A Chassid approached Rabbi Yechezkel of Kuzmir seeking advice on his parnassah. The Rebbe pushed him away, saying, "I don't occupy myself with the frivolities of this world."
Immediately after this Chassid was rebuffed, another Chassid entered the Rebbe's room and spoke to the Rebbe for a full two hours about his parnassah! The first Chassid returned to the Rebbe, and inquired why the Rebbe had refused to discuss his parnassah with him at all, yet subsequently had a lengthy discussion with his friend about the same subject.
The Rebbe answered, "I'll tell you a parable. A wagon driver entered a store which sold a variety of expensive merchandise, and requested to buy a little oil to grease the wheels of his wagon. The store owner began screaming, 'Get out of here, I don't sell wagon oil!'
The wagon driver retorted, 'Why did you just give wagon oil to the customer before me?'
The store owner explained, 'The customer before you bought a large quantity of expensive merchandise and I earned a hefty profit. As he needed some oil for his wagon, I gave him oil for his wagon. You, however, are requesting only oil, and therefore I'm informing you that I'm not a wagon oil merchant.'"
The Rebbe continued, "Your friend has asked my advice many times on the education of his children, organizing his time better to learn more Torah, and other issues of serving Hashem. Therefore, when he came now to ask about parnassah issues, I dedicated my time to discuss it with him because it's impossible to educate your children and to serve Hashem properly without parnassah. You, however, came only about parnassah, like wagon oil, and therefore, I told you that I'm not an oil merchant."
Reprinted from the Parshas Beshalach 5786 edition of Inspired by a Story by Rabbi Dovid Caro.
