R’ Moshe and his entourage spent the Yomim Noraim on board the ship. R’ Moshe had already bought a lulav, esrog and hadassim in Constantinople. However, he could not purchase aravos in advance as they would wilt and dry up before Sukkos, rendering them invalid in fulfilling the mitzvah of the four species.
Shortly after Rosh Hashanah, R’ Moshe asked the captain to stop at one of the nearby islands where aravos could be found. However, the way things looked, the captain was not planning to make another stop along the way before they would dock in Eretz Yisrael. To make matters worse, the ship was proceeding at a snail’s pace – or so it seemed to R’ Moshe.
His mind was focused on obtaining aravos to complete his four species. R’ Moshe decided to speak to the Greek captain and see what he could do. He explained the situation – in a few days would be Sukkos; could the captain speed up the pace of the ship so that they could arrive in Eretz Yisrael before Sukkos?
The captain empathized, but could not oblige. The ship was not in good condition, and he would be grateful if the trip would end without any mishaps. The captain estimated that they would arrive after Sukkos.
R’ Moshe looked very upset. He asked if there would be any more stops along the way. The captain confirmed that in two days’ time they would be passing quite close to the Greek island of Crete, but would not be stopping there.
R’ Moshe asked, “Would it be possible to dock the ship at one of the islands, just for a short while?”
The captain apologized, “I am very sorry. The route we are taking has been established for quite a long time. It is the shortest, easiest and least expensive way. Every little change involves huge expenses. Much as I would like to, I cannot fulfill your request.”
R’ Moshe became thoughtful, and then said, “If I will pay for all the expenses, will you do it?”
The captain said he might, but he warned that the cost might be prohibitive. R’ Moshe asked how much it would be. Adding up some figures, the captain came up with a figure of 8,500 rubles – an astronomical sum.
R’ Moshe did not even think twice. He pulled his purse out, counted out the sum, and handed it to the astonished captain. Indeed, the captain – who kept counting the money over and over, not quite believing what he was seeing – promised that on the day following the next, the ship would anchor for a few hours at one of the Greek isles.
R’ Moshe left the captain with a heartfelt prayer of gratitude, thanking Hashem for giving him the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of the four species in such a big way. As they came close to the island, the captain had two of his sailors row R’ Moshe out to the land, as it was impossible to anchor the ship. The captain, and all the passengers on the ship, wondered what on earth this holy but strange Jew would want on that island.
When they returned, with R’ Moshe triumphantly holding his aravos, the captain grilled the two sailors who had escorted R’ Moshe and asked them what he had done on the island. They told him that he went from tree to tree carefully inspecting the willows, as if his life depended on it. He chose what he needed, and then returned.
The captain could not make sense of it. He told R’ Moshe, “All you returned with were some willows. I thought you found a precious treasure on that island!”
R’ Moshe replied, “You are right. I did find a treasure there. A treasure so precious that all the money in the world cannot pay for it. See these willows? I would not give them away for anything in this world! They will enable me to fulfill the Will of the Almighty! A precious treasure, indeed!”
