Siman 122

(19.) In the year 5562 [1801/2] in the summer, before he left Zlatipoleye for Breslov, he was that summer in Berdichev with his father, the rabbinic pious veteran, the renowned Rabbi, our teacher Rabbi Simcha of blessed memory. And then, at the height of the controversy of the well-known elder, it was during the controversy that the elder said he would bring letters from all the renowned tzaddikim, that they all oppose him. And the opposite exactly came to pass. For letters arrived from all the renowned ones to Rabbainu the holy one o.b.m., and they all upheld his cause with very great love, and wrote bitter words to the aforementioned elder. Namely: the Rabbi the Gaon the pious Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berdichev, and the pious Rabbi Gedaliah of Linitz, and the holy Rabbi his uncle Rabbi Baruch of blessed memory, and the pious Rabbi Ze'ev of Tcharny-Ostrow, and the holy Rabbi our teacher Rabbi Avraham Kalisker from the Land of Israel, and his son-in-law Rabbi Leibush of Volchisk, and his son-in-law Rabbi Avraham Dov of Chmelnik — they all wrote letters with great honor and immense love to Rabbainu o.b.m., and greatly humiliated the aforementioned elder. But the aforementioned elder did not listen to them and persisted in his groundless controversy. And in that summer Rabbainu o.b.m. traveled to Berdichev, and there was a gathering of several great ones. For his son-in-law the Gaon of Volchisk arranged a wedding there in Berdichev for his son Moharash of blessed memory, and several great ones were assembled there — some of whom I know: the Gaon of Volchisk, his son the Gaon our teacher Rabbi Yosef Yosqa of blessed memory, the Av Beis Din of the holy congregation of Yass; and the pious Rabbi our teacher Rabbi Ze'ev of Tcharny-Ostrow; and the Gaon our teacher Rabbi Moshe of blessed memory, the Av Beis Din of the holy congregation of Krasneh, son of the holy Rabbi our teacher Rabbi Chaim of the holy congregation of Krasneh; and the pious Rabbi Yitzchok of blessed memory of Kasantin Hadash; and several other great ones. And they all gathered there to place in niduy [excommunication] and cherem [ban] the aforementioned elder for disgracing a true Torah scholar — namely Rabbainu the holy one o.b.m. And the matter was already decided among them with unanimous agreement and they wanted to do so — but one man in Berdichev disrupted the matter and went and spoke to the heart of the holy Gaon Av Beis Din of Berdichev, and said that it was not proper that this matter be done in his city. And because of this the matter was disrupted. And Rabbainu o.b.m. was then at the holy Rabbi the Av Beis Din of Berdichev, and he received him with very great honor, with great love and affection. For the Rabbi of Berdichev supported Rabbainu o.b.m. from beginning to end — but this matter of the cherem — he did not want to be done in his city, because of the people who spoke to his heart as mentioned. And because of this the matter was disrupted. And afterwards when Rabbainu o.b.m. came back from Berdichev, he traveled to Tultshin and there Rabbainu o.b.m. met with the people of Breslov and they received him to come here with the agreement of the holy Rabbi our teacher Rabbi Baruch of blessed memory, and he entered there in mid-Elul.