Nefesh HaChayim, An Introduction by the Author's Son

And beyond his learning, greater still was his service to his teacher (his resting place is in Eden). During the long period that he waited upon him, he illuminated to him the paths of revealed Torah and the wondrous paths in the recondite—this [emphatic] being the “seeing your Teacher before you”[*]. And the sections of the Talmud were revealed to him and wisdom shined brightly for him. And to him it seemed as only a short time that he learned before him in reverence and awe/fear, with trembling and great physical effort. From the River Dinoor17After death, souls immerse in the River Dinoor—a river of fire—to purify themselves. Reb Itzele likens Rav Chayyim’s learning with the Vilna Gaon to drawing from that river of fire. he would draw and then take his leave. In that same way he taught and informed his children and students about the great oceans that stood before him. Reverence for his teacher was upon him as a wondrous awe/fear, as if he was standing before him in the heavens. And when he began discussions of halakha and recalled the name of his teacher, his entire body would tremble and his appearance would change dramatically as a result of the flashing fire in his heart/ minds when he would think about his ways of righteousness and piousness, and his purity of holiness. And he acquired the light of Torah because his powers were strong in the qualities by which Torah is acquired. And from Eliyahu’s mantle18Heb.: ah-deh-ret eliyahu—Referring to the prophet Eliyahu’s mantle which he cast upon Elisha when God selected him to be a prophet (M’lakhim Alef 19:19). he donned humility and awe/fear.