From: Rabbi Moshe Sofer
To: Rabbi Yosef
The Chasam Sofer rules that the wife's sale of her husband's synagogue seat was fully valid. The portion used to purchase a horse and wagon to travel to her husband was more than justified, fulfilling obligations of onah and piryah v'rivyah while preserving the principal. The payment to the melamed was likewise legitimate, and the sale would have been valid even if made solely to fund the son's Torah education, since hiring a teacher is a biblical obligation for which beis din may seize assets even in the father's absence.
Source: Shu"t Chasam Sofer EH II §157