Before Rabbi Zusha and his brother Rabbi Elimelech were born, their parents were childless for 10 years. Both their parents descended from Torah scholars, but because they became orphans at a very early age, both remained unlearned, simple but G-d-fearing Jews. The father was a water-carrier. Although he could have become a merchant, he preferred to live by the toil of his own hands. At first he had some rich customers, but then he ecxchanged them with another water-carrier in order to be able to supply the local Synagogues with water. This meant a financial loss for him and he became poor. But as a reward for his good deed G-d blessed Reb Eliezer Lipa(e) and his wife, who always readily supported her husband, with two sons, later to become great Tzaddikim. At first the children were physi