T. was born on 15 August 1893 in Amshinov (Mszczonów ), Poland. His grandfather was a lumber merchant and a badkhan. He used to write his own "things" and often played the fiddle. His father was a ritual slaughterer and cantor, with whom T. was a choir boy. He learned in cheders, with a rabbi and in a Beit HaMedrash.

Coming under the influence of Haskalah, T. traveled to Warsaw, where he worked for two years in a factory for golden chains. He entered into the Workers' Movement and often attended the Yiddish theatre.

Under the influence of the criticism against old theatre, T. became associated with a group of youths and they founded an amateur circle. What was staged was the repertoire of Hirshbein, Pinski, Asch and especially Gordin. T. later entered into a members troupe (Nozyk, Sholom Brin, Bertel-Libert, Shtrasfogel, Sandler et al.), who acted for a season in