The rav had very little wood himself. However, he put on his coat and together they went to visit the home of the wealthiest person in town. Reaching the house, the rav knocked on the door.
“Who is here at this hour?” asked the wealthy man.
“It is the rav of the city,” answered the Rav Chaim.
The rich man immediately rushed downstairs and opened the door for the rav and invited him in.
However, the rav refused to come in. “I prefer staying out here to discuss my matter with you. Please come out immediately.”
The man walked out, clad in very meager clothes, and listened to the rav plead for the poor man. Within a few minutes, he began to turn blue from the cold and, with chattering teeth, said, “Why couldn’t you tell me this in my warm house?”
“I wanted you to have a taste of the cold,” answered Rav Chaim. “This way, you too can feel the intense cold and realize the suffering of this man and his wife, who are now residing in a bitterly cold house.”
The cobbler departed with an armful of firewood and with enough money to purchase additional wood to keep him and his family warm for a long time.
Gave Too Much Charity
The daughter of Rav Shmuel Mohliver was known for her great piety and knowledge. She gave a great amount of money to charity, often giving away the money she had to purchase food.
One day her husband complained to his father-in-law, “Your daughter is ruining me. She gives away so much money to charity that I am always in debt.”
Rav Shmuel promised to speak to his daughter. “Your husband complains that you give away too much of his money to the poor. While this is a noble deed, you are not permitted to go against your husband’s wishes and be so extreme.”
“Father,” she answered, “you know that there is a din in the Shulchan Aruch that if a wife is ill the husband is required to spend all of his money to heal her. There is no fixed amount to this spending. Now, when a poor person comes to me, my heart breaks from pity and I become ill watching this poor person suffer. I then take all of my money and give it to the poor person and thus I cure myself of this illness. Therefore, even according to the din, I am doing the right thing.”
The sage shook his head admiringly and said, “True, even the angels above would have no answer to this argument.”