The 28th of Av marks the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin (1816–1893), head of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva at Volozhin and one of the great Torah scholars of the nineteenth century. Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin (known as the Netsiv) was born in Mir (Minsk district of todays Belarus) into a distinguished family of merchants based in Shklov. His father, Yaakov, was a wealthy textile merchant, who at the end of his life sold all his property and settled in Jerusalem. At the age of 14, Naftali Tzvi Yehudah married Rayna Batyah, the daughter of Yitzchak, son of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, founder of the Volozhin Yeshiva. For many years Rabbi Berlin studied on his own with great diligence, but his father-in-law’s family remained unaware of his promise as a scholar. Rabbi Berlin’s status began to rise when his correspondence on Torah matters with Rabbi David Luria of Bykhov came to light. Rabbi Luria regarded Rabbi Berlin as a genius in Torah study and had an influence on his methods. At the age of 23, Rabbi Berlin began to work on a commentary to the tannaitic midrash known as the Sifre. In 1853, he was appointed head of the Volozhin yeshiva. The appointment was challenged by various family members, especially Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveichik, great-grandson of Rabbi Chayim of Volozhin. After student unrest and the intervention of a number of great Torah authorities, the division of powers between Rabbis Berlin and Soloveichik was settled. Rabbi Berlin was named head of the yeshiva, and Rabbi Soloveichik was appointed his deputy. For nearly 40 years, Rabbi Berlin assumed educational and financial responsibility for the Volozhin yeshiva; he was greatly admired by its students, who viewed him as a father figure and as a model of diligence and ethical behavior. Rabbi Berlin also served as the rabbi of Volozhin. During his tenure, the Volozhin yeshiva attracted hundreds of students. In 1886, the yeshiva burned to the ground, and Rabbi Berlin dedicated himself to its reconstruction. Rabbi Berlin’s approach to Torah study was exceptional in the world of rabbinical scholarship of his day. His scholarly approach based on manuscripts and an examination of alternative readings, was regarded as a continuation of the unique approach of the Gaon of Vilna, which had already been forsaken for some time by the Lithuanian yeshiva establishment. At a time when yeshiva study was becoming further and further removed from practical halachic decision making, Rabbi Berlin was also known as a decider of halachah and wrote hundreds of responsa. His approach to learning may be regarded as a decisive stage in the development of an approach based on the plain meaning of the text. Rabbi Berlin’s preoccupation with scripture was also exceptional. In the yeshiva, he gave a daily lesson on the weekly Torah portion; those lessons later served as the basis of his commentary on the Torah, HaAmek Davar. In his commentary, he established rules for deriving novel halachic and ethical insights from scripture. His focus on scripture and grammar, his lofty Hebrew style, and his familiarity with worldly matters even evoked the admiration of Russian maskilim (proponents of the Haskalah, the Jewish Enlightenment). Rabbi Berlin’s other writings include HaAmek She’elah, on the Sheiltot of Achai Gaon; his responsa Meshiv Davar; Metiv Shir, on the Song of Songs; Imre Shefer on the Passover Haggadah; and novellae on the Talmud, called Meroadeh. In addition to administering the Volozhin yeshiva, Rabbi Berlin was a public figure deeply involved in the affairs of Russian Jewry. Many communities sought his advice on matters relating to the rabbinate, ritual slaughter, and other communal issues. He joined the Chibat Tzion movement (a pre-Zionist Jewish nationalist movement) at its inception, though he was opposed to secular leaders heading the movement. He forbade Zionist activity within the walls of the yeshiva, though the clandestine societies were nevertheless active there. During the Shemitah (sabbatical year) controversy of 1889, Rabbi Berlin adopted a stringent position; at the same time, however, he provided halachic solutions for farmers working in the Land of Israel. After the death of his first wife, Rabbi Berlin married a much younger woman, the daughter of Yechiel Michel Epstein (author of the Aruch HaShulchan); she assisted him in the administration of the yeshiva. The yeshiva was closed in 1892 by the Russian authorities; archival documents indicate that the government was anxiously following a student revolt prompted by Rabbi Berlin’s intention to appoint his son Chaim Berlin as his successor. The government interpreted the students’ disturbances as anarchistic revolutionary activity and decided to close down the institution. In the wake of its closing, Rabbi Berlin’s health deteriorated, and he died in Warsaw the following summer. Pictured are Rabbi Berlin, a portion of his family tree, and a plaque placed on the wall of the former Etz Chaim Yeshivah at Volozhin in 1999. geni/people/Naftali-Zvi-Yehuda-Berlin-%D7%A0%D7%A4%D7%AA%D7%9C%D7%99-%D7%A6%D7%91%D7%99-%D7%99%D7%94%D7%95%D7%93%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9F/6000000003183000949 (Posted by Edna Kallka Grossmna whose fourth great uncles sister was married to the 4th cousin 4 times removed of Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin)
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 01:30:00 +0000
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