M. was born on 27 February 191, in Tarnopol, Galicia, to simple, pious parents. His father was a wholesale glass dealer.

Until age eleven he learned in a cheder, later in a small Talmud with tsufus, and he had the opportunity -- privately -- to learn German and Polish. Often he used to "gorglen" himself, and he thought that he would become a prayer leader.

By the outbreak of the World War he wandered with his family, and after several months they came to Vienna. There B. learned further for about a year in a Beit HaMedrash.

In 1915 his father was taken into military service, and the fourteen-year-old B. had to become the income earner at home. He took up various trades, and he earned money. He caught himself at times in the Yiddish theatre in the play "Shalom bit".  Since then he became a frequent attendee of the theatre, a bky in the play, and was able to oysveynik from an entire role.

In 1917 B. traveled around in a dramatic club of the "Tsion" union, and he acted for the first time as "Aaron Shiper" in Dymov's "Shma Yisrael" under Jacob Mestel's direction. From there he participated in the weekly literary productions of Mestel and Itzhak Deutsch's professional productions.