The boy came from a very poor home and couldn't afford the minimum traveling expenses to get to Grodno.
There was a boy who had a burning desire to go and study in the Yeshiva of Grodno by the famous Rosh Hayeshiva Rabbi Shimon Shkop.
The boy bade farewell from his parents and started the journey by foot. For two weeks the boy walked until he reached Grodno. By the time he reached Grodno the boy was starving hungry and tired. He hadn't eaten a normal meal or slept in a bed for two weeks. The entry exam was given by the Rosh Hayeshiva on one page of Gemara. The boy had spent his whole journey reviewing the one page he needed to know for the exam.
The moment had come and he entered the Rosh Hayeshiva's study for his exam. The Rosh Hayeshiva asked him if he was ready for his exam and the boy nodded. The Rosh Hayeshiva gently asked the boy, "tell me, when was the last time you ate a normal hot dinner?" The boy looked at Reb Shimon and didn't understand what he wanted. Reb Shimon asked him a second time, "tell me, when was the last time you ate a normal hot dinner?" The boy looked puzzled and replied, "over two weeks ago." The Rosh Hayeshiva stood up and motioned for the boy to follow him. He took him to his house and prepared him a hot dinner.
After the boy finished eating the Rosh Hayeshiva asked him if he was ready for his exam. The boy nodded. "So tell me, when was the last time you slept on a proper bed?" Again the boy was puzzled and the Rosh Hayeshiva repeated his question. "Over two weeks." The Rosh Hayeshiva stood up again and took the boy to his room in the Yeshiva and gave him his own bed to sleep on.
After the boy woke up Reb Shimon said, "you have passed your entrance exam. A boy who has such a burning desire to learn Torah and traveled two weeks by foot to go to Yeshiva doesn't need any further exam." Shortly after, the Second World War broke out and the boy went through the concentration camps but the warmth of the Rosh Hayeshiva gave him the strength to withstand the most difficult times.
