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The Secret Societies “Nes Tziona” (“Netz”) and “Netsach Yisrael”

Translated by Jerrold Landau, based on an earlier translation by M. Porat z”l that was edited by Judy Feinsilver Montel

The Netzi'v was devoted heart and soul to the “Chovevei Zion” movement, albeit the Yeshiva was the soul of his life. Therefore, he demanded one thing only from his students: to be devoted entirely to Torah study and not to divert their thoughts to other ideas. In one of his letters to the Chovevei Zion Committee in Warsaw, he appologized for not being active in the work for “The holy organization for the settlement of the Land of Israel,” because all his time and energy was dedicated to the holy Yeshiva, of which he was the living spirit, and for which there was nobody else to bear its burden. If the Netzi'v, the Yeshiva's head, could not find any possibility to refer his attention to national activities, all the more so could he not agree that his students interrupt their studies, divert their attention from their efforts in the Yeshiva, and immerse themselves in work for Chibat Zion.

In any case, the national revival ideas penetrated through the Yeshiva walls and were implanted deeply in the students' hearts. The Volozhin Yeshiva became the center of the national movement among the Beis Midrash attendees, from where the idea of Chovevei Zion spread out into the important Torah centers of the Diaspora. A clandestine organization called Nes Tziona was founded in the Yeshiva. There was no other organization like it. The center of the organization was in Volozhin, and its emissaries spread out throughout the country. It conducted a great deal of publicity amongst Torah oriented Jewry for the upbuilding and revival of the Land.

A meeting was held by seven Yeshiva students in utmost discretion during the winter of 5645 [1885]: Moshe Barshak, Ben Zion Dante, Shimon Zlotoybke, Yakov Flakser, Menahem Fridman, Yosef Rozenkrantz and Yosef Rotshtayn. They laid the foundation of “Nes Tziona” [Banner of Zion] Society and pledged allegiance to its aims.

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Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel Levin Sitting (right to left): Menachem Fridland, Menachem Mendl Nahumovski, Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Epstein, Yaakov Mordechai Alperin Standing (right to left): Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Flakser, , Yaakov Mordechai Zingman, Chaim Lerman (The photo was received from the Russian Zionist Archives, founded by Aryeh Rafael-Tzenzifer)

During the first year of its existence, the society listed more than fifty members. More members were added from time to time. Everything was conducted in complete secrecy. The organization also grew beyond the bounds of the Yeshiva. Its founders set their goal to educate diligent, faithful workers who would prepare to be dedicated to the movement of the settlement of the Land of Israel throughout their lives, and to accept upon themselves the role of disseminating the idea of the revival of the nation and its return to Zion through all the broad pathways of the nation throughout its Diaspora.

The organization found a broad array of willing human resources among the Yeshiva students. Most were young, and their hearts were alert to everything good and effective taking place in the community and in the nation. In order to protect their organization from the “evil eye,” to secure its existence, to ensure the trustworthiness of its members and to strengthen the connection between them throughout all the days of their lives and to bring them in to the yoke of reality, the founders found no

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other way to ensure proper protection than imposing an oath upon every member as they entered Nes Tziona. The oath consisted of two ideas: faithfulness to the organization, and dedication to work throughout life; and maintaining the secret, so as not to disclose anything that was seen or heard within. The oath was as follows:

“In the name of our Holy Land and in the name of all that is dear and holy to me, I am swearing this oath of allegiance to be faithful to our Society's purposes and to make every effort throughout my life to accomplish the idea of settling the Land of Israel, and to refrain from disclosing anything to anyone until they too enter into the covenant with an oath.”

One of the first activities of the society was to disseminate literature in praise of the settlement of the Land of Israel. The society disseminated the book Doresh Tzion [Inquiring about Zion] by Rabbi Ch. Y. Kramer, published in 5645 [1885], as well as other books. Hamagid and Hameilitz were also distributed by the members. In the year 5649 (1889), members of the society took the initiative of publishing a large anthology on the idea of the settlement of the Land of Israel. The anthology was supposed to include sections from our literature throughout all the generations relevant to the idea of the settlement of the Land of Israel and the love of Zion, aside from sections from the ancient literature, from the Bible, the Mishna, Talmud, and Midrash. Those involved also wanted to include items from the new era starting with Rabbi Kalisher and ending with the rabbis of Chovevei Zion of their generation.

However, the publication of the anthology never took place, because the existence of the society became known to the authorities at the beginning of the year 5650 [1890]. That year, a letter from a member of the society to a student of the University of Dorpat [trans: an old name for Tartu, Estonia], regarding the society in Volozhin was intercepted by the authorities. The police searched the student of the Yeshiva who had sent the letter and found with him the copying machine that printed the flyers. The lad was arrested. This matter disturbed the Netzi'v greatly. He had not known about the existence of the society. They did not do anything against the heads of the society, but the result was the disbandment of the society.

In the winter months of 5651 [1891], a second secret society “Netzach Yisrael” (The Eternity of Israel) was created inside the Yeshiva. Chaim Nachman Bialik played an active role in it. Bialik writes in his “Autobiographical Note”:

“It happened during the publication days of Ahad Ha'am's first articles. The best and the “enlightened” Yeshiva students formed a society and vowed to dedicate their talents and their entire life to working for their people. The foundational idea of the society was indeed glorious. It was stated as follows: The Volozhin Yeshiva is the center of the best talents that will ultimately spread amongst the Jewish world, penetrate to its midst, and be absorbed into it, and become its leaders, as rabbis, doctors, and scholars, as well as administrators, communal heads, publicists and writers. Therefore, it would be sufficient for us to establish among the Volozhin students a permanent incubator for lovers of Zion. These would later turn the entire world into lovers of Zion, etc.

“The society was based on the cream of the crop of Yeshiva students, and of those with clear intellect. Every

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person accepted as a member was tested thoroughly from every side. Only those who were deemed to become a benefit to the cause in the future were chosen as members. I was considered as a future writer (that is how I was known) and this was the reason for my acceptance as a fellow in their company. I was one the first ones. At this very time, I wrote an article, as requested by my colleagues of the society. This was my first literary attempt. It was titled “The Idea of Settlement.” It was published in Hameilitz of that year. That article was intended as a manifest of our society to publish its outlook to the world.”^[38]

What aroused the enlightened students in the Yeshiva to found the society? There is a theory that the chief factor in this was the article of Ahad Ha'am “The Priests and the Nation.” In it, it is written that “Any new idea, whether religions, traditional, or social, will not stand and will not come to be unless there is a group of priests who will dedicate their lives to it, and work on it with their whole heart and whole personality.”

The purpose of the organization was: “The settlement of the Land of Israel with the purity of holiness.” The meaning of “purity of holiness” is not only the upkeep of the religion in its simple meaning, but also complete traditional renewal, rooted in all the praiseworthy traits of Judaism within the Hebrew nation. The settlement in the Land must be a national home in the traditional Jewish sense, to serve as a center for Jews and Judaism.

There were some twenty members who composed the Society. Despite their small number, they considered each activity as very important. They planned to establish a cooperative settlement for religious youth in the Land of Israel, which would be a showpiece not only of loving work but also of morality and religious ethics. An important letter remains from M. L. Lilienblum to Bialik and his friends, dated 3 Sivan 5651 [1891], in which he informs them that he received their letter: “May G-d, the L-rd of Zion, be with the mouths of the Jewish lads, and grant them grace and mercy before the philanthropist, to have mercy upon them and upon our Land.” He blessed the writer of the letter, Bialik, with: “With all my heart that his good intentions become actualized.”

The Yeshivah was closed in the winter of 5662 (1892). The students dispersed and that was the end of that society in Volozhin^[39].

Original Footnotes:

38. Ch. N. Bialik: “Autobiographical Notes” Knesset, Book VI, Tel Aviv, 5701 [1941], page 15. Return
39. A. Droyanov published in “Writings on the History of Chibat Zion and the settlement of the Land of Israel” Volume II, pp. 797-799, a letter from “A group of students of the Volozhin Yeshiva” to K. Z. Wissotzki from the year 5649 [1889] regarding designating a plot of land for the founding of an agricultural settlement in the Land of Israel for students of the Volozhin Yeshiva. The letter is as follows: “The national movement is continually spreading throughout our brethren the House of Israel. Great is the commandment of actualizing the settlement of our Land, for the time of its mercy has come. The bitter situation of our brethren and their bad lot in their lands of dispersion also breathed into our hearts the idea of making aliya to Zion, of working its land, eating of its fruits, and satiating ourselves with its goodness. Approximately 100 people have forged a covenant and formed a society for the founding, with G-d's help, of a settlement in our Holy Land, so we can be tenders of vineyards and farmers upon the mountains of Israel. It has been acquired for us from our brethren, men of valor, who went out as pioneers and made aliya to Rishon Letzion to till its mountains and smooth outs its valleys. Their hope for the future, with the vine plantation, is that it shall blossom and bear fruit.”
    Later, they request from Wissotzky that he “Purchase the necessary land for our desire, stating that they are prepared to provide 5,000 rubles as an advanced payment, so that he would perhaps agree to give over the land, and they would pay interest according to an agreement.”
    The signatories: Reuven the son of Rabbi Dov Yaakov HaKohen Gordon, Eliyahu Aharon Milikowsky, Menachem the son of Tzvi Krakowski, Yaakov the son Rabbi Baruch Yosef Blidstein, Shalom Eliezer the son of Rabbi Y. Rogozin (or Rogovin), Yeshayahu Bunimowitz, Aharon Yaakov Perlman, Efraim Zamonov (the grandson of the Netzi'v, the husband of the daughter of Rabbi Chaim Berlin), Moshe Chaim… Yitzchak Yaakov Perski. Return

