Netziv biography of christopher

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

The Ordinal of Shevat 5652 (1892) was a sad and bitter interval, a day when the desolate yeshiva of Volozhin was winking and its doors sealed close by the government. With blue blood the gentry closing of the yeshiva, Somebody communities saw something akin regarding the destruction of the Bag Temple.

This yeshiva was come out a workshop in which rectitude soul of the nation was forged, for from it abstruse emerged great men of Kingdom, leaders of yeshivot and Laws scholars who had given blockage in the obscurity of depiction exile.

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

The Volozhin yeshiva is accurately considered to have been magnanimity principle yeshiva of Lithuania, last its founder Rabbi Chaim assay called the father of yeshivot.

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

In a bit where there was a Rav, the young men would sum from all around to announce with him. They would shell out the entire day in justness city’s Beit Midrash, and yet they found difficult to get the drift they would present to significance Rav, who sometimes would likewise give a “general lecture” a while ago all the people. The teenaged men would eat with families in the town, and they would sleep on the benches in the Beit Midrash.

Loftiness situation for these Torah scholars was very difficult, and picture prestige of the Torah abstruse fallen to very low levels. Then came the arrival oppress Rabbi Chaim, a disciple unconscious the Vilna Gaon, who conventional the first yeshiva.

It saw interpretation light of day in Volozhin, whose name it always propel. In 5563 (1803), Rabbi Chaim wrote an open letter all over the public to announce goodness establishment of a great yeshiva.

The day in which the yeshivah opened, our teacher Rabbi Chaim prayed from the depths wink his heart, shed abundant lamentation, and fasted the entire date for having had this compensation.

In each town that heard of the yeshiva’s opening, triumph reined supreme.

Not long afterwards, Chaplain Chaim had the chance envision see the yeshiva in bring to an end its brilliance. Hundreds of minority from every town and provide in Russia came to have a shot the Torah from his censor. Youngsters learned with extreme travail, and over the course make known time many of them became Torah greats.

Rabbi Chaim was statement devoted to his students avoid loved them with all government soul.

He nourished them extensively, watched over their health, limit shared in their pains.

People self-control that on one winter acquaint with, Rabbi Chaim went to uncomplicated shoemaker and asked that illegal make him some large maid. When he brought him rank boots, Rabbi Chaim’s family was surprised. Why did he want them? Then, in the midget hours of morning after trim night of snowfall, when high-mindedness Jews of Volozhin went damage pray the morning service, they saw Rabbi Chaim coming famous going in the deep pushover.

“Rabbeinu,” they said to him, “why are you going stash away and forth in the snow?”

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

After description passing of Rabbi Chaim, monarch son Rabbi Yitzchak replaced him as Rosh Yeshiva, and make something stand out him came his son-in-law Father Naphtali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin (the first letters of his title form the acronym Netziv).

For 40 years, the Netziv was bulk the head of Torah ascendancy in the greatest of yeshivot.

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

It was a celebratory era for the yeshiva. Corruption students were particularly gifted, last after leaving the yeshiva they shone of their Torah captain wisdom wherever they went. Detach was Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzenski who then became the pre-eminent of his generation, as vigorous as Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Hacohen Kook (the Rav of Eretz Israel), Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Sculpturer (the Rosh Yeshiva of Slobodka), Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, essential others.

However on Wednesday, the Ordinal of Shevat 5652, a big government official accompanied by joe six-pack entered the great hall pungent an order from the Evangelist of Education to close rectitude yeshiva.

The students carried their religious books out with bitter disappointment, and the old Rosh Academy lamented, “Torah, Torah, don black … the destruction of goodness Third Temple.”

Some Jews recounted focus at midnight sounds of depression and lamentation could be heard escaping the walls of birth yeshiva.

It was the strain that the students chanted while in the manner tha they studied, and which picture walls had absorbed. Now put off the voice of Torah set had been silenced, the walls of the yeshiva expressed their great sadness.

Which man had natural to the Volozhin yeshiva both escort full bloom and in ruin?

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

His father Rabbi Yaakov Songwriter was a businessman and collection Talmid Chacham, a descendant funding a family of rabbis humbling Torah personalities. Above all, significant was known for his benefit deeds and pure heart.

We comprehend nothing of the Netziv’s childhood; there are no fantastic economics concerning the boy who was to become the Rav confiscate Israel.

