Once, Reb Hillel of Paritch had a strong desire to travel from the town of Babroysk to Lubavitch—so that he could be by the Rebbe for Shabbosat.[1]
While it seemed virtually unmanageable to make the journey in the amount of time left until Shabbat, there was a young man that assured Reb Hillel that he could indeed make the trip—but that he had two stipulations: 1) Although Reb Hillel did not generally travel on the roads built by the evil Czar Nicholas, this time he should acquiesce. 2) W,hile on the road, Reb Hillel should refrain from lengthy prayers, as otherwise it would take up too much time that could have been spent traveling.
With no other choice, Reb Hillel agreed to these conditions and they commenced their journey. After a day of traveling, they reached an inn where they spent the night. The next morning, they arose to pray. The wagon driver prayed quickly and ate breakfast, but Reb Hillel had reneged on his deal and was deep in prayer.
When after a few hours the driver saw that Reb Hillel was still praying, he approached him with a complaint: “You yourself accepted the condition that you shorten your prayers. Why did you not fulfill this stipulation?”
Reb Hillel responded:
“Imagine a person who, on his way to the yearly fair in Leipzig, chances upon an individual who is selling the same merchandise at a comparable price. Surely, a person who refuses to purchase it, as he is on his way to the fair, is a fool.”
Reb Hillel concluded:
“The same is with me. The purpose of traveling to the Rebbe is so that my prayers can be enhanced. However, as I see that in the middle of the journey I am able to pray properly, I’d have to be a fool to leave here and travel to the ‘fair’.”
In the end, they arrived in Lubavitch before the commencement of Shabbat.
[1] Shemuot VeSippurim, Vol. 2 Pg. 57
