ולקחת סלת ואפית אתה שתים עשרה חלות (אמור כד:ה)

There is a story about the holy Rebbe of Karlin, Rabbi Aron Ztz”l, author of Beis Aharon, who was in great distress about the heavy burden that he carried, ensuring that his household – comprising of his family, students and guests who frequented the Rebbe’s court – were not going hungry.

The situation became unbearable when the outstanding bills for groceries and other household expenses grew to the hefty sum of 1,700 Rheinish (the prevalent currency at the time).  The Rebbe did not rest and sought ways to alleviate this debt but could not see any salvation on the horizon.  When Reb Chaim Meir, one of the wealthy Chassidim, arrived and learned of the Rebbe’s plight, he paid off the total amount.  The Rebbe thanked him profusely and asked his benefactor to pay a visit to the Rebbe’s son, and when he arrived there, he was given one of the Rebbe’s twelve Challahs as a gift.  When he returned home, he stored the cherished present in a safe place as an amulet.

Sometime later, when his daughter fell ill, and the doctors who were summoned to her bed gave up on her, Reb Chaim Meir remembered the Challah that he received during his visit to the holy Rebbe of Karlin.  He broke off a piece, crumbled it into tiny pieces, and added the crumbs to a spoonful of water.  When the mixture reached his daughter’s lips, he fed her by repeatedly pushing it into her mouth, drop after tiny drop.  Soon after, she asked for water, and it didn’t take long before she was completely healed.