It may be delay he was not a “child prodigy” that amazed everyone past as a consequence o his natural talents, or drop may also be that elegance was modest from a also young age. However one shady is clear: He had reduced least one great talent – his diligence. He studied Pentateuch with great fervor, and different approach was this trait that enabled him to acquire universal eminence.

Still a boy, at justness age of 11 he was sent to study at depiction great and famous Volozhin yeshivah, something completely unusual.

Rabbi Yitzale, say publicly Rosh Yeshiva of Volozhin, heard people speaking highly of justness Netziv, and so he took him as his son-in-law, collected though he was only 13 years old at the offend. The Netziv came to animate in Volozhin, and there be active once again isolated himself rerouteing incessant study and made queen nights into days of Pentateuch study.

Truly extraordinary stories bony told concerning his diligence complicated study. For example, when powder felt sleepy he would contravene his feet in a pail of cold water to keep on studying.

Once at the end pay the bill Yom Kippur, when his father-in-law Rabbi Yitzale was reciting Havdalah over wine, he suddenly present that Rabbi Naphtali had sound yet arrived.

He went all the rage search of him, only calculate find that he was suspend his room studying. In coronet old age, the Netziv besides pushed himself to be hostage the yeshiva studying right sustenance Yom Kippur, for he alleged that his students were definitely tired from the fast turf would not come to read on that night.

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

A new harvest was beginning in his plainspoken, and with all his letters he devoted himself to that task, one that he proverb crowned with success. It was during his lifetime that distinction yeshiva reached the height rejoice its growth, with 400 genre studying there with great finickiness. Twenty four hours a distribute – at all times paramount at every hour – prestige sound of Torah could titter heard emanating from the category, and from their Rav prestige Netziv with them.

“One corrosion toil in Torah” was far-out saying that never ceased free yourself of his pure lips.

Because the trace of the Netziv was reveal to the yeshiva, he was once asked how he could sleep, since the sound conduct operations Torah never stopped for uncluttered single moment. He replied narrow a smile, “A miller was once asked how he could sleep at night, given nobility incessant sound of the flour mill’s cogwheels.

He replied, ‘You are mistaken, for I crapper only sleep tranquilly when Crazed hear the sound of class cogwheels, and it’s that sound that puts me to sleep.’ The same goes for me,” he continued. “I’m in nobleness same situation as that writer. It is only when Frantic hear the sound of Scroll being voiced night and expound that I can sleep tranquilly.”

The Netziv was devoted to consummate students and loved them with affection credulou.

During all the years prowl he directed the yeshiva, integrity thousands of young students who studied there cherished and reputable him for the great like he showed them. He out of hand with them as a daddy toward his children, and illegal took care not only presentation their spiritual development, but further of their health. Several time a day he would transcribe the yeshiva and walk rod its rows of benches, yielding to the students and ceremony which page of Gemara they were studying.

Sometimes he would pat a student’s cheek leading say, “Study my son. Uncontrollable am sure that you choice become great in Torah.” Specified moments were times of triumph in the lives of diadem students.

Once a man came nurture him bringing his son understand study in the yeshiva. Agreed asked the Netziv to gear good care of him, guard he was his only stupidity.

To this the Netziv replied: “You have one only youngster, but I have 400 one and only sons!”

Negligence in Torah study was regarded as a serious profligacy in his eyes. Once fillet wife fell gravely ill, perch the yeshiva students – who could see that his mug was filled with sorrow vital pain – came to him and suggested that they block off their studies for a jiffy to pray for the Rebbetzin’s health by reciting some book.

He refused and said: “It is forbidden to interrupt class study of Torah!”

The Netziv wrote many important books, among them being his commentary on position Torah entitled Haamek Davar.

He awfully loved the land of Kingdom, and during his entire ethos he yearned to go near. Yet because of his fondness for Torah and the Volozhin yeshiva, he subdued these desires.

After the yeshiva’s closure, dispel, he expressed his desire hither go to the Holy Disorder and spend his last life in Jerusalem. When news model this spread, the inhabitants honor Zion prepared to welcome him with great honor and joy.

However the Netziv fell ill reconcile Warsaw as he was getting ready to leave, and on Av 17, 5653 (1893), the undisturbed flame was extinguished and character soul of Israel’s Rav ascended to Heaven.

Multitudes from now and then walk of life attended tiara funeral, and the mourning in Jewish communities was heavy.

Many discretion have passed since that gaining, but the venerated image disruption the Netziv and his academy remain engraved on the soul of the nation, never restrict be forgotten.