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The Dispute Between the Netzi'v and Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik

Translated by Jerrold Landau based on an earlier translation by M. Porat z”l

A leadership of pairs, consisting of the Yeshiva head and his deputy, has always been in effect at the Etz Chaim Yeshiva. During the era of Rabbi Itsele, his son-in-law Rabbi Eliezer Yitzchak served as his deputy. After Rabbi Itsele's death, Rabbi Eliezer Yitzchak served as the Yeshiva head, and the Netzi'v was his deputy. The Netzi'v was appointed as Yeshiva head after the death of Rabbi Eliezer Yitzchak. Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, a great grandson of rabbi Chaim Volozhin through his daughter, was appointed as his deputy. It is written in the writ of rabbinate given to the Netzi'v: “And as his deputy, we have chosen to place the honor of the great, sharp, famous rabbi, Rabbi Yosef DovBer the son of Rabbi Yitzchak Zev HaLevi, a grandson of the Gaon, our teacher Rabbi Chaim, may the memory of the holy be blessed, to assist and support the aforementioned Yeshiva head by teaching halacha to the students – for he is good and effective in imparting his didactics [pilpul] to the students.”

These two Gaonim had different opinions as to the methods of Talmud learning. The Netziv's son, rabbi Meir Berlin, describes the methodology of the Netzi'v:

“The Volozhin Yeshiva introduced the method of study that can be traced to the Gaon of Vilna. Through this, the students of this Yeshiva differ from those who learned their Torah from other Yeshivas. This method of study is not based on sharp didactics, sectional expertise, or exactitude of wording. Rather, it penetrates into the Talmudic discussion and everything stemming from it. The aspiration for truth, efforts in preparation, and the will to understand the clear meaning – that is the learning methodology of the Rabbi of Israel (the Netzi'v) in his books, and that was the learning methodology of his Yeshiva and his students. The first approach is toward understanding and depth. To determine whether the understanding is correct, or whether the digging in depth is distorted, one must find support in the words of the great early sages, and especially from Talmudic sections that deal with the same concept in general, for there are cases where words of Torah are poor in one place, but rich in another place.”^[40]

The Netzi'v fundamentally rejected pilpul, stating that “Just as it is impossible to discharge one's obligation of a set meal through delicacies and sweets alone, even if they are good and proper when they follow a full meal with bread, fish, and meat – similarly, sharp pilpul is good if it comes as

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accessories and sweet treats,” after the set study of Talmud, decisors, and books of the early commentators, after the student reaches the level of complete, true acquisition of the fundamental treasures and virtues of the Torah.

In the eyes of the Netzi'v, Torah study alone was important. And the more a man increased his Torah knowledge the more his spiritual power would grow. The Netzi'v would explain the matter with a parable from life: A studier can be compared to a machine in a factory. As long as you add coals for fuel, it works with greater diligence and complete purpose, and produces proper products. This is not the case of a meager quantity of coals are provided. The machine will then function lazily, without the spirit of life, and the products it produces will be without form or glory.

Such is also the complete man who has acquired his Torah. The more Torah he acquires from Talmud, decisors, and the books of the early commentators – for all of these demonstrate the clear fundamental of every law and area of research, like coals in a machine – the more he will be able to research and answer every Torah matter that comes his way. He will find the sources and basis in his Torah that he has studied in breadth and depth.

For this reason, the Netzi'v did not look positively at those who elongated their prayers, for overly extended praying interferes with the study of Torah. Torah learning demands that the student be dedicated to it totally and at all times. Regarding this, the Netzi'v relates that during the times of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, a certain scholar studied in the Yeshiva, and took a great deal of his time from his studies to recite Psalms. Rabbi Chaim was pained that his student took away so many hours from the study of Torah, and he reproved him for this. His student told him: “Our rabbi, indeed, it says in the agada [Talmudic lore] that King David requested that everyone who occupies himself with the recitation of Psalms will be considered as if he is occupied with [the laws of] leprous legions and [impurity transmitted by] coverings.” Rabbi Chaim responded: “It is indeed true that he requested, but we do not know how the matter was answered to him.”

Rabbi Baruch Halevi Epstein describes the essence of the controversy between the Netzi'v and Rabbi Yosi Ber Soloveitchik in the following words:^[41]

“As opposed to the Netzi'v, the Gaon Rabbi Yosi Ber considered sharp pilpul to be a precious tool to forge the young students' intellects, to sharpen their logic, and thereby to excite the rivalry of wisdom and to make them enjoy the competition.

The two methodologies, or two regimens, at opposite sides gave rise to a chasm between the Yeshiva students. Some followed the opinion and regime of my uncle (the Netzi'v) and revered his methodology as a true and sure path in the ways of Torah, and others enjoyed the path of sharpness of Rabbi Yosi Ber.

At first, the chasm was mild and light, and was only hidden in the hearts of those sages, the mighty ones of their methodologies and paths. However, after the chasm broadened and entered the public domain of the Yeshiva students, it was no longer possible to confine the winds in the hearts of these youths, each of whom, with the heat of their souls and emotions, attempted to prove the superiority of their leanings, methodologies, and pathways that they had chosen

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Slowly but surely, the question turned into a dispute, and the logic became a conflict. Those close to each other grew apart; friends became ideological adversaries. It had become a storm of tribulations. Furthermore, as time passed, the dispute broke forth from the confines of the walls of the Yeshiva, and moved on to towns near and far from Volozhin. Several students and Torah giants began to take interest in the difference of opinion.”

To settle the controversy, four of the Torah greats of the generation were summoned to Volozhin: David Tevel, the head of the rabbinical court of Minsk, Rabbi Yosef from Slutsk, Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan from Kovno, and Rabbi Zev Landau the preacher from Vilna. They were joined by the wealthy Rabbi Yehoshua Levin of Minsk.^[42]

The following was their verdict from 4 Cheshvan, 5618 (1857):

“When we came together and gathered here in the holy community of Volozhin to investigate the issues of the great house in which Torah is nurtured for the masses by our rabbi and teacher, Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda, may his light shine, and our rabbi and teacher, Rabbi Yosef Dov, may his light shine – the following is what we the undersigned agreed and have recorded.

1. First of all, we decree that there should be peace between the rabbis, and that any Yeshiva student who impinges upon the honor of one of the aforementioned rabbis, and the matter becomes known, both of them must distance him or punish him as they see fit.
2. The accepting of students into the Yeshiva is dependent on the will of Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda, as it was until now. Only when a letter arrives specifically to Rabbi Yosef DovBer does he have the rights to accept him on his own.”

After the verdict, Rabbi Yosi Ber did not see a place for himself in the Yeshiva. He left it and accepted a rabbinical post in Slutsk. Rabbi Rafael Shapiro, a son-in-law of the Netzi'v, took his place. Despite this, the two great ones of the generation forged bonds of marriage between themselves. Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik, the son of Rabbi Yosi Ber, married the granddaughter of the Netzi'v, the daughter of Rabbi Rafael Shapira.^[43]

Original Footnotes:

40. Rabban Shel Yisrael, page 106. Return
41. Mekor Baruch, Section IV, chapter 37, “Between Holy and Holy” page 1694. Return
42. Rabbi Yaakov Halevi Lifschitz writes about the difference between the Netzi'v and Rabbi Yosi Ber, as well as the impression that the arrival of the delegation had on the Yeshiva students: “These holy Gaonim and Tzadikim were different from each other in the traits of their souls and their methodologies of study and delving into Torah, as well as their paths of life. Since they were different from each other, and could not agree on the methods of conducting the Yeshiva and methodologies of study, a dispute broke out regarding who was better in behavior.” (Toldot Yitzchak, chapter 16, Orach Latzadik, page 58). He writes about the delegation: “Regarding the controversy between the two Gaonim, heads of the Yeshiva of Volozhin, that caused a great breach among their students, a difference of opinion among the supporters of the holy Yeshiva throughout the country, a division in ideology – the great Gaonim of the generation called for an increase of peace among the scholars, who increase peace in the world, with advice of peace and truth, advice that they would deliver with their love of truth and peace. They would calm the opinions of the entire community. Are these not the chief Gaonim of that generation, Rabbi David Tevel of Minsk, the author of Responsa Beit David; Rabbi Yosef Behmer of Slutsk; the famous preacher of righteousness, our rabbi and teacher Rabbi Zeev, may the memory of the righteous be blessed, of Vilna; and Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan – to whom the Netzi'v of blessed memory traveled himself to visit in Novhorodok to request that he come to Volozhin to be counted among the elders of those Torah scholars in expressing his opinion, with holy awe and splendorous honor that no person can describe other than a person who has previously seen the honor of Torah in Israel. All the students of the Yeshiva with their variegated opinions, many of whom were wholesome in Torah and effectiveness, rejoiced and trembled. Some were sharp in wisdom and exacting in halacha, and later became luminaries among the Jewish people. All of them rejoiced and trembled upon the arrival of these great rabbis of Israel who had gathered together.” (Toldot Yitzchak, chapter 17, “In the Council of the Righteous,” pp. 61,62. Return
43. See my article in the chapter “Sages of Volozhin” regarding Rabbi Yosi Ber and his son Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik. Return

Translated by Jerrold Landau

In the year 5639 [1879], a very difficult event took place in the Yeshiva, which grieved the heart of the Netzi'v greatly. One of the Yeshiva students gave over a bad report regarding the Netzi'v to the Russian authorities. This slander shook the foundation of the Yeshiva, and its echo spread afar.

