He studied in yeshiva in Slutsk and Vilna until he was 17; during this time he was a day-boarder under the system of Teg-Essen, barely scraping by, and often hungry.
Studoval v ješivě ve Slutsku a ve Vilně do věku 17 let; během tohoto času byl stolovník v tradičním systému Teg-Essen a často hladověl.