ויהי כאשר כילו לאכל את השבר (מקץ מג:ב)

Harav Reb Duvid’l of Skver zt״l would at times travel from place to place to obtain basic sustenance for his household. Because the tzaddikim of Chernobyl lived in great poverty and were frequently harassed by the Russian authorities, these journeys were done quietly and discreetly.

On one such occasion, Reb Duvid’l traveled to another town to spend Shabbos. During Shabbos, the police discovered his whereabouts and came searching for him in the Beis Medrash. Realizing the danger, one of the chassidim quickly removed Reb Duvid’l’s shtreimel, placed it on his own head, and led Reb Duvid’l out through a side entrance, allowing him to escape unnoticed.

Shaken by the incident, Reb Duvid’l later said that he had resolved to stop traveling altogether. However, when he later met Harav Reb Yosef Meir of Machnivka zt״l and shared his decision, Reb Yosef Meir replied:

“Yaakov Avinu was far greater and more ehrliche than we are, and even he said that he would not send Binyamin down to Mitzrayim. Yet when there was no bread in his home, he had no choice but to send him. So too with you—when there is no bread in the house, one has no choice but to travel.”