Volozhin Yeshiva

So the Netziv didn't have a Meiri.

Netziv wrote over all of his shiurim in Volozhin.

He has on all of Shas.

In Volozhin, they covered from Brachot to Nedarim.

They went straight.

So on that Gemara, he asked that question, "Why is that a midat chasidim that he, he was zoche to long life because of that? That's the din.

Now, I'd like to say something which we should think about.

And even though we're supposed to be speaking about the Netziv, which we will later on, quoting something from the Netziv, I'd like to quote from the Netziv's great-grandfather, grandfather, no great-grandfather, the Netziv's great-grandfather, Chaim Volozhin, the father of the entire family, the father of the dynasty, person who's called the Av, a yeshiva is the person who started yeshivas, the person who created and has an incredible progeny, including the Netziv.

And he said something which one could call prophetic, even though we know there are no Nevi'im, there are no prophets.

He died approximately 1820.

So if you're holding the shofar in your right hand, so you're blowing from the right side of, you know.

So people made up a whole story, [clears throat] that the, the reason why the Chafetz Chaim quotes Rabbi Meir Simcha haKohen is because when the government wanted to close Volozhin Yeshiva, if they don't introduce more, uh, secular education.

So there was a big machloket of the Rabbonim, where they should, uh, they should have more secular education, and at least have people learn, uh, two hours a day Gemara.

Or no, you have to close down the whole yeshiva.

So this yid, he was the, the chief rabbi of Riga, the [Hebrew] of Latvia.

He was a talmid of Volozhin, talmid of the Beis HaLevi.

And in, in these areas, he was a very big player.

He also had ties to Lubavitch.

When they wrote over the Shurima, Rab Kahana Vasemen.

So on the beginning of Subas, they had the following, uh, Dvar Torah, that Rab Kahana asked Rab Chaim Solveichem, and he learned their Volozhin.

He asked them a question that, uh, whenever the Gemara says Rav Tana Hu Palek, we always pasken like Rav when he disagrees with the Tana'im.

So he asked Rab Chaim, but Toses points out on that Daf in Subas, Daf Zayin, wherever it is, that Rab Yechanan disagrees with that.

And look at this comment in the Netziv.

And the Netziv comes from Volozin.

Volozin is Lithuania.

Lithuania.

Lithuania, as you know, 95% of the Jews were killed in the Holocaust in Lithuania.

So it's not something applicationally that most people would implement.

But in Belgium they did.

But just because we don't implement it doesn't mean we don't believe in it.

And I worry about our debate, ideological debate with the Haredi approach shifting from an applicational debate to a fundamental debate.

You're gonna dull the pain maybe, but you're not gonna get rid of the disease.

What ultimately is driving it, you know, Rav Chaim Volozhin, who founded the Volozhin Yeshiva more than 200 years ago, it's still the best line.

He said, "When Jews don't make Kiddush, Gentiles make Havdalah."

Hm.

Where did they differ from yeshivot? Okay, let's go back into my Monday class.

I spent so much time on Chachmei Lublin, on Volozhin, on Mir, on Slabodka.

Tell me, show me a catalog for any of these yeshivot.

Show me a planned course of study.

You wanted to get semikhah? You had to go to a local rav and be tested, and he would give you semikhah.

It had nothing to do with the yeshiva in which you learned.

It could be in writing out the klaf, in writing out the semikhah, he would write that you learned many years in Slabodka, in Mir, in Volozhin, but the semikhah was nothing to do with the institution.

It was Torah lishmah.