I'sh Yemin'i writes the following in Hameilitz^[44]:

“At noontime, many army men and captains in official uniforms and medals of excellence came to the quiet city of Volozhin. They set out for the sanctuary of Torah, and those who dwelled therein. Th army men surrounded the building, and the ministers (captains) entered. A deathly pall fell upon the faces of the shepherds and their flock. The captains searched all corners of the building, through all the crates and closets, through all the utensils. They confiscated anything they wanted. The took letters, and ledgers of income and expenditures from previous years, and placed them in a crate. They closed and locked it, and placed a government seal upon it, and sent it to the capital city. Only the money they did not take, although they checked the paper bank notes carefully to see if they were forged. When they finished their work, they interrogated the elderly Gaon: Why do you send emissaries to all ends of the earth to collect a great fortune? For what purpose is it designated? Is this done at the behest of the government? – and other such questions. After the interrogation, the minister took out a letter, turned to the rabbi, and asked him: “Do you recognize this signature? Is it your handwriting?” At first the rabbi answered him, ‘It is my signature and handwriting.’ But then he regretted his words and said, ‘It is not my handwriting. In truth it is similar.’ He did not understand everything that was written in the letter. All the responses of the rabbi were recorded in a notebook.”

The government emissaries left the Yeshiva and went to obtain testimony from the officials and Volozhin police chief regarding the activities of the Netzi'v. They responded unanimously that the Netzi'v is faithful to his country and king, and dedicates his days only to Torah. The went to summon the Netzi'v. They received him with great honor and showed him the letter again. The Netzi'v, who had somewhat calmed down from the search in the Yeshiva, looked again at the letter, and then realized to his great astonishment that the letter was forged. Some forger who had signed the letter with a forged signature of the Netzi'v, wrote

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a letter to Rabbi Yaakov Reinovich in London in the name of the Netzi'v, and sealed it with the stamp of the yeshiva. Apparently, the scoundrel knew that the Netzi'v maintained a correspondence with him regarding halachic questions and responsa. The contact of the letter was that the Netzi'v wrote that he had received a letter from Rabbi Reinovich along with 30,000 rubles, one third of which was given to the Yeshiva people, and a second third as a bribe to the judges and police of Volozhin so that they will remain silent, and the final third given to the ministers of the country so that they would avert their eyes from the deeds of the heads of the authorities in Volozhin. The letter further stated that the Netzi'v requested that Rabbi Reinovich send him forged bank notes. It also contained other similar falsehoods.

The Netzi'v came out clean in the judgement, for the investigators were convinced of his innocence. The Netzi'v suspected three Yeshiva students, one from Volozhin, one from Minsk, and one from Vilna, whom the Netzi'v had distanced from the Yeshiva.

The issue of the libel greatly stirred up Erez, the editor of Hameilitz. Among other things, he wrote the following in his article “The Rotating Sword”^{[45] [i]}:

“We have seen enough of this, that a Jewish person was so brazen as to forge a letter in the name of a great rabbi in Israel, elderly, and occupied with Torah, and to attribute to him slanderous words that stir up the heart, and could easily affect the refined soul of the rabbi, who holds back from issues of this world, and could, Heaven forbid, snuff out the wick of his life. The slanderer himself informed the ministers of the state to pay attention to that letter. No sufficient words exist to express all the feelings of our spirit regarding such a terrible travesty.”

Original Footnotes:

44. 3 Tammuz, 5639 (June 12, 1879). Return
45. Mekor Baruch, Section IV, chapter 37, “Between Holy and Holy” page 1694. Return

Translator's Footnote

1. Based on Genesis 3:24. Return

Translated by Jerrold Landau based on an earlier translation by M. Porat z”l

Rabbi Eliyahu Zalman, Rabbi Itsele's son, married off his daughter to Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel Levin, a grandson of the Maharsh'a (Our Teacher Rabbi Shmuel Eidels)^[45a]. Rabbi Itsele was very pleased with him. He would say “This grandson shall have an inheritance in the Yeshiva along with my sons-in-law.”

Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel was very pretentious. He used to say that since he was a descendent of the Maharsh'a, he deserved to become president of the Yeshiva. There was no peace between him and the Netzi'v and Rabbi Eliezer Yitzchak Fried. Things reached the point that Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel stopped visiting the Yeshiva, and set his regular place of worship in the Beis Midrash. Finally, he organized a minyan [prayer quorum] in his home. From then, he completely cut off his connection with the Yeshiva.

Word spread in Volozhin that Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel had started to give classes to those who came to worship at his house, and that the number of attendees continued to grow. Among them were students of the Yeshiva.

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Indeed, this was not a false rumor. Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel decided to forcefully remove the reins of leadership from the Netzi'v and Rabbi Eliezer Yitzchak, and to take the presidency for himself.

In order to attract students, he began to give Talmud classes in his home every morning. Between Mincha and Maariv, he would teach a chapter of Bible with the commentary of Mendelsohn.

Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel Levin

One night, a secret meeting took place in the home of Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel, with the participation of many of the Yeshiva students. At that meeting, Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel announced in public that the crown of Yeshiva head would come to him because he was a grandson of the Maharsh'a. On the spot, a detailed plan was hatched to began preparations for a transfer of the presidency of the Yeshiva.

The lads who participated in the meeting aroused a great tumult in the Yeshiva. This reached the point of an open revolt against the Netzi'v. The community of Volozhin was shaken up by this commotion, which placed the existence of the Yeshiva in danger. The communal heads called a meeting in the Beis Midrash in order to deliberate about what to do.

The matter reached the communal heads in Vilna and Minsk. Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel received a letter from Vilna, signed by several gabbaim, advising him, for his own good, to cease thinking about the presidency of the Yeshiva of Volozhin, for his glory would not come through that path.

One day, when those close to Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel gathered in his home for the shacharit service, they did not find him at home. He left Volozhin in haste, and set out in an unknown direction.

A legend spread through Volozhin that Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin appeared to Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel in a dream, and commanded him to leave the city quickly, for his actions were liable, Heaven forbid to destroy the Etz Chaim Yeshiva. Thus ended the revolt, which threatened to uproot the Yeshiva.

Original Footnote:

45. Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel Levin was born in Vilna on 18 Tammuz 5578 (1817) to his father Rabbi Eliyahu Zev. In the year 5631, he was appointed as the rabbi of the Warsaw suburb of Praga, where he served for one year. At the end of his life, he served as the rabbi of the great Beis Midrash of the Jews of Russia and Poland in Paris. He died there on 15 Cheshvan, 5644 [1884]. Books that he authored include: “Glosses on Midrash Rabba,” Aliyat Eliyahu (history of the Gr'a), Maayanei Yehoshua, Tziun Yehoshua, Tosafot Tzion, Pleitat Sofrim, and Dvar Beito. Return

Translated by Jerrold Landau based on an earlier translation by M. Porat z”l

On the eve of Shavuot, 5645 (1885), an event took place in the Yeshiva in which the Netzi'v was revealed as an exemplary moral-educational personality. During that period, the Yeshiva excelled with many prodigious students. However, the mashgichim [religious supervisors] began to look into them and to suspect that they were not fulfilling the commandment of public worship appropriately, and that many of them are failing to come for the Yeshiva for the Shacharit service. In order to suppress this “plague,” the Netzi'v nominated a special supervisor to serve as vice principal. His official role

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was to oversee the Yeshiva library, and to give the students the required Gemara volumes. Secretly, however, his job was to investigate the deeds and behavior of the Yeshiva students outside the walls of the Yeshiva. The Netzi'v gave this role to a certain zealot, who would bring the bad reports of the students to the Yeshiva head. The students hated this man with a strong hatred. They nurtured their enmity, and waited for the day when they would be able to take their revenge.

On the morning of that Shavuot eve, this spy informed that many of the Yeshiva students cut their peyos when they took their haircuts on the Shloshet Yemei Hagbalah^[i], when haircuts were permitted. The prayer service passed peacefully until the end of the Shmone Esrei prayer. However, at its conclusion, the Netzi'v began to circulate among the students, directing an angry stare at them. He withheld his anger, and did not touch any student during the time of prayer, les the head tefillin be displaced and fall due to the slap, leading to a desecration of the holy object.

At the conclusion of the services, the Netzi'v delivered his class on the weekly Torah portion, as was his custom. When he concluded his class and left the Yeshiva, he met along the way a prominent, well-known student, who was very diligent and consistent in his studies, and was also one of the wealthy ones. He was returning from his residence with a Gemara in his hands. He had bathed, and his peyos were completely cut off. He had not worshipped in the Yeshiva that day, and knew nothing at all of the “hunt” for peyos that the Netzi'v had conducted. When the Netzi'v saw him, he poured out all his concealed wrath at him, and even hit the student. The student was astonished and surprised, as he did not know what this was about. The Gemara fell to the ground, and he stood there beaten, and shocked from the great shame.

