Siman 105

(2) From the day of his birth until he grew up and became bar mitzvah, until his entering the wedding canopy — all of it was in the holy community of Mezhbuzh. And it is already explained a little (in Shivchay HaRan) — less than a drop in the ocean — about his service of G‑d, that even in those days in his very childhood he was aroused to His service Blessed He etc. And his marriage was in Medvedivkeh, for there he was betrothed to the daughter of the renowned distinguished man in Torah and fear of Heaven, our teacher the Rav Rabbi Ephraim of blessed memory. His father-in-law was a very distinguished and well-connected man whose origin was in Zaslav. But afterwards things unfolded until he established his residence in the village of Ossyatin and in other villages belonging to the settlement of Medvedivkeh. And he maintained those villages and was well-regarded by name among all the renowned tzaddikim, all of whom lodged with him. His wife too — the mother-in-law of Rabbainu o.b.m. — was a very pious woman, and she merited to have Rabbainu o.b.m. as a son-in-law. And immediately on the day of the wedding, after he came out from under the wedding canopy, he was yearning and longing for Hashem Yisburach etc. And he immediately became attached to Rabbi Shimon the son of Rabbi Ber. And from then on he occupied himself with the service of G‑d in those aforementioned villages and labored and toiled in the service of G‑d with great effort and with messeeras nefesh (self-sacrifice) etc. And he would travel from there periodically to Mezhibuzh, and would return and travel again from there. And also his way was to speak at intervals with people about the service of G‑d, arousing them greatly and drawing their hearts to Hashem Yisburach with very intense longing. And as many days and years passed in which he fasted and labored greatly in the service of G‑d and in hisbodidus beyond measure — with trials without number — and he was still sitting in the aforementioned village at the table of his father-in-law. In the midst of this, certain people began to draw close to him somewhat, even while he was still sitting at his father-in-law's table in the aforementioned village. And all of this was in his actual days of youth, before he was twenty years old — for he was exceedingly diligent in his service, and had already begun in his very childhood as mentioned above.