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Netziv sefaria

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The Netziv — HaRav Naftoli Zvi Yehuda Berlin, zt"l

In honor of his yahrtzeit 28 Av

The Netziv was born in 5577 (1817) in the city of Mir. As a small child he was not too successful in his learning and his poverty-stricken parents considered dismissing his melamed and sending their Naftoli Zvi Yehuda to learn a trade or skill. However, Hirsch Leib, as he was lovingly called, broke into tears and begged his parents to allow him one more year with the melamed. It was in this year of grace that he rose to a high madreigoh.

Already at the age of ten he left home to study in the Yeshiva Eitz Chaim of Volozhin. After three and a half years (age thirteen!), the Rosh Yeshiva, Reb Itzele of Volozhin, took him as a son-in-law. He stayed then in the yeshiva, steeped in learning. For the next twenty-five years, the Netziv learned sixteen hours every day of the year. In 5600 (1840) he began writing his sefer on the Sifrei: Eimek HaNetziv and following that he wrote Haemeik Sheiloh on the Sheiltos, Sheilos Uteshuvos Meishiv Dovor and his perush on th

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The Netziv vs. Rav Chaim: Zionism and Love of the Land

Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin zt”l (1816–1893), commonly known as the Netziv, led the renowned Volozhin Yeshiva for nearly four decades. Overcoming many destructive fires, internal conflicts and government opposition, the yeshiva thrived under the Netziv, becoming the greatest center of Torah learning in the world. Ultimately, the oppressive demands of the Czarist government, including a ban on Torah study during certain hours, led the Netziv to close down the yeshiva rather than compromise its principles.

The Netziv’s contributions to Torah scholarship extended beyond the traditional yeshiva curriculum. He actively responded to attacks on Jewish tradition through his writings in Jewish publications. His collection of responsa, Meishiv Davar, is an essential work of practical halacha, while his Ha’amek Davar has become a modern classic on Chumash. 

Though he died a few years before the emergence of Herzl and modern Zionism, the Netziv was an early advocate for the Chovevei Zion movement and staunchly suppo

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Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin

Belarusian Orthodox rabbi (1816–1893)

Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (20 November 1816 – 10 August 1893), also known as Reb Hirsch Leib Berlin, and commonly known by the acronym Netziv, was an Orthodoxrabbi, rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Volozhin Yeshiva and author of several works of rabbinic literature in Lithuania.

Biography

Early life

The Netziv was the eldest son of Yaakov Berlin, a merchant and Torah scholar in the city of Mir. His paternal lineage traces back to Rabbi Elchanan of Berlin, known as "R' Elchanan Ba'al HaTosafot" due to his profound Torah knowledge, comparable to that of the Tosafists.[1] On his maternal side, his lineage goes back to Rabbi Meir Eisenstadt, author of the responsa "Panim Meirot." Rabbi Sholom Schwadron recounted[2] that in his youth, the Netziv struggled with his studies, and his father considered sending him to learn a trade. In response, the boy cried for a long time until the gates of wisdom were opened for him. Some of the Netziv's family members strongly deny this story,&#

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