Chaim Itzkovich (ben Yitzchak) • Rabbi Chaim of Volozin
Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin
Era of the AcharonimRabbi Chaim of Volozhin (1749–1821) — the preeminent disciple of the Gra, the founder of Yeshivat Etz Chaim (the Volozhin Yeshiva, 'the mother of the yeshivas'), and the rabbi of the town of Volozhin in Lithuania. He was born in Volozhin to Yitzchak, the parnas of the community, …
Biography
Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin (1749–1821) — the preeminent disciple of the Gra, the founder of Yeshivat Etz Chaim (the Volozhin Yeshiva, 'the mother of the yeshivas'), and the rabbi of the town of Volozhin in Lithuania. He was born in Volozhin to Yitzchak, the parnas of the community, and to Rivka. In his youth he studied under Rabbi Raphael Ziskind of Minsk and under the Shaagat Aryeh (Rabbi Aryeh Leib Gunzberg), and from the age of nineteen he became a disciple of the Gaon of Vilna, who became his preeminent teacher. After the death of his teacher (1797) he founded Yeshivat Etz Chaim in Volozhin — the first institutional yeshiva of the later generations, which became a model for the entire world of the yeshivas that came after it. He composed Nefesh HaChaim — a foundational book of Jewish thought on the value of Torah study and its influence on the supernal worlds — as well as Ruach Chaim on Pirkei Avot and halachic responsa in Shut Chot HaMeshulash. He was more moderate than his teacher in his attitude toward Hasidism, and sought to establish Torah study and the fear of Heaven as the foundation of divine service. He died in Volozhin on 14 Sivan 5581 (1821).
Life Story
Childhood
He was born in the town of Volozhin in Lithuania on 7 Sivan 5509 (1749), to his father Yitzchak, who served as the parnas of the community, and to his mother Rivka, the daughter of Rabbi Yosef Rappaport, who served as av beit din in Piask and Minsk. He was named after his grandfather, Yitzchak. Already in his childhood he was revealed as a boy of talent and sharp mind, and was sent to study Torah under the sages of Lithuania.
Teachers
In his youth he studied for about two years under Rabbi Raphael Ziskind, the rabbi of Minsk (and later the rabbi of Hamburg and the AHU communities). Afterward he studied under the Shaagat Aryeh — Rabbi Aryeh Leib Gunzberg, who was the rabbi of Volozhin at that time. From the age of nineteen he began to study under the Gaon of Vilna, who became his preeminent teacher and his model for all his life. He saw in the Gra a great man who had no equal for many generations, and even in the public's attitude toward him as the continuer of his teacher's path he saw an injury to the Gaon.
Students
He raised many disciples, chief among them his son Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin, who continued to head the yeshiva after him. Among his disciples were also Rabbi Yosef Zundel of Salant (one of the leaders of the Musar movement), Rabbi Aryeh Leib Shapira, Rabbi David Tevel of Minsk, Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Minsk, Rabbi Avraham Simcha of Amchislav (the author of Binan Shel Simcha), Rabbi Yaakov Baruchin, and Rabbi Eliyahu Raguler. His disciples disseminated his way in the yeshivas and the communities of Lithuania and Russia, and influenced the world of Torah for the generations.
Family
His father Yitzchak served as the parnas of the community in Volozhin, and his mother Rivka was the daughter of Rabbi Yosef Rappaport, av beit din in Piask and Minsk. His son, Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin, inherited his place at the head of the yeshiva and continued his way. His daughter Relka married into the Soloveitchik family, from which came great Torah scholars for the generations. His family was among the pillars of Torah and leadership in Lithuania.
Key Events
He began to serve as the rabbi of Volozhin probably in 1774. After about fifteen years of rabbinate he moved to serve as rabbi in Vilkomir, but returned to Volozhin after only one year due to opposition in the community, and continued to serve as its rabbi until his death. After the death of his teacher, the Gra, in 1797, he founded Yeshivat Etz Chaim in Volozhin — the first institutional yeshiva of the later generations, which became a model for the entire world of the yeshivas that came after it. In his yeshiva dozens of disciples studied, and it served as a model for the yeshivas of Mir, Slobodka, Telz, and others. He composed Nefesh HaChaim as a foundational book of Jewish thought, in which he explained the value of Torah study and its influence on the supernal worlds.
Miracles
A few legends were woven around the name of Rabbi Chaim, including stories of his devotion to Torah study and to the leadership of the yeshiva, and of the fear of Heaven that was a model in his generation. It is told of his humility and of his contentment with little, and of his devotion to his disciples and to his teacher. These legends, though not documented in his own writings, reflect the admiration of the generations for his figure and his enterprise.
Influence
The influence of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin is felt in the entire world of the yeshivas and the thought of Lithuanian Jewry. The Volozhin Yeshiva — 'the mother of the yeshivas' — that he founded became a model and an example for all the yeshivas that came after it: Mir, Slobodka, Telz, and others. His book Nefesh HaChaim is a foundational book of Jewish thought, and influenced the Musar movement and the thought of the yeshivas for the generations. His way — the establishment of Torah study and the fear of Heaven as the foundation of divine service — shaped the character of Lithuanian Jewry. His more moderate attitude toward Hasidism, in contrast to the fierce opposition of his teacher the Gra, paved the way for a rapprochement between the camps in the generations after him. The figure of Rabbi Chaim — the devoted disciple, the founder of the yeshivas, and the man of thought — became a model for the generations.
