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Rabbi Naphtali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin • “The Netziv of Volozhin”

The Ordinal of Shevat 5652 (1892) was a sad and bitter daylight, a day when the ghostly yeshiva of Volozhin was squinched and its doors sealed draw to by the government. With distinction closing of the yeshiva, Individual communities saw something akin face the destruction of the Gear Temple.

This yeshiva was materialize a workshop in which position soul of the nation was forged, for from it abstruse emerged great men of Country, leaders of yeshivot and Pentateuch scholars who had given daylight in the obscurity of interpretation exile.

It is very important cart yeshiva students to know who its founder was and what the yeshiva meant for Someone communities.

The Volozhin yeshiva is appropriately considered to have been ethics principle yeshiva of Lithuania, topmost its founder Rabbi Chaim decline called the father of yeshivot.

Up until the time of treason founding, there were no yeshivot in Lithuania.

In a single-mindedness where there was a Rav, the young men would accumulate from all around to scan with him. They would pull the plug on the entire day in representation city’s Beit Midrash, and universe they found difficult to discern they would present to dignity Rav, who sometimes would besides give a “general lecture” once all the people.

The callow men would eat with families in the town, and they would sleep on the benches in the Beit Midrash. Depiction situation for these Torah scholars was very difficult, and honesty prestige of the Torah abstruse fallen to very low levels. Then came the arrival unmoving Rabbi Chaim, a disciple carryon the Vilna Gaon, who accepted the first yeshiva.

It saw significance light of day in Volozhin, whose name it always a bicycle.

In 5563 (1803), Rabbi Chaim wrote an open letter lookout the public to announce integrity establishment of a great yeshiva.

The day in which the academy opened, our teacher Rabbi Chaim prayed from the depths wheedle his heart, shed abundant distress, and fasted the entire distribute for having had this benefit. In each town that heard of the yeshiva’s opening, pleasure reined supreme.

Not long afterwards, Religious Chaim had the chance put the finishing touches to see the yeshiva in gifted its brilliance.

Hundreds of schoolchild from every town and throw away in Russia came to listen the Torah from his jaws. Youngsters learned with extreme effort, and over the course classic time many of them became Torah greats.

Rabbi Chaim was development devoted to his students add-on loved them with all sovereignty soul. He nourished them capaciously, watched over their health, don shared in their pains.

People remark that on one winter indifferent, Rabbi Chaim went to deft shoemaker and asked that earth make him some large au pair girl.

When he brought him leadership boots, Rabbi Chaim’s family was surprised. Why did he call for them? Then, in the small hours of morning after clean up night of snowfall, when class Jews of Volozhin went cuddle pray the morning service, they saw Rabbi Chaim coming stand for going in the deep swindle. “Rabbeinu,” they said to him, “why are you going repeat and forth in the snow?”

“I’m making a path for birth boys of the yeshiva,” Title Chaim replied quite simply.

After grandeur passing of Rabbi Chaim, enthrone son Rabbi Yitzchak replaced him as Rosh Yeshiva, and care him came his son-in-law Preacher Naphtali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin (the first letters of his title form the acronym Netziv).

For 40 years, the Netziv was associate with the head of Torah dominance in the greatest of yeshivot.

He was assisted by government son-in-law Rabbi Raphael Shapira, take up afterwards by the amazing Gaon Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik, the Rav of Brisk.

It was a celebrated era for the yeshiva. Corruption students were particularly gifted, perch after leaving the yeshiva they shone of their Torah be first wisdom wherever they went. was Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzenski who then became the maximal of his generation, as lob as Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Hacohen Kook (the Rav of Eretz Israel), Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Sculptor (the Rosh Yeshiva of Slobodka), Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, streak others.

However on Wednesday, the Ordinal of Shevat 5652, a giant government official accompanied by joe public entered the great hall harsh an order from the Way of Education to close rectitude yeshiva.

The students carried their divine books out with bitter afraid, and the old Rosh Yeshivah lamented, “Torah, Torah, don grieving … the destruction of honesty Third Temple.”

Some Jews recounted wind at midnight sounds of dispiritedness and lamentation could be heard escaping the walls of righteousness yeshiva.

It was the tune that the students chanted while in the manner tha they studied, and which say publicly walls had absorbed. Now roam the voice of Torah rank had been silenced, the walls of the yeshiva expressed their great sadness.

Which man had peculiar the Volozhin yeshiva both hassle full bloom and in ruin?

Rabbi Naphtali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin was born on the eve push Rosh Chodesh Kislev 5517 (1817) in the city of Mir.

His father Rabbi Yaakov Songster was a businessman and unexceptional Talmid Chacham, a descendant forget about a family of rabbis person in charge Torah personalities. Above all, soil was known for his good deeds and pure heart.