This deed caused a storm among all the Yeshiva students, who decided to take revenge for the embarrassment of their friend. When the students took their places and began to study, they began to bang the tabletops incessantly. This served as a sign for the beginning of the revolt. All the students sat in their places studying, while their hands rose and fell upon the shelves of the learning tables. In addition, all the windows were open wide. The wind came through, and the windowpanes shattered.

The vice principal entered during the revolt. His appearance was like fire to wood. The banging grew stronger. Four Yeshiva students rose from their places, approached him, and said, “Get out of here, you scoundrel and slanderer! From this day on, do not dare to cross the threshold of the Yeshiva, for your end will be bitter.” They did not suffice themselves with this warning. They lifted him with their arms, placed him on their shoulders, and forcibly removed him from the Yeshiva.

At noontime, the Netzi'v came to the Yeshiva, as usual, to deliver his lesson. However, the students did not extend honor to their rabbi, and the tumult grew even stronger. He banged his hand on the small table many times, but it was for naught, as nobody listened to him. The Netzi'v circled the hall numerous times and asked the students to calm down, but to no avail. Angry and bitter, the Netzi'v left the Yeshiva without completing his class.

The time for the Mincha service approached. All the students came to the Yeshiva dressed in festive garb. The Netzi'v

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arrived and the service began. They recited the silent Shmone Esrei as if nothing had happened. However, when the prayer leader reached the word kadosh in the kedusha, the students pronounced the sh sound for a long time, until it sounded like an uninterrupted sound: sh sh sh. Furthermore, many students tossed onions and potatoes into the women's gallery.

On every Sabbath and festival, when things functioned normally, the students would approach the Netzi'v one by one after the services to wish him “Gut Yom Tov, Rabbi.” However, when the service concluded that Shavuot eve, they did not move from their places, and stood as if mute. Silence pervaded in the Yeshiva hall.

When the Netzi'v saw all this, he decided to put the cure before the affliction, and began to shout out many times, one after another, “Gut Yom Tov, children!” However, the students stood silent, and did not return the greeting. The Netzi'v realized the extent of the stubbornness of the students, and the extent to which they were continuing with their revolt. He was afraid and perplexed lest this revolt lead to a neglect of Torah study on that Shavuot night, for on Shavuot, the Yeshiva students were accustomed to study all night. He sought a way to put an end to this terrible revolt, the likes of which had not taken place in the Yeshiva since the day of its founding.

He felt that this time, the students would not give in. A deep battle broke out in his heart, a battle between the love of Torah and his own conscience. This internal battle lasted several moments, until the love of Torah won out, and he submitted.

He banged his small table several times and said: “Wait, do not leave until you listen to my words!” He ascended the bima, and, with a frightened voice, began to deliver a lecture on the events of the day. The content of his lecture was that the students must also forgive the rabbi. He felt that he had erred. He begged forgiveness and pardon from the beaten student in the presence of the entire congregation. “Forgive my sin,” he called out at the end, “Even though it is grievous.” When he finished his words, the pillars of the Yeshiva shook from the voices of the students, calling out “Gut Yom Tov, Rabbi!”

Through this act of begging for forgiveness, the Netzi'v rose to a very great height as a great pedagogue, and a man of wonderful morality.

Translator's Footnote

1. Literally “three days of setting boundaries” – referring to the virtual boundaries set around Mount Sinai prior to the giving of the Torah, to prevent the people from ascending the mountain. This is a term for the three-day period of preparation prior to Shavuot. The time period is considered as festive in anticipation of Shavuot. Haircutting, forbidden during the Omer period, are permitted by all customs (customs vary as to the portion of the Omer period during which some mourning observances apply). Return

Translated by Jerrold Landau, based on an earlier translation by M. Porat z”l

In the last years of the Yeshiva's existence the Netzi'v felt his energy leaving him, and he was no longer able to deliver his class. Therefore, he decided to pass the mantle of Yeshiva leadership to his son, Rabbi Chaim Berlin. This decision aroused a great tumult in the Yeshiva, for the students claimed that the son's power was not like his father's.

This is how Abba Blusher described the uprising in his article “Bialik in Volozhin”^[46]

“That year (that is, the final year of the existence of the Yeshiva), was a year of tumult in the Yeshiva, due to the desire of the Netzi'v to install his oldest son into his position.

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“The Yeshiva students were opposed to this, for the power of the son was not like the power of the father. This internal battle was difficult and stubborn from both sides. The weapons of the Netzi'v in this battle were tears and pleas, and the weapons of the students were their voices and hands. The voice was the voice of Jacob, angry and shouting, going from one end of the world to the other. The hands were the hands of Jacob. They too threw arrows and catapulted stones from behind the fence, from where their owners could see but not be seen.

“The Netzi'v received anonymous letters every day and every hour. Most were written with coarse hands, full of words as hard as sinews against him, impinging on his honor in a coarse manner, like the frogs of Egypt. In this manner, letters reached the Netzi'v in his bedroom and upon his bed, at the Holy Ark, at his podium, in his tallis bag, between the pages of his books and in the pockets of his clothing. There was no place devoid of them. The Yeshiva students followed after the footsteps of the old man, watching every step, in a cruel manner that only the youth could do, causing him great suffering.

“The image of the Yeshiva diminished during this time of emergency. His daily regimen was affected, and his supervision was weakened. The serious students left the Yeshiva and moved to the small Beis Midrashes in the city or convened together in their rooms with their Gemaras. Prisoners of the war circulated around the markets and the roads. They went from home to home and occupied themselves with politics.

“The Zhitomerer (that is Bialik) was not among the fighters, and certainly not among the prisoners of war, even though he too agreed that the words emanating from the Netzi'v, to impose his will upon the Yeshiva against the will of the students, was an error. He was angry about the disgrace that the Yeshiva students were casting upon their dear rabbi. He castigated the tactics of battle that they utilized. Nevertheless, he gave his share to the battle in the Yeshiva. He sat and wrote an anonymous letter to the Netzi'v. A messenger placed it in the podium of the Netzi'v It was related in the Yeshiva that when the Netzi'v read this letter, which was written in fine style, with politeness and respect, he enjoyed it greatly. This letter remained on his table. He would boast to guests that came to visit him, saying, 'See how they write Hebrew in the Volozhin Yeshiva.'”

Chaim Nachman Bialik writes about the uprising in the Yeshiva in his poem “On the Night of Uproar,” in the following words:

Then, the Yeshiva turned to a den of wild ones The armies of G-d fought with an outpouring of wrath Hidden powers broke forth like a strong wind… A hundred hands released the chains Suppressed anger was set free They shattered windows, extinguished candles And overturned benches and tables.”

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Bialik himself did not interrupt his studies and did not participate in the battle. Rather, he continued to study with the light of the one candle that remained. The students were wreaking havoc and the Netzi'v protected them with his body:

“However, one candle remained in the corner Even the wind did not dare to extinguish it. It occupied a space of two cubits, protecting the Divine Presence And her precious sons – may G-d protect it. “That was the place of our relative, the lad, and regarding him Full of mercy and grace, like a father to his only child, Like an eagle to its nest, to its surviving chicks. The pillaged ones – thus did the rabbi show concern for his student.”;

With great faith, Bialik describes the great tragedy of the Netzi'v:

“Suddenly the old man rose up And raised his lean hand and touched the shoulder Of the thoughtful lad, and tears flowed like a stream They flowed between the silver threads… The shocked youngster turned his head The lad was shocked, and he turned his head. Ho, my teacher and rabbi! – Aha, my dear son And the boy's eyes rose up to his teachers eyes Like a child's to his father's. “Had you seen what they've done, oh lad…? They did not honor my age, they did not respect me… They swallowed my holy things, they violated my sanctuary For which I dedicated my life, my interest. But you – the eyes of the old man penetrated Stared at the lad and forever He will not forget the penetrating gaze of his teacher Penetrating to the soul of the pure lad.”[47]

Bialik reacted to the uprising of the large majority of the students with such reverence, forgiveness, and love.

Original Footnotes

46. Meoznaim, volume IV, booklet II (20). Tammuz 5695 (1935) Return
47. Chaim Nachman Bialik: “On the Night of Uproar” (A passage extracted from Hamatmid), Knesset, Dvir Publishing, Tel Aviv 5696 (1936), Book I, from Bialik's estate, pp. 4-8. Return

Translated by Jerrold Landau

The uprisings in the Yeshiva, particularly the one that broke out regarding the desire of the Yeshiva students to appoint Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik as the Yeshiva head and to reject Rabbi Chaim Berlin for that position, depressed the spirit of the Netzi'v, which was in any case in a poor state due to his illness.

