מד

On Leil Shabbas Kodesh — which was the second day of Shavuos — then he put on the shtreimel [Shabbos fur hat]. And then he began to show a somewhat pleasant face. And he sat at the table as was his custom. And after the completion of the meal — after Birchas HaMazon — he himself sang "Atah Niglaysa" and "Baruch Shimcha" in a wondrous and beautiful melody. And afterward he sat with a number of the men who had remained with him after Birchas HaMazon — he sat with them until daylight. And I was among them. And likewise at the morning meal he sat with us in joy, as was his custom on every Yom Tov. And all the people of the city sent drinks, and he distributed them to the assembled with joy. At Seudas Shelishis [the third Shabbos meal] he said a Torah teaching [Likutay Moharan §67], which begins with the verse: "And G-d built the rib."

At Motzai Shabbas Kodesh we sat with him until daylight. Blessed be Hashem who helped us also in this time of distress — for his first wife passed away on Erev Shavuos in the late afternoon. And yet we did not lose the Torah that we were meant to receive. And even in the midst of his great preoccupation — what passed over him then according to the greatness of the holiness of his awesome mind — even so, he sat with us three consecutive nights, awake through them all with us: the first night of Shavuos, Leil Shabbas Kodesh, and the night of Motzai Shabbas. For his way was wondrous and exalted — and in his wisdom and his wondrous holiness no thing could disturb or confuse him. For we understood then that his pain and preoccupation were tremendous and great — as we heard several words about this from his holy mouth at that time. And even so, the preoccupation and the pain did not prevent him from engaging in the rectification of our souls even then. And he displayed extraordinary kindness with us at that time too — as was his way always. On the first day after Shavuos, I wrote the Torah — with the help of Hashem Blessed be He — received leave, spoke with him at length, and traveled from there in peace and in joy.

Afterward I came to Nemirov. And I wished to enter my father's house — may his light shine — and his anger burned against me greatly for having been in Zaslov and for having cast aside the dignity of the rabbinate of the holy community of Mohilov, which my father-in-law zichrono livracha had wished to leave to me in his stead as mentioned above. And my father — may his light shine — did not wish to let me enter his house. And I had pain and suffering from this. And I spent Shabbos in my sister's house — zichronah livracha.