וּבְעֵת שֶׁהָיָה יוֹשֵׁב בְּבֵית חוֹתְנוֹ, כְּשֶׁהָיָה חָפֵץ לְדַבֵּר עִם הַבַּעַל־שֵׁם־טוֹב ז"ל, דְּהַיְנוּ לֵילֵךְ עַל קִבְרוֹ וּלְבַקֵּשׁ מֵאִתּוֹ אֵיזֶה דְּבַר בַּקָּשָׁה, הָיָה רָגִיל לִנְסֹעַ לִקְהִלַּת סְמִילָא שֶׁהָיָה סָמוּךְ לְבֵית חוֹתְנוֹ. וְהָלַךְ עַל קֶבֶר הַצַּדִּיק הַמְפֻרְסָם מוֹרֵנוּ הָרַב יְשַׁעְיָה מִיַּאנוּב ז"ל, שֶׁהוּא מֻנָּח שָׁם. וְעָשָׂה אֶת הַצַּדִּיק הַנַּ"ל לְשָׁלִיחַ – שֶׁיֵּלֵךְ וְיוֹדִיעַ לְהַבַּעַל־שֵׁם־טוֹב ז"ל אֶת בַּקָּשָׁתוֹ מַה שֶּׁהָיָה צָרִיךְ אָז. When the Rebbe left Medzeboz and went to live with his father-in-law,27In Ossatin, where he lived between the ages of 13 and 18. See Tzaddik #2, #5; "His Wisdom" #117. there were still many occasions when he wanted to speak to the Baal Shem Tov. Since he could not actually visit his grave, he would go to the grave of the renowned Rabbi Yeshaya of Yanov28Rabbi Yeshaya was a leading disciple of the Baal Shem Tov and the one to whom the latter entrusted his ethical will, Tzava'at HaBaal Shem Tov. The traditional date ascribed to Rabbi Yeshaya’s passing is 22 Iyar 5534 (May 21, 1794), but this must be emended to an earlier date on the basis of what is written here. Rebbe Nachman left Ossatin around 1790. in the nearby city of Smela. He would ask the famed tzaddik to transmit his message to the Baal Shem Tov, telling him what he needed.29This practice was also carried out with great secrecy; see Avenehah Barzel, #14, p.25.