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And I was not with him then — between Yom Kippur and Sukkos — when he revealed these matters. And immediately after Simchas Torah — which was on Tuesday — I came to him on Isru Chag — which was Wednesday, Parasha Bereishis. And I immediately heard from my companions the matters mentioned above, and wrote them in the book. And in the night that followed — which was the night belonging to Thursday — I brought before him zichrono livracha the writing of the Torah mentioned above, as was always my way to show him everything I wrote from his Torah. And he took the writing and looked it over and sat over it and examined it well. And I noticed in him some change — for he sat as though preoccupied with great pain. And his eyes were full of holy tears. And he revealed nothing at all of his pain — nor did he speak with me — only sat in silence as mentioned. Afterward on Leil Shabbas Kodesh — which was Parasha Bereishis — the local rabbi entered to him during the meal as was always his custom. Rabbainu zichrono livracha said witty words to him — for it was then raining, and the rabbi's house was not well roofed, and presumably the rain fell into his house as into a sukkah. And Rabbainu zichrono livracha said witty words that his house was like a sukkah, and so on. And afterward he said: "Because there is no master of the house" — that is: the rabbi does not look after things well as a master of the house should, and so on. Afterward he spoke with the assembled at the table in various conversations.

Afterward he answered and said: "With me you have nothing — for with other Tzadikim people feel now that it is Shabbas Bereishis. And with me — nothing is visible." I answered and said before him: "Now it is the Tzadikim's custom to say a connection of the beginning of the Torah with its end — that is, to connect Bereishis with l'eyney kol Yisroel." He answered and said — somewhat playfully: "I too will say something about this." And he immediately retreated — and said: "But I cannot." And then he again advanced and said: "Even so, I will say it." And again retreated: "But I cannot." And so he went back and forth several times — saying "I will say it" and then retreating again. Afterward he said: "Come what may — I will say it." And he immediately asked what we had been speaking of just now. I answered and told him some of the conversations we had spoken with him at that time. He answered and said: "That was not the conversation I intended." And he himself said: "Did we not just speak of the matter that there is no master of the house, and so on?" And immediately he sat in silence and became very inflamed. And he began to bring forth from his mouth coals of fire — for all his words were like coals of fire. And he answered and said the entire Torah on Bereishis — l'eyney kol Yisroel — as printed in Likutay Tinyanna §67. Study there. And there he spoke of the concealment of the glory — how the Tzaddik who is the glory and the beauty and the grace of the world — the master of the house of the world — becomes concealed. And he said the Torah with great awe as was his way. And his eyes were full of tears. And no one knew what was hinted in his Torah — concerning the passing of the Tzaddik mentioned above.

On Sunday after Shabbos we heard the news that the Tzaddik of Berdichev had passed away. And we were unwilling to believe it. Afterward that night — belonging to Monday — I brought before him zichrono livracha the Torah of Bereishis mentioned above, which I had already written on Sunday. And he looked it over and examined it well. And even then he sat astonished in his pain. And I understood that it was indeed a matter. And afterward he answered and said: "My Torah is very lofty — and it is entirely holy spirit. And one can know from it future events — all the more so when the thing has already occurred: certainly everything can be found in my Torah." And so on — as this conversation is explained elsewhere [Chayay Moharan §45]. Afterward on Monday the news was heard once more that the Tzaddik mentioned above had passed away. And I began to be confused in my mind — perhaps it was true. And I had great pain — for I knew that Rabbainu zichrono livracha would be very, very greatly pained by this — beyond measure. And in the midst of this I walked this way and that. And I recalled: was not the passing of the Tzaddik mentioned above already hinted in his holy Torah that he had revealed on Leil Shabbas Kodesh? For he had mentioned there the concealment and disappearance of the pride — and we already knew from him that the Tzaddik mentioned above was called by him the pride. And also that very night I had heard from his holy mouth that from his Torah one can know future events — all the more so what had already occurred. And immediately I strengthened my mind that the matter was true. And I walked and spoke with my companion Rabbi Naftali. And he immediately came forward and said: "Certainly his passing is explained in Rabbainu's Torah on that Leil Shabbas." And then we saw the wonders of Hashem — how his holy Torah encompasses everything that occurs in the world. And so we saw many times. But even so — all of us were careful not to reveal it verbally in explicit terms to Rabbainu zichrono livracha — even though we knew that he knew through his holy spirit. Even so, speech makes a different impression.

Afterward on Leil Shabbas Kodesh of Parasha Noach — and they had still not informed him of the passing of the Tzaddik mentioned above — he asked at that point: "What is the parasha this Shabbos?" We answered: Parasha Noach. He answered and said: "I will begin to say Torah every Shabbos." And he began and said: "Bereishis is a eulogy upon Noach" — who is the Tzaddik — and so on — as printed in the section mentioned above. And then tears flowed from his eyes. And all those standing over him shed tears — for all of them by then knew of the passing of the Tzaddik mentioned above. And afterward it continued for some more time — and they still had not informed him explicitly. Until he called one man and commanded him to tell him of the passing of the Tzaddik mentioned above. And he answered: "Did they not say that you still did not know of this? And all the members of the household warned me greatly not to reveal it to you." He answered and said: "And do I not know? Already they know of it in Eretz Yisroel." And he spoke at length then about the great bitter shattering of the world — that such a Tzaddik, holy and awesome — the pride of the generation — had passed away. May his merit protect us.

And afterward it became known to me that on that very night when I had brought before him the Torah about the day after Yom Kippur called the Name of Hashem — at that very time the Tzaddik mentioned above had passed away. For that Torah is connected and joined with the Torah of Bereishis that follows it — as is apparent to one who studies there. And then I saw and understood the wonders of Hashem — how everything is revealed before him and everything is explained in his Torah. And it is impossible to explain in writing everything that passed in this — and there are yet other things within it. For in truth the main part of the eulogy mentioned above — as said in the Torah of Bereishis — was said about himself. And so on. But all of this is impossible to explain in writing. At Motzai Shabbas of that Shabbas Parasha Noach mentioned above — he told before us the story of the Two Sons Who Were Exchanged [Sipuray Maasiyos, Story 11]. And at first he spoke from the verse of Psalm 82 — and so on — and said in connection with this that there are Palaces of Substitutions [heychalay hatemures] where souls are sometimes exchanged. And he said that such a thing had already occurred — that there was a king who had a maidservant in his house, and so on. And he told the entire story mentioned above of the Two Sons Who Were Exchanged.