Rav Shloimke of Zhvill zy”a related that after the petirah of his grandfather, the Magid of Zlotchov zy”a, his father, Rav Moshe of Zhvill zy”a, who was a very young man at the time, did not want to accept a position of authority. He didn’t want to be supported by others, so he opened a small store from which to make a living. However, since he was busy with his avodas Hashem, he didn’t pay much attention to the store, and many people took merchandise without paying. Eventually, he found himself in tremendous debt. He was forced to close the store, and he now had no source of livelihood and no money. He didn’t even have bread to put on the table.
One of his friends who felt bad for him advised him to travel to a certain place where his father was known and respected. He told him that the people there would definitely want to help the son of the Magid, and they would provide him with funds to get out of debt and get back on his feet. He agreed and the two of them went to that town together. His friend tried to tell everyone who he was, but no one seemed to care. Even their host didn’t pay any attention to him.
After a few days, Rav Moshe told his friend to go home and leave him there alone. His friend asked how he would manage on his own, and he said, “We have a rule that if one does hishtadlus but doesn’t see any blessing from his work, it is a sign that his emunah is faulty. When our efforts failed, I started to contemplate what I was lacking in the area of emunah. I realized that the problem is that I relied on people helping me in the merit of my father. I should have relies solely on Hashem and recognized that only He can provide for a person. Therefore, I ask you to leave and to stop trying to get people to assist me because they knew my father. I will stay here by myself and trust in Hashem to help me.”
And so it was. His friend went home and Rav Moshe remained alone. Suddenly, the residents of the city began knocking on his door to ask him to daven for them and give them brachos. They gave him enough pidyonos for him to be able to go home with a significant amount of money.
