Once, on the Tunisian island of Djerba, a terrible plague descended upon the community. One of the effects of this plague, aside from the suffering, was that food prices sharply increased.
One of the most respected members of the community was Rav Yehudani Kohein, zt”l, who was both a distinguished Talmid Chacham and a man of great wealth. Although Rav Yehudani had more than enough means for his family and many others to get through this trying period, he wanted to give money to those who needed it in a way that would not embarrass the ones receiving it.
He especially wanted to help the Talmidei Chachamim, as they had no savings to rely on. After a great deal of thought, Rav Yehudani finally came up with a plan. He went to visit Rav Mautak Chadad, zt”l, and he presented him with a sack of gold coins.
He said, “The plague is among us, and can anyone say who will live until tomorrow? Whose finances will remain intact? What will be if bandits show up? People in such a situation are essentially helpless. Therefore, I have decided to deposit small amounts of money with various trustworthy friends, so that I am ensured that at least some of my resources will be safe from robbers.
Please do me a Chesed and guard some of my fortune, but on one condition. I wouldn’t feel comfortable asking you to protect my money if you yourself needed money. Take whatever you need. You can return it at your leisure, or not at all. Perhaps your use of our money will be the act of Chesed that will save my family’s life! In any event, I appreciate the feeling of security very much, and I would be very grateful to you for your help.”
Once the plague was over, Rav Chadad met a number of Djerba’s other Talmidei Chachamim and asked them how they had survived the calamity. To everyone’s surprise, they all told the same story. Rav Yehudani’s “deposits” literally saved these Rabbanim and their large families from certain tragedy!