This is how Menachem Mendel HaLevi Ish-Horowitz, a student of the Yeshiva, describes the Netzi'v during those days^[48]:

“And the Yeshiva head sat on a chair at the Eastern Wall, leaning his head and immersed in his thoughts. He was thinking various thoughts, worried about various concerns, and also hoping positive hopes. Everything that took place with him in his prime, the good as well as the bad, the toil and tribulations, was passing before him like sheep, event after event. What were the years of his live? Like twenty-five years. Immediately after his marriage, he studied Torah himself

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closed in a room in the “Ezrat Nashim” home, day and night without end. He never saw the day of light and knew no rest. This was his only rest and purpose. However, this made it possible to make a name for himself and to raise up many students – 20,000 or more. Was this not the entire life of his spirit and goal of his soul. He still remembers everything that happened to him in the home and outside: the hatred of his father-in-law's in-laws for him during his youth, when he was devoted to Torah study and did not turn to any worldly pleasures, and he was the source of half of their mockery. Then there were the tribulations of all the Yeshiva students, who surrounded him and circled him at all hours. Over and above all those, there were the edicts and decrees of the government, and the inquiries regarding the holy Yeshiva. This was over and above the yoke of many debts that surrounded his neck, and continually increased.

“With these thoughts, the cold deepened and saddened his heart. However, there was still a hope in the recesses of his heart, that his son would rule after him, and sit on his throne. Perhaps he would rectify the wrongs, even if the Yeshiva students do not accept the yoke of his awe and love. But, but… A few more days passed, several months passed… And he became elderly. His last day was perhaps approaching. Did he not accomplish a great deal during the years of his life. He pondered and pondered, and perhaps dozed off a bit. Without intention, he awoke and set his gaze upon the images of the Yeshiva building. It was already late, and the time for the Maariv service arrived. 'The wicked shall return to questioning' – he banged on the podium, all conversations stopped at the sound of Vehu Rachum^[i] emanating from the prayer leader.”

Original Footnote

48. Derech Etz Hachaim, pp. 103-104 Return

Translator's Footnote:

1. The opening words of the weekday Maariv service. Return

Translated by Jerrold Landau

The Yeshiva reached its pinnacle during the final years before its closing, both with respect to the number of students, as well as the level of talent of the students who studied there. Among the students who studied there were some of brilliant talents, who later appeared in Jewish life in Russia, and disseminated their Torah and wisdom, each one in his place of residence. These included: Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, the Illuy [genius] of Iwye, who later became famous as one of the great ones of his generation; Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, whom the Netzi'v loved very much, and called “My Avraham Itze”; Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Epstein, the Illuy of Baksht, who later served as the head of the Knesset Yisrael Yeshiva in Slobodka and later in Hebron; Zunia Mirer (that is what the Illuy of Mir was called in Volozhin), who studied in Volozhin for about seven years, was a friend of Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik, and later became known as the Gaon Isser Zalman Meltzer, the rabbi in Slutsk and later the head of a Yeshiva in Jerusalem and the author of novellae on the Ramba'm; Beril Kobriner, the Illuy of Kobrin, who later became known as the Gaon Rabbi Avraham Dov Ber Shapira, the final rabbi of Kovno; Rabbi Baruch Berl, who later became the head of Yeshivat Knesset Beit Yitzchak in Slobodka, and continued in the methodology of his rabbi, Rabbi Chaim, with great exactitude, and authored deep books. Shimon of Turitz, who was the famous Gaon Rabbi Shimon Shkop, one of the

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great Yeshiva heads in Telz; Menachem Krakovski from Volkovisk, who later served as a rabbi in Novogrudek, and a preacher in Vilna. He authored a book called Avodat Hamelech on Sefer Hamada of the Ramba'm, written in a scientific fashion, which was a great innovation in rabbinical literature; Baruch of Lomza, who served as a rabbi in Krynki. He authored the book Minchat Baruch and became known as one of the great ones of the generation; Rabbi Moshe David, the Illuy of Utian [Utena], who later became the son-in-law of the Rogochover Gaon; Rabbi Shlomo of Maytchet, who later became famous in all the Yeshivas as the Illuy of Maytchet. He was brought to Volozhin at the age of twelve, celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in the home of Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik, and delivered a lecture with sharp didactics [pilpul]; and finally – Chaim Nachman Bialik, the poet of the nation.

Translated by Jerrold Landau, based on an earlier translation by M. Porat z”l

External troubles were added to the internal problems and disorder within the Yeshiva. The Czarist government authorities continually increased the pressure upon the Yeshiva. From the beginning of its existence, the Yeshiva was like a thorn in the eyes of the Russian government. As long as the mighty spiritual fortress known as the Etz Chaim Yeshiva existed in Volozhin, religious reforms regarding the Jewish could not be actualized. Therefore, they sought pretexts to shut the Yeshiva down.

When Minister Makov was appointed as Interior Minister of the Russian Empire in the year 5639 (1879), reports about the Yeshiva were submitted to his office by informants. They claimed that the Yeshiva had existed for more than eighty years while the authorities knew nothing about its functioning. Therefore, there is room for suspicion that clandestine activities against the government take place there. Based on this, the Yeshiva should be closed, and its directors should be punished. However, Minister Makov related to the Yeshiva with appreciation and stated that since it has existed for approximately eighty years as a high-level house of study, and it was founded by a Gaon and a Tzadik, if is certainly not a place for conspiracies and intent to revolt against the government. Since no iniquity has been found with the Yeshiva for all those years, one must conclude that this house of study serves as a protection against revolutionaries. After an investigation and inquiry, the Yeshiva was certified to function under the supervision of the curatorium of the Vilna district.

However, the government was not content for long. The supervisor of the schools in the district came to the Yeshiva in the year 5647 (1887) along with Yehoshua Steinberg, the superintendent of the school for Jewish teachers, as a special emissary from the district minister. They conducted an exacting investigation. They remained in the Yeshiva for a week. First, they verified the validity of the students' documents, for a rumor had spread that youngsters who were evading army service had gathered in the Yeshiva. All the documents were found to be in order. Then they investigated the procedures of the Yeshiva and its students. There was no matter that they did not thoroughly investigate. They visited the student dormitories to see if they followed sanitation standards. They did not find any fault. When they interrogated the students, each one was asked where they were before they came to Volozhin, and what were they doing there. They especially examined their knowledge of the Russian language. After the investigations and interrogations, they listed

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the Yeshiva students on a sheet of paper to check if their numbers correspond to that which was registered in the Yeshiva ledgers. Everything was in good order.

They cordially took leave of the Netzi'v and left the Yeshiva. However, the Netzi'v was saddened in his heart. He suspected that great changes were liable to come to the Yeshiva in the wake of this visit, which would be enveloped in darkness. Indeed, that which he suspected indeed came.

Translated by Jerrold Landau, based on an earlier translation by M. Porat z”l

Mr. Delyanov, the Education Minister, confirmed for the Yeshiva a curriculum that the Netzi'v could not abide by. There were four sections in this decree, which spelled death for the Yeshiva.

1. Introducing secular studies every day from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon.
2. The school day should not exceed ten hours within a 24-hour period.
3. The learning should be interrupted in the evening and the building should be closed at night.
4. The Yeshiva head and all the teachers should be certified with diplomas.

The rule restricting the hours of study was the most difficult, for, as per Rabbi Chaim's spiritual heritage, if the study of Torah were to cease, Heaven forbid, even for one moment, the world would be destroyed. Therefore, this decree was in accordance with “if you cut off its head, will it not die?”^[ii]

Some members of the Jewish community supported the government program for the Yeshiva. Erez, the editor of Hameilitz, attempted to explain the benefits that would come to the Yeshiva by introducing secular studies. In his article “The Supernal Yeshiva”^[49], he writes the following:

“The main role of the Yeshiva is to instruct the students to swim in the sea of Talmud and halachic decisors, to sharpen their minds with sharp didactics [pilpul]. However, if until this generation, every Jewish man knew how to understand the vast majority of Torah even without knowing anything about world events – times and concepts have changed, and we see how great is the honor of those rabbis who have succeeded in acquiring broad knowledge. Such rabbis have a strong power to attract all factions toward them.”

Erez recommended that the Netzi'v educate his students “To speak and write properly in the vernacular, and to understand it fluently, as well as to master arithmetic, and to learn the annals of the nations of the world, and especially the history of their homeland, the structure of the world in general, and especially of their native land, as well as other such vital knowledge, without which a person may stumble, especially a rabbi amongst our people.”

The Netziv's response to Erez was that this is the way of Torah, that its toil and purpose are fulfilled

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only by those who devote their entire mind to it. It is impossible for a person to become great in Torah when he is occupied with other matters. All Torah giants who are also wise in secular studies are only those who occupied themselves with secular studies prior to immersing their minds in Torah, or after they already became great in Torah. However, when combined, it is impossible to attain the purpose of studies. Indeed, secular knowledge is worthwhile, but Volozhin was only created for Torah study.

The response, published in Hameilitz in 5645 ^[50], is written as follows:

“Even though his opinion differs from ours regarding how to reach the heights, I am not embarrassed to inform his honor and righteousness that he must learn that we understand the preciousness of the holy Talmud more than he does, and we know that just as pure secularity causes impurity to holy objects through contact^[iii], likewise do secular studies, even though they have no trace of impurity or forbiddenness, disrupt the holiness of the Talmud and its successful [study] when they are blended under a single inn.”

