Letter from Rabbi Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik of Brisk to Baron Günzburg - Regarding the Reopening of the Volozhin ...

Letter from Rabbi Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik of Brisk to Baron Günzburg - Regarding the Reopening of the Volozhin Yeshiva - Volozhin, 1899
Letter from R. Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik Rabbi of Brisk. [Volozhin (Valozhyn)], Tevet 1899. Addressed to the Jewish Baron Naftali Herz (Horace) Günzburg, regarding the reopening of the Volozhin yeshiva. From this letter, it appears that the reestablishment of the yeshiva took the form of an independent organization of Torah learners who gathered together, and later summoned R. Refael Shapiro to come stand at their helm. (This form of reopening the yeshiva, through an independent gathering of Torah learners, is echoed in the letter of his father-in-law R. Refael Shapiro to Baron Günzburg, see previous item. The two letters were written under the same circumstances and on the same date, and contain parallel terms): "Behold, the prestige and holiness of the illustrious Volozhin yeshiva is already recognized by the entire Jewish people, as it illuminated the face of the earth and produced light - the light of Torah for the Jewish people… and now, a very large group of people have gathered there… and are diligently investing all their strength in Torah study, many of them are exceptional Torah scholars, perspicacious, erudite and witty students… And behold, the great and renowned Torah scholar… R. Refael Rabbi of Babruysk appeared in his glory at the gates of Volozhin, and accepted the position of yeshiva dean and rabbi of Volozhin, and the yeshiva of Volozhin has reclaimed its previous stature, once again illuminating the world, and the Torah has returned to its lodgings". R. Chaim further writes of the journey of the emissary R. Shmuel Ben Zion Shapiro, who is travelling "to establish and increase sources of income, in view of the finances of the yeshiva and its great expenses". R. Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik (1853-1918), rabbi of Brisk (Brest, Belarus), was a foremost Torah scholar in Lithuania and one of the leaders of his generation. He is considered the initiator of the learning method in Lithuanian yeshivot. Son of R. Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, the Beit HaLevi, and son-in-law of R. Refael Shapiro, dean of the Volozhin yeshiva and son-in-law of the Netziv. After his marriage, he began serving as the third dean of the Volozhin yeshiva. (The disciples of R. Chaim from that period include: R. Baruch Ber Leibowitz, R. Shimon Yehuda Shkop and R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski), and with R. Refael's move in 1881 to Babruysk, R. Chaim was appointed second yeshiva dean in his place. After the passing of his father the Beit HaLevi in 1894, he succeeded him as rabbi of Brisk, and continued teaching Torah to a small group of elite students who gathered to absorb his teachings, and who later disseminated his study method in all Lithuanian yeshivot, orally and in writing. Many novellae circulated orally in his name within Lithuanian yeshivot, transmitted and copied by many writers (some were later printed in the mimeographed edition of Chiddushei HaGrach, published in Eretz Israel ca. the 1950s). In 1899, his father-in-law R. Refael Shapiro left the rabbinate of the great city of Babruysk, and returned to serve as rabbi of the small town of Volozhin, and to head the yeshiva, restoring it to its former glory (according to several sources, R. Refael was the one who initiated the reopening of the yeshiva, though M. Tzinovitz in his book Etz Chaim - History of the Volozhin Yeshiva (chapter 27, pp. 353-355) writes that when R. Refael reached Volozhin, some two hundred men had already gathered to study there. In the HaMelitz journal of 1899, an article was published from Babruysk, describing the rabbi's departure for Volozhin, due to an initiative by some Minsk philanthropists to reopen the yeshiva. The present letter also insinuates that R. Refael came to Volozhin after the students had gathered anew, "and he accepted the position of yeshiva dean and rabbi of Volozhin"). The Baron Naftali Herz (Horace) Günzburg (1833-1909), banker and wealthy businessman, philanthropist and public activist. Bearer of a title of nobility, and general-consul in Russia. The bank he headed was one of the largest banks in the Russian empire. He utilized his connections and stature to assist his Jewish brethren in Tsarist Russia, defending them from decrees and improving their financial situation. [1] leaf. 28 cm. Very good condition. Folding marks.