When He was Ten
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The Yahrzeit of Reb Avraham Dovid of Butchach (“Aishel Avraham“) z‘l (1771-1840) is commemorated on the 29th of Tishrei. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)
The Ten Year Old
When he was ten, his [future] father-in-law sent for him and had him brought to his house during Sukkot, to woo him with tenderness.
While they were en route, the skies darkened with clouds and, it poured powerful rain-showers to the earth. And every person took his coat and, they covered their heads to make a shield and protection for themselves from torrential rain and hail stones that were streaming down to the ground. After the rain stopped, the man who was sent to bring the boy back removed his coat from his face.
Later, when they arrived at Tismanitz, the boy still had his coat over his head. The man saw this and was perplexed by it for behold, the boy’s eyes are closed! His lips are moving as in prayer!
And lo, the man is astonished and curious to know what word the boy is saying. So he inclines a listening ear to hear his words.
And behold: He is reciting by heart the book Chovot HaLevavot / “Duties of the Heart” as it had been etched onto the tablet of his memory.
(Generations of the Rabbi Avraham Dovid)