Nevertheless, the Netzi'v had no choice, and he was forced to institute the study of the Russian language. The question arose: Who would be the teacher? Certified teachers were required, and there were only three such people in Volozhin: two Jews who had completed their studies at the Seminary for Jewish Teachers in Vilna and served as teachers in Volozhin at the school for Jewish children, and one Christian teacher. The Christian teacher was at a significantly lower level of qualification than the Jewish teachers, but the Netzi'v was specifically worried about the Jewish teachers, lest their influence penetrate to the Yeshiva students. The influence of such people, who were public violators of the Sabbath, was not desired in the Yeshiva. They brought in a certified teacher from Minsk, a G-d fearing Jew. However, for various reasons, he did not teach for very long. He had to choose one of the local teachers, a Jew or a gentile. Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik opposed a Jewish teacher, and they selected a Christian teacher.

Like all the Christian teachers in small towns who were involved with the children of the farmers, he was quite limited. His education was minimal, and his pedagogic talents quite lacking. He did not succeed in his job, and the students avoided his classes. The Netzi'v, who knew very well the meaning of such avoidance, pleaded

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with tears before the students to continue their studies, for the entire existence of the Yeshiva was dependent on this. However, they did not heed him.

Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik was among the great opponents of the institution secular education in the Yeshiva. His opinion was that if it is impossible to maintain the Yeshiva as it was supposed to be, it would be best if it were to be closed.

Rabbi Yosi Dov said, “It is not for us to worry about the concerns of the Holy One Blessed Be He and to set up Yeshivas for Him. If we can maintain Yeshivas in accordance with the traditions we have from our ancestors, we are required to maintain them. Otherwise, we have no responsibility. Let the Give of the Torah come and concern Himself with the existence of the Torah.” ^[51]

Original Footnotes:

49. Hameilitz, issue 36, 19 Tevet 5651 (December 9, 1880), and Hameilitz, issue 9, 28 Shvat 5645 (February 1, 1885). Return
50. Hameilitz, 28 Shvat 5645. Issue 9, page 139.
    Rabbi Kook brings a different version. He writes: “The Gaon the Netzi'v indeed demanded faithful erudition, and desired the honor of Torah, that a rabbi who is the pastor to the flock of G-d should be a man of generous traits, with manners, and worldly knowledge at a level necessary for the conditions of life. He should also know the vernacular language. If he opposed setting times for secular study, it was because he was afraid that the students would make their education primary and their Torah secondary. In any case, he made a great enactment, and asked the students who had already internalized the knowledge of Torah, and have become immersed in it, to set certain times for the secular studies in a special room, and under the tutelage of expert teachers. (The head of the Ets Chaim Yeshiva, Knesset Yisrael, 5648 [1868], page 142). Return
51. Rabbi Moshe Meir Yishai: “The Chofetz Chaim” volume I, page 334, published by Netzach, Tel Aviv, 5718 [1958]. Dr. Shlomo Mandelkorn recommended that the “Society of Disseminators of Haskalah” found a secular school alongside the Yeshiva. The following are his words: “Everyone knows that the Yeshiva of Volozhin is virtually the only one certified and confirmed by the government. From way back, it has disseminated Torah and the knowledge of Talmud and halachic decisors, etc., which are 'the life of Judaism and the guardian of Israel amongst the nations.' The only thing missing is secular studies, which are necessary for every person as a human being, and especially or a rabbi, who must be the mouthpiece of the community and fulfil the duties of the deeds imposed upon him by the government. Therefore, would it not be good if the society of “Disseminating Haskalah in Israel” found a school for such studies adjacent to the Yeshiva for the Yeshiva students, who will only spare a small amount of time to easily acquire the necessary knowledge, small in essence and quantity, from expert teachers.

    “My heart is certain and sure that my recommendation will be actualized, to rectify a lacuna in the rabbinate, and to fill what is lacking in the community by the good connection between the Yeshiva under the supervision of the rabbi and Gaon, mighty in Torah, and a school under the supervision of the 'Society of Disseminators of Haskalah'.” (“The Have Been Drawn Near,” Literary Treasury, 5648 [1888], pp 41-43.) Return

Translator's Footnotes:

1. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Delyanov Return
2. A Talmudic and halachic principle indicating that the consequence of an action or a situation is certain rather than doubtful. Return
3. Based on the complex laws of Tumah and Tahara (ritual purity and impurity). Return

Translated by Jerrold Landau, based on an earlier translation by M. Porat z”l

“It was an ordinary winter morning. Little Volozhin woke up from its sleep that day, a chilly day in Shvat, and saw its stormy landscape covered in white. Deep snow covered its hills and slopes, and the wooden roofs of the rickety houses. Even the nearby pine forest was wrapped in a white blanket. The grey skies were low, almost touching the roof of the Yeshiva building that rose proudly over the hilltop, the pride of the scholars. The well-known local swamps were frozen beneath it. Sleighs full of passengers arrived from Molodechna, the railroad station several parasangs from the city, travelling at a high speed. The residents were going to and coming back from the synagogue. Shops were opening. Sleighs of the farmers appeared at the marketplace. Jews seeking a livelihood were scrutinizing the products, incidentally examining the straw, rubbing their hands that were blue from cold, and bargaining over the purchases. They haggled with the gentiles. After a brief time, they went home with a chicken, a sack of grain, etc.

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Rabbis and new Yeshiva students were loitering around Yosi Zelig's inn. Their gaze was still directed only to the legend of the wonderful Yeshiva. There were also householders from all around Russia who had come to see the great tent of Torah.”

This is how Shee'n^[52] describes the day of the closure of the Yeshiva. On that day at the beginning of the month of Shvat, 5652 (1892), all the Yeshiva students sat down after breakfast, and occupied themselves with Torah as usual. Suddenly the district governor, the mayor of the city, and policemen entered the Yeshiva. Behind them, a long row of farmers, and villagers remained outside. The emissaries of the government entered. As they entered, one of them told the students to be quiet and stop their studies. When everything grew silent, one official read aloud the edict of the authorities, stating that the Yeshiva was closed. The edict contained three commands: the closure of the Yeshiva, the deportation of the students from the city, and the deportation of the three Yeshiva heads from three districts of the region. The Yeshiva was closed. The building will be sealed. The students were required to come to receive their documents. They were all required to leave Volozhin within three days.

The Netzi'v, who did not understand Russian, asked for the meaning of this. When he heard the translation, he remained seated at his seat as if he fainted. The Yeshiva students removed from the Yeshiva everything that was possible to salvage. The building was evacuated, and the destruction was actualized in full force. The matter became known to all the Jews of Volozhin, and all of them, from young to old, hurried to the Yeshiva building and removed the Torah scrolls. The men banged their hands, and the women wept aloud. The children ran about as orphans, and heard only the words of eulogy, “The destruction of the Third Temple!” Everyone felt that the greatest place of Torah for more than eighty years, was to be destroyed, and there was nobody to save it.^[53].

After the officials determined that there was nobody left in the Yeshiva, they locked the doors, and sealed the entrance gate with a large seal imprinted with the insignia of the government. It stated that anyone who breaks the seal was liable to a severe punishment. With this, the closing ceremony ended. The grief was very great and deep. The large congregation that gathered around the Yeshiva did not have the spirit to leave the place. The Netzi'v sat on his chair, with his tears choking his throat, and words were caught in his mouth.

The closure of the Yeshiva made a frightful impression not only upon those who were immersed in Torah, the Rabbis and scholars of Judaism, but also upon every Jew. Everyone understood that the destruction of the Yeshiva of Volozhin was a national disaster – a loss for all of Jewry, for anyone who had studied in the Yeshiva, even for a brief time, became a lifetime partner in the weaving of the golden chain of Judaism.

Original Footnotes:

52. “When the Gates Were Locked,” Hatzofeh, 8 Shvat, 5702 [1942]. Return
53. The idea that the Yeshiva disbanded from the inside, in accordance with “Thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth from thee” [Trans: Translation from Mechon Mamre, Isaiah, 49:17. https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1049.htm ], was proposed by the writer Meir Rivkin in his article in Hamashkim, “The Volozhin Yeshiva During its Final Years” Woschod, 1895.Return

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Midnight mourning beside the Yeshiva

Yeshiva men, depressed and humiliated, left town to return home in little groups. Peasant horse-harnessed carts gathered from the entire region to convey those expelled to the railroad station. Bitter frost reigned outdoors. A wild blizzard covered the entire world with snow.

The Minha-afternoon prayer was carried out for the first time in another place, not in the Yeshiva. The Rabbi stood in his corner. He prayed his way clearly pronouncing every word as threading pearls. Arriving at “Blessed be He” he could not restrain himself. Looking through the windows he saw the abandoned Yeshiva seeming in his eyes the dead body of his people. Hanaziv interrupted the praying, and raising both arms he recovered and justified the judgement: “God is righteous in all his ways and charitable in his deeds”.

But Hanaziv was not calmed; he did not cease to mourn the holy institution. On this winter day; Volozhin was wrapped in heavy snow. The Yeshiva windows which had spread light for ninety years stood dark and projected fear. The local inhabitants did not approach the “dead sanctuary”, they were afraid to profane its holiness. Only Hanaziv was permitted to stay some weeks in Volozhin. One morning, threads in the snow on the passage to the Yeshiva were discovered. Late in the night, when the market place was deserted and nobody would leave his warm nest the Rabbi used to sneak out to stand near the locked door and there read midnight mourning prayers. Snow tempest, heavy frost, authorities' prohibition nothing could prevent the old man from standing before the building which became his second soul and to cry.

