Nefesh HaChayim, An Introduction by the Author's Son

Additionally, among the ways of genuine humility are to genuinely despise and be repulsed by anything that has to do with the physical, to the point that they are considered as being nothingness and void, and not to experience any pleasure or attachment. And also to regard highly only God’s ways, so that their heart/minds would be open to Torah and service and holiness, so that they would rejoice only in God and so that they would prepare their heart/ minds to be a pleasant dwelling place for Him (blessed be His name), as is written (Yeshayahu 29:19): “The meek will increase their joy in God-YHV”H”, and per the verse that is often upon our lips when we stand in prayer saying: “And to those who curse me, may my soul-Neffesh be silent, and may my soul-Neffesh be like dust to all.” And further on: “Make my heart/mind receptive to your Torah and then my soul-Neffesh will pursue your commandments”. So too, anyone who knew my honored father the genius (OBM) can testify and tell of his great humility, that he would be offended rather than be offending, and was lowly in spirit before everyone. And regarding physical pleasures—he would be careful to absolutely minimize them, and he set about his ways without feeling pleasure. And even when old age arrived and he was afflicted with afflictions-of-love21Heb.: yee-soo-rei ah-ha-va in his property and his soul-Neffesh, he accepted them with joy and a jubilant expression, without expressing sighs (as our sages state [Berakhot 62a] about those who accept affictions in silence), and he was in a happy frame of mind all those years when he accepted afflictions. And that righteous man only regretted that he had to support his physical needs responding to his illness. And behind closed doors his eyes would drop tears (and my eyes witnessed this, not a stranger). And even though his heart/mind was pained over it, he happily accepted his affliction that allowed him to minimize his perception of physical pleasure, to the extent that he paid no mind to pleasure or wounds22Heb.: l’oh-neg v’lo l’neh-ga—Reb Itzele expresses these opposing physical states using two words spelled with the same three letters: ayin, nun and-gimmel..