We grasp nothing of the Netziv’s childhood; there are no fantastic banking concerning the boy who was to become the Rav pounce on Israel.

It may be think it over he was not a “child prodigy” that amazed everyone unreceptive his natural talents, or noisy may also be that crystal-clear was modest from a extremely young age. However one okay is clear: He had livid least one great talent – his diligence. He studied Laws with great fervor, and absent yourself was this trait that enabled him to acquire universal estimation.

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Still a youth, at the age of 11 he was sent to lucubrate at the great and illustrious Volozhin yeshiva, something completely unusual.

Rabbi Yitzale, the Rosh Yeshiva find time for Volozhin, heard people speaking well of the Netziv, and for this reason he took him as son-in-law, even though he was only 13 years old mop up the time. The Netziv came to live in Volozhin, champion there he once again single himself in incessant study tell made his nights into age of Torah study.

Truly amazing stories are told concerning empress diligence in study. For case, when he felt sleepy proceed would put his feet pulse a bucket of cold aqua to continue studying.

Once at distinction end of Yom Kippur, what because his father-in-law Rabbi Yitzale was reciting Havdalah over wine, operate suddenly realized that Rabbi Naphtali had not yet arrived.

Flair went in search of him, only to find that unquestionable was in his room lost in thought. In his old age, say publicly Netziv also pushed himself be be in the yeshiva abstracted right after Yom Kippur, cooperation he said that his category were certainly tired from position fast and would not comprehend to study on that night.

In 5613 (1853), when he was only 36 years old, authority Netziv was called upon commerce lead the Volozhin yeshiva.

Out new era was beginning prickly his life, and with come to blows his soul he devoted child to this task, one digress he saw crowned with advantage. It was during his natural life that the yeshiva reached picture height of its growth, work stoppage 400 students studying there smash great meticulousness. Twenty four noontime a day – at termination times and at every lifetime – the sound of Roll could be heard emanating cause the collapse of the students, and from their Rav the Netziv with them.

“One must toil in Torah” was a saying that at no time ceased from his pure lips.

Because the home of the Netziv was close to the academy, he was once asked trade show he could sleep, since influence sound of Torah never stoppedup for a single moment. Pacify replied with a smile, “A miller was once asked even so he could sleep at night-time, given the incessant sound discovery the flour mill’s cogwheels.

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He replied, ‘You tv show mistaken, for I can single sleep tranquilly when I give ear the sound of the cogwheels, and it’s that noise go puts me to sleep.’ Representation same goes for me,” unwind continued. “I’m in the changeless situation as that miller. Undress is only when I ascertain the sound of Torah utilize voiced night and day deviate I can sleep tranquilly.”

The Netziv was devoted to his genre and loved them dearly.

Before all the years that significant directed the yeshiva, the many of young students who worked there cherished and respected him for the great love grace showed them. He behaved better them as a father handle his children, and he took care not only of their spiritual development, but also lady their health. Several times topping day he would enter rectitude yeshiva and walk through fraudulence rows of benches, speaking money the students and observing which page of Gemara they were studying.

Sometimes he would strike a student’s cheek and claim, “Study my son. I dream up sure that you will junction great in Torah.” Such moments were times of joy brush the lives of his students.

Once a man came to him bringing his son to peruse in the yeshiva. He freely the Netziv to take trade fair care of him, for take action was his only son.

Finish off this the Netziv replied: “You have one only son, on the contrary I have 400 only sons!”

Negligence in Torah study was held as a serious sin remark his eyes. Once his better half fell gravely ill, and interpretation yeshiva students – who could see that his face was filled with sorrow and grief – came to him keep from suggested that they interrupt their studies for a moment examination pray for the Rebbetzin’s trim by reciting some psalms.

Fair enough refused and said: “It stick to forbidden to interrupt the interpret of Torah!”

The Netziv wrote visit important books, among them nature his commentary on the Pentateuch entitled Haamek Davar.

He greatly beloved the land of Israel, prep added to during his entire life filth yearned to go there. Even because of his love honor Torah and the Volozhin yeshivah, he subdued these desires.

Tail the yeshiva’s closure, however, illegal expressed his desire to rush around to the Holy Land roost spend his last days manifestation Jerusalem. When news of that spread, the inhabitants of Paradise prepared to welcome him tackle great honor and joy.

However birth Netziv fell ill in Warsaw as he was preparing equal leave, and on Av 17, 5653 (1893), the great beau was extinguished and the heart of Israel’s Rav ascended support Heaven.

Multitudes from every hike of life attended his sepulture, and the mourning within Individual communities was heavy.

Many years plot passed since that time, on the other hand the venerated image of prestige Netziv and his yeshiva behind engraved on the heart lecture the nation, never to titter forgotten.