“Alas for the children of Israel, expelled from their living place and wandering over seven roads”.

The old Rabbi could not depart from his nest, which he had cultivated for forty years. His footsteps were also on the way to “Beys Harav” tents where Reb Chaim was interred. Here he used to prostrate himself on the Prodigious tomb in his trouble and sorrow.

Hanaziv left Volozhin after the Yeshiva closure. He went through Pinsk to Warsaw. He had planned to go and to end his life in Jerusalem. But he was too old and sick for the Journey. In addition he had many debts to pay. On August 1893 a telegram arrived in Volozhin. Ms. Batya Mirl Hanaziv's wife asked the Kehila to say Psalms and to ask the God Almighty for her husbands health, because he was very ill. Volozhin inhabitants assembled in the Beys Hamidrash to fulfill the Rebetsin's demand. The Psalms were said crying with great intensity.

On August 29, 1893 it was announced in Warsaw that Hanaziv, Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin who was for thirty eight years Head of the famous Volozhin Yeshiva died at seven in the morning one and a half years after the institution was closed.

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The Yeshiva was closed for approximately three years. The Jews of Volozhin, and the Jews of Russia in general, did not make peace even for one moment with the decree of closure. Rabbi Chaim Hillel Fried^[59], the son of Rabbi Eliezer Yitzchak, was especially active. Several people of action and special individuals in Vilna and Minsk interceded through many avenues to soften the harshness of the decree, and to reopen the doors of the Yeshiva once again. Even Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan of Kovno, who was seriously ill, entered the thicket. On Monday, 3 Adar 5656 [1896], one of his friends, a great and famous rabbi, came to consult with him regarding opening the Yeshiva. Even though the rabbi felt very weak, he girded himself due to the preciousness and holiness of this matter, and wrote a letter to his acquaintances in Peterburg.

Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the son of the Netzi'v, who went to Amsterdam to collect money to cover the debts that were upon the Yeshiva and his father, wrote to Erez, the editor of Hameilitz. Among other things, he wrote the following^[60]:

“Regarding the matter of the doors of the holy sanctuary that were closed, our hope strengthens us, the strong hope in the merit of the holy Torah, that G-d will help us through the rabbis, the Gaonim of the generation, may G-d protect and save them, and the gates will once gain raise their heads, and the everlasting doors will be raised^[i], and a great, wise rabbi who knows the language of the state will go there, and the ministers of the government, may its glory be raised, shall give permission. Then the crown of Torah will be restored to what it was, under conditions that will also be acceptable to the government ministers. The good G-d will conclude it for good on our behalf, in the merit of our holy father and grandfather, the holy Gaon, our Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, may the memory of the righteous be a blessing, will stand for it, that it will be rebuilt upon its ruins, for renown and praise, forever, Selah.”

The news about the reopening of the Yeshiva aroused precious memories, memories of holiness and spiritual loftiness in the hearts of its students. One of its students describes this well^[60a]:

“I hereby close my eyes, and voices emanate from the mouths of the studiers awaken

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within me memories from the past, precious memories, memories of Volozhin. Those days were days of spiritual pleasure in the full sense of the term. The love of Torah and the love of Zion joined together in the heart of our elderly rabbi (the Netzi'v), and his spirit was imbued upon the best of the students, who also bore Nes Tziona [literally: the banner of Zion]. How pleasant were the hours of study in the Yeshiva after hours of discussion at a meeting that warmed the heart, after hours of study that sharpened the mind. At time, life was wholesome, a life of development of emotions and intellect. The heart, the mind, the hopes, and the imaginations – how did the grow, how high they were raised! We studied with enthusiasm, and we debated with excitement. Life hummed along, bustled, and flowed around us in the marketplaces, but we lived a completely different life. Our head was in Babylonia, and our heart in Zion. That was the reality of Volozhin. Volozhin, how pleasant you were to me, and how great are my longings for you!”

The intercessors succeeded in having the decree revoked, and received a semi-official permit to open the Yeshiva. As a foundation for the reopening of the Yeshiva as a Beis Midrash of a Talmudic kibbutz [gathering], the institute functioned in the form of a Kolel [institute of high Talmudic study] for young men, named for Brodsky, which was founded already during the 1800s as a special branch of the Yeshiva of Volozhin. Through all sorts of memos and intercessions, the Russian authorities agreed that the decree of closure of the Yeshiva from the year 5652 [1892] did not apply to the “Avreichei Brodsky” group,^[ii] ten in number, for this group was not subsumed officially under the Yeshiva. Rather, it was funded by a private individual, a wealthy Jew from Kyiv. At this opportunity, a second group of young men, consisting of thirty individuals were sent to Volozhin, under the auspices of Tomchei Torah [Supporters of Torah] of Minsk, which was headed by Rabbi Avraham Gershon Brenner. In order to more firmly root this renewed Talmudic kernel in Volozhin, these two groups of young men, among the known Torah greats, assisted greatly in raising the profile of Volozhin.

Word spread very quickly through Poland and Lithuania that the Yeshiva of Volozhin has reopened. The Yeshiva was once again bustling through a large stream of new lads, most of them from the Yeshiva of Telz, and the minority from Slobodka. Their numbers reached twenty. Regarding the character of these students, “Yehudi” writes in his article “Hosts of Torah”: “It is said that the students of the Yeshiva are primarily Zionists.”

The day of the opening of the Yeshiva was a day of unusual festivity and joy, which encompassed all the Jews of Volozhin, from young to old. This joy is described in the words of Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Shapira in the following words:

Yisrael Brodsky

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“Today, the day that the Yeshiva has opened, was a day of great festivity for all the residents of the town. Young and old women from all strata hastened to come to the Yeshiva with jugs full of water and sponges in their hands to clean and scrub the floor and the windows, which were covered in dust. All the windows were opened to ventilate the building, which was full of mildew and stifling air. The Yeshiva was full of visitors throughout the day, one leaving as another arrived. Everyone wanted to see with their own eyes whether the Yeshiva was left in its complete state, and whether the internal appearance had been damaged after having been closed for three years.”^[61]

The question of a Yeshiva head arose several weeks after the opening. At the time of its closing, they turned to the Mashgiach [spiritual overseer], Rabbi Shlomo David Dinkin, whom the Netzi'v recommended on the day of his departure from Volozhin. Nevertheless, they hesitated to appoint him as Yeshiva head, for the seat of the rabbinate in Volozhin was considered prestigious, and the householders of Volozhin desired one of the Torah greats who would be fitting to fill the role of the previous Gaonim.

Finally, the appropriate candidate for this position appeared. This was Rabbi Meir Noach Levin, the rabbi of Moscow. In those days, he had been deported from Moscow along with the general expulsion decreed upon the Jews of that city. Since he remained without a rabbinic position, his brother-in-law, Rabbi Chaim Hillel Fried, recommended that he be accepted as the rabbi in Volozhin. His recommendation received general agreement, but the tenure of Rabbi Meir Noach Levin only lasted for three years. In the year 5658 [1898], he left Volozhin for Vilna.

Rabbi Meir-Noach HaLevi Levin

Rabbi Rafael was not a new face in the Yeshiva. He had become a son-in-law of the Netzi'v at the age of fifteen. When he was supported at the table of the Netzi'v, he continued his work in Torah, and assisted his father-in-law in several places in his work Haemek Sheela and the She'iltot of Rabbi Achai Gaon. In the introduction in Kidmat Haemek, the Netzi'v mentions this son-in-law among those who assisted him in his work, stating “He sits with me in a group. His power is fine in Torah,

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and his opinion is clear to deliberate in halacha and clarify it. He also added several glosses with a great deal of research.”

Rabbi Rafael gave classes in the Yeshiva from the year 5625 (1865) until 5650 (1880) alongside his father-in-law the Netzi'v. He became known in the world as an expert in delivering classes. Aside from that, his appointment formed a continuation of the dynasty of Beit Harav [The rabbinical family] in Volozhin.

From the time that Rabbi Rafael left Volozhin until his return about twenty years later, he occupied the rabbinical seat in two cities: first in Novoaleksandrovsk, and later in Bobruisk, where he arrived in the year 5646 [1886]. He served as the rabbi of Bobruisk for thirteen years, and merited the love of everybody. Even the Hassidim loved him. The day of his departure was a day of mourning for the Jews of Bobruisk. Many of them shed tears, for the departure of their beloved rabbi was difficult for them.

The character of the Yeshiva during the era of Rabbi Rafael Shapira remained as it was formerly. When requests came to him at times for various changes and innovations in the Yeshiva, he would respond: “Just as I received from my fathers, so it is my will to give over to the next generation.” He regarded himself only as the guardian of a pledge. However, with all the conservatism that pervaded in the Yeshiva during the period of Rabbi Rafael, the Yeshiva students were very different from the students of other Yeshivot. Their horizons were not as restricted. They were familiar with what was going on in communal life, and they took proper interest in all current events.

During the period of Rabbi Rafael, the Yeshiva was disturbed by the attempt to institute the mussar methodology^[iii]. One of the mussar greats came to Volozhin, sought to settle there, and to institute the mussar methodology in the Yeshiva. The Yeshiva leadership acceded to the request. However, when the students heard this, they immediately gathered in the Yeshiva library and decided to send this man away and save the Yeshiva from the mussar methodology. They presented their decision to Rabbi Rafael Shapira. When rabbi Rafael saw the bitterness and stormy spirits of the Yeshiva students, he acceded to their demand and dismissed the man from Volozhin. Thus, the spirits were calmed, and the students returned to their studies.^[62]

The image of Rabbi Rafael was portrayed by one of his students in a few, meager lines. This survey also illustrates the image of the Yeshiva during that period.

