Siman 139

(11.) Before he came to the Land of Israel he had great sufferings and very great obstacles — which it is impossible to explain or recount. And in Istanbul he threw himself into very extreme smallness — beyond all estimation. And he clothed himself in torn garments and walked barefoot and without an outer hat, and walked outside and conducted himself like one of the very lowest of the lowly, and similar such things — many matters of smallness and lowliness that he practiced there for some time. And he engaged in mock fighting with other men in the manner of youths who play with each other etc., and similar other matters of jest and smallness which it is impossible to explain or recount. Also it happened that two men from our surroundings were there in Istanbul — men who had previously been in the Land of Israel and were returning at the time when Rabbainu o.b.m. was there in Istanbul on his way to the Land of Israel. And they encountered him and did not recognize him. And he used his wisdom and appeared to them as if he were, G-d forbid, a man of deceit. And they heaped upon him all manner of humiliations for several consecutive days — and he accepted all the humiliations upon himself, and on the contrary devised means so that they would humiliate him. And Rabbainu o.b.m. said that had he not had this upon him — meaning the self-abasement he threw himself into of that great smallness, and those aforementioned humiliations — it would not have been possible for him to come to the Land of Israel because of the obstacles he had. For in every place he came to there was ipush [pestilence], G-d save us, and great wars in the world, and the French army was then in the surroundings of the Land of Israel. And the majority of the obstacles he had — it is impossible to recount. And he said that the Baal Shem Tov of blessed memory and the Gaon Rabbi Naftali of blessed memory could not come to the Land of Israel because of the obstacles they had. And he o.b.m. — upon him were all the obstacles that were upon them — and he passed beyond them all by virtue of...