The Rebbe’s father was Rabbi of the city and his house was a constant hub of activity, but the Rebbe usually did not allow this to disrupt his schedule. He stayed in his room, absorbed in the study of the Torah.

One of the few times that he became involved in public affairs was at the age of twenty, when a typhus epidemic caused many deaths in the city. He worked day and night to aid the victims and to recruit others to help.

As a result, he contracted the dreaded disease himself. His body burned with fever, and his lips moved incessantly. In his delirium, he spoke about the spiritual realms of Atzilus and Asiyah and the positive virtue generated in these spheres by Jewish devotion in the physical world.