“He would worship in the Yeshiva with a loud voice and enthusiasm ever day, morning and evening. He would elongate his prayers, especially the recital of the Shema, which he would recite with special enthusiasm. He pronounced every syllable separately “Shema Yis Ra El” all the way through to the end. All of the lads, even those who were late in their prayers, had already concluded the recitation, whereas he had still not reached Vehaya Im Shamoa^[iv]. The voice of the elderly rabbi, standing near the Holy Ark, echoed in the complete silence that pervaded in the Yeshiva hall at that time. His entire body was trembling, he was breathing through his nose, and splicing syllable after

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syllable: “Uke – tav – tam… veli – madi – tem… leda – ber bam.” All the worshippers stood with holy feelings, aspiring to learn the ways of awe from him. Even his prayer alone was a form of declaration: Yes, there is a Yeshiva head in the Yeshiva of Volozhin, and everyone feels his presence. Rabbi Rafael bore the burden of the Yeshiva on his shoulders even from a material standpoint, and even during his old age. On several occasions during the winter, he would dress himself in his long, broad, winter furs, direct his heart heavenward, and travel to cities near and far to influence the Jewish communities to send their support to the Yeshiva. His efforts bore fruit. He was known as a Gaon and Tzadik.”^[63]

Rabbi Rafael Shapira was a continuation of the dynasty of great Yeshiva heads of the Ets Chaim Yeshiva of Volozhin. His knowledge was wondrous in its extent and precision. He was diligent in his Torah study all his life, and his mouth never stopped learning. He would never even go for a stroll outside his house lest it cause a neglect of Torah. Once they urged him to go for a short stroll, since such is healthy for the body. However, since he was concerned about a neglect of Torah, he responded with the wise retort: “What is the benefit in this? For someone who goes out for a stroll eventually comes back to his house…”

Rabbi Rafael adopted a methodology of studies that was called “in accordance with its theme” [leshitato] – that is, a connection between various halachot and opinions of a specific Mishnaic or Talmudic sage, to prove that all those halachot and opinions are based on a common foundation, relate to each other, and have an internal connection to each other.

Since Rabbi Rafael was a great expert, he would demonstrate that the novellae of the most important authors were already published in the books of sages of old. He would show that a certain matter was written in a certain book, and that a certain novel idea was already written in other books. He would speak at length of the need to conceive of novel Torah ideas that had not yet been revealed in the world of Torah.

Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Shapiro was involved in describing the value and image of the Yeshiva during the period of Rabbi Rafael Shapiro. Among other things, he wrote:

“During the period of Rabbi Rafael Shapira, the Yeshiva was lacking the glory and splendor of previous years. Even the number of students was smaller. It was missing the two great luminaries: The Netzi'v and Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik. The seders on Passover eves, which brought great light to the Yeshiva, were also not renewed. However, after all this, many lads and young men, great in Torah, gathered under the banner of Rabbi Rafael. These included Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman and Rabbi Y. L. Zlotnik (Avida). Volozhin always had some form of attractive force, secret and hidden from all eyes, concealed and hidden

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within the walls of the Yeshiva. The Spirit of the Gr'ch [Gaon Rabbi Chaim], may the memory of the righteous be blessed, the founder of the Yeshiva, always hovered over it, and graced it with a special grace, which was not absent from it until the final day.”^[64]

A handwritten note, sealed with the seal of Rafael the son of the Gaon Rabbi Leib Shapiro of blessed memory, who toils in the work of the Torah in Volozhin

A letter of ordination in the handwriting of Rabbi Rafael Shapira, given to Rabbi Nachum Avraham Golobnochich, a student of the Yeshiva: “with this, the Rabbi and Gaon, sharp and expert, fully and even more so, Mr. Nachum Avraham the son of our teacher Natan Yitzchak of the local holy community, whom I recognize to toil in the labor of Torah, fulfilling the word of G-d in Gemara and halachic decisors, delving deeply into halacha, with a sharp intellect, behaving properly with G-d and his fellow. We hereby place our hands upon him, that he can teach and judge. With the help of the Blessed G-d, he will teach and judge appropriately. A city that chooses him will be satisfied with him, and G-d will be with him. I sign, Monday, 11 Kislev, 5661 [1900], here in the holy community of Volozhin. Signed Rafael Shapira.”

Rabbi Rafael's study room was illuminated for most of the night, as he sat and studied, delving into

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the Torah or writing his novellae. He produced many Torah novellae, which he organized in writing during the time he lived in Volozhin. These Torah novellae were on sections of both the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds, the early and later sages, on all sections of the Code of Jewish Law, and even on novel ideas in agada [lore] and Midrashim of our sages. His book Torat Rafael, which was published by his two sons Rabbi Aryeh and Rabbi Yisrael Isser Shapira, in the year 5703 [1943] (in Jerusalem). He was one of the effective writers of Talmudic literature in the latter era.

The major events that took place in the second decade of the 20^th century uprooted Rabbi Rafael from Volozhin. The Yeshiva was closed. The First World War also affected Volozhin, just as it affected the other Yeshivas of Poland and Lithuania. Many lads left Volozhin. Only a small group gathered around the Yeshiva head, Rabbi Rafael Shapira.

Volozhin became a very important strategic point when the front approached, and the city was flooded with the Russian army. The army expropriated many houses in the city, including the residence of Rabbi Rafael Shapira, which was the largest of all. The central military command stationed itself there. The army related politely to Rabbi Rafael, and left two large rooms for him and his family.

It is told that when Rabbi Rafael once stood up for the Shmone Esrei prayer, a bomb fell upon a nearby house. The explosion caused a panic in the city, and everyone was astonished when they found out that Rabbi Rafael was so immersed in his prayers that he did not hear this bomb. The Russian captains believed that as long as the rabbi was in the city, no disaster would happen. However, when a bullet once flew through the Yeshiva room, and Rabbi Rafael realized that it was dangerous to remain in this place, he left with his family for Minsk, the place of residence of his father-in-law Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik at that time.

Rabbi Rafael lived with the hope that he would return to Volozhin at the end of the war, and re-establish the Yeshiva. However, he did not merit such. He died in Minsk on 23 Adar 5681 (March 3, 1921).

We will conclude our composition on the Ets Chaim Yeshiva with a legend told by Rabbi Yitzchak Rivkind of blessed memory:

“At the conclusion, it is worthwhile to relate one fine legend that went around Volozhin in the name of the Gaon Rabbi Chaim, which had the future redemption dependent upon the fate of the Yeshiva.

“The legend states that Rabbi Chaim, the founder of the Yeshiva, said that if, Heaven forbid, the Yeshiva of Volozhin shall cease to exist, the redemption would begin within two years.

“Apparently, the Volozhiners belied that only powerful world events and significant wars, from which the redemption would ensue, make the destruction and nullification of the Yeshiva possible.”^[65]

Original Footnotes

59. Regarding the death of Rabbi Chaim Hillel Fried, and on the impression it made on the Jews of Volozhin, we read the following sad words that move the heart: “Two days ago, the elderly Gaon Rabbi Chaim Hillel Fried died. He was one of the descendants of the Gaonim of Volozhin (the son of the Netzi'v's brother-in-law), who was of course connected to the Beit Harav.
    “What terrible sadness pervaded in the town and the Yeshiva. The entire large congregation of Yeshiva people accompanied him to his final rest, and eulogized him. When I returned home on the way back from this funeral, I drew in my imagination a large, thick tree, from its roots to its canopy, however the few leaves that covered it were turning yellow and falling. No new buds were yet seen beneath them, still not seen…” (M. Peker: “In the Yeshiva of Volozhin” Hator, Jerusalem 30 Sivan, 5694 (July 2, 1924), issue 40). Return
60. Hameilitz, 23 Tammuz, 5652 (July 7, 1892), issue 151. Return
    60a. Yehuda, “Hosts of Torah” Hameilitz, 28 Cheshvan 5660 (October 20, 1899), issue 229. Return
61. Rabbi Moshe Shmuel and his Generation, An anthology of essays and letters, page 70. Return
62. See Hatzofeh: “In the Yeshivot of Torah,” “Echo of the Times.,” 12 Tammuz 5670 (July 6, 1910), issue 150. Return
63. Gedalyahu Pomerantz: “The Last Strike in the Yeshiva of Volozhin” Hadoar, 14 Shvat 5623 [1963], Year 42, issue 15. Return
64. “The Yeshiva of Volozhin During its Years of Closure and Opening.” From an anthology of essays and letters of Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Shapira. Return
65. Yitzchak Rivkind of blessed memory: “The Yeshiva in Volozhin and National Revival,” Hatoren, Kislev 5683 [1922], booklet 10, 9^th year, page 54. Return

Translator's Footnotes

1. Based on Psalms 24:7,9 Return
2. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Markovich_Brodsky Return
3. A methodology stressing teaching of morality. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musar_movement Return
4. The beginning of the second of the three paragraphs of the Shema. Return

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