore took upon himself then and there never to give up his learning time in order to attend a simcha.
***
On erev Shabbos Chanukah, R' Shimon reported an interesting phenomenon to a talmid of his.
"Lately, I've noticed something strange. Yesterday a wealthy Yid came to me and poured out his woes. He was on the verge of bankruptcy and was afraid that if he would publicize the fact, his debtors would immediately pounce on him. Without hesitating, I took the money that I had put together for the printing of my seforim and gave him the entire sum.
"Similarly, before Rosh Hashana, a poverty stricken man approached me with an urgent plea to save his family from starvation. Then too I gave all I had.
"I feel that from Heaven they are trying to give me the extra merit of tzedokoh, something I have been unable to do all my life. Perhaps they want me to come to Beis Din Shel Ma'aloh having fulfilled this mitzvah properly."
R' Shimon did not elaborate. But seven weeks later, on the 19th of Shevat, his words were recalled and understood, for on that day he passed on to the next world, having fulfilled the mitzvos properly.
The Maharshag — HaRav Shimon Greenfeld, zt"l