It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbas said:
“The Prophet ﷺ was in need of food, and news of that reached 'Ali. He went out seeking work so that he could earn something to give to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He came to a garden belonging to a Jewish man, and he drew seventeen buckets of water for him, each bucket for a date. The Jew gave him the option to take seventeen of his 'Ajwah dates (a high quality of dates) and he brought them to the Prophet of Allah ﷺ.”

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الأَعْلَى الصَّنْعَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمُعْتَمِرُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ حَنَشٍ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ أَصَابَ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ ﷺ خَصَاصَةٌ فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ عَلِيًّا فَخَرَجَ يَلْتَمِسُ عَمَلاً يُصِيبُ فِيهِ شَيْئًا لِيُغِيثَ بِهِ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَتَى بُسْتَانًا لِرَجُلٍ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ فَاسْتَقَى لَهُ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ دَلْوًا كُلُّ دَلْوٍ بِتَمْرَةٍ فَخَيَّرَهُ الْيَهُودِيُّ مِنْ تَمْرِهِ سَبْعَ عَشَرَةَ عَجْوَةً فَجَاءَ بِهَا إِلَى نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ ﷺ .