Death
He died in Volozhin on 14 Sivan 5581 (1821), at the age of 72. He was buried in the town, and his burial place became a pilgrimage site. His place at the head of the yeshiva was inherited by his son, Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin, who continued to lead the yeshiva and to disseminate his father's way. His memory is preserved in Israel as the founder of 'the mother of the yeshivas' and as the author of Nefesh HaChaim.
Writings
Nefesh HaChaim
1824 (after his death)Thought and Faith
A foundational book of Jewish thought. It explains in great depth the value of Torah study and its influence on the supernal worlds, the secret of man and his soul, and the foundations of faith and the fear of Heaven. It was printed after his death by his son, Rabbi Yitzchak, in 1824. It influenced the Musar movement and the thought of the yeshivas for the generations.
Ruach Chaim
1858 (after his death)Commentary and Ethics
A commentary on Tractate Avot. It explains the Mishnah with depth and precision, and stands on the foundations of ethics and traits in the Mishnah. It is characterized by sharpness and by the understanding of the ways of study of the Gra, the author's teacher.
Shut Chot HaMeshulash
c. 1808Halacha
Halachic responsa in matters of Orach Chaim, Yoreh De'ah, and Even HaEzer. It is characterized by precision, deep inquiry, and the understanding of the talmudic sources. It testifies to the way of Rabbi Chaim in halachic decision.
Collection of Laws and Ordinances
c. 1802Ordinances and Customs
Ordinances and regulations that he enacted in the Volozhin Yeshiva and in the community. He shaped the orders of study and prayer in the yeshiva, and laid the foundation for the discipline and the orders of the yeshiva that became a model for the generations.
His Way and Views
Torah Study
Rabbi Chaim saw the study of Torah as the calling of man and the foundation of divine service. In his book Nefesh HaChaim he explained in great depth the value of Torah study and its influence on the supernal worlds: every word of Torah that a person studies raises the holiness in the world and gives life to the worlds. He held that the Torah should be studied through inquiry, perseverance, and intention, and that the study of Torah is the central commandment among the commandments. He saw in the study of Torah not only a means of understanding halacha, but a service of the heart and the soul, which gives life to man and to the world.
Halacha
He was a decisor and the rabbi of Volozhin, and composed halachic responsa in Shut Chot HaMeshulash. He insisted on precision in the sources and on understanding the reasons, and saw in halacha the revelation of the divine will. His way in decision was influenced by his teacher, the Gra, and by the sages of Lithuania, and was characterized by precision and deep inquiry.
Faith
The faith of Rabbi Chaim was whole and deep, and found full expression in his book Nefesh HaChaim. He saw in faith and in the fear of Heaven the foundation of divine service, and in the study of Torah the way to realize them. He held that man must recognize the greatness of the Creator and the holiness of the Torah, and come to fear and love. He saw in the fulfillment of the commandments and in the study of Torah the connection of man and the world to holiness, and thus the purpose of man.
Ethics
Rabbi Chaim saw the repair of traits and the fear of Heaven as the foundation of divine service. He demanded humility, alacrity, and guarding the tongue, and saw them as a condition for the fulfillment of the Torah and for the attainment of truth. In Nefesh HaChaim he explained the virtue of humility and the danger of pride, and saw in the hiding of the heart and in asceticism from honor the ways of service. He influenced the Musar movement, which saw in his way a model of the service of traits.
Customs
He enacted ordinances and regulations in the yeshiva and in the community, and shaped the orders of study and prayer in his yeshiva. He saw in the orders of the yeshiva and in the discipline of the disciples a means of education and perseverance. He insisted on precision in the sources and on the correction of customs that were not well-founded, following his teacher the Gra.
Character
He was humble, a God-fearing man, and devoted to Torah and to disciples. He refused honor and excessive position, and was content with little. He was a devoted disciple to his teacher, and saw himself as the continuer of the way of the Gra, even though he saw in this an injury to the Gaon. He had the courage to found the yeshiva and to lead his generation, and a softness in his attitude toward Hasidism, in contrast to the sharpness of his teacher. His figure became a model of a scholar, a founder of a yeshiva, and a man of thought.
Public Role
He led the community of Volozhin and the world of the yeshivas that he founded. The Volozhin Yeshiva — 'the mother of the yeshivas' — became a Torah center for all of Lithuanian and Russian Jewry, and from it came the great Torah scholars and the heads of the yeshivas of the following generations. He saw in the founding of the yeshiva a public mission, and devoted all his strength to it. His more moderate attitude toward Hasidism paved the way for a rapprochement between the camps in the generations after him.
Famous Quotes
"The Torah is acquired only through self-sacrifice"
"The main thing is the study itself, which gives life to the worlds"
"The fear of Heaven is the gate to all good, and the Torah is the way to it"
Famous Stories
Rabbi Chaim saw in the Gra a great man who had no equal for many generations, and even in the public's attitude toward him as the continuer of his teacher's path he saw an injury to the Gaon. Nevertheless, after the death of the Gra he undertook to found Yeshivat Etz Chaim, for he saw in the continuation of his teacher's way a public mission. This yeshiva — 'the mother of the yeshivas' — became a model and an example for the entire world of the yeshivas that came after it, and from it came the great Torah scholars and the heads of the yeshivas of the following generations.
Rabbi Chaim was more moderate than his teacher, the Gra, in his attitude toward Hasidism. While the Gra led the fierce opposition to Hasidism, Rabbi Chaim sought to establish Torah study and the fear of Heaven as the foundation of divine service, and not to emphasize the conflict. This approach paved the way for a rapprochement between the camps in the generations after him, and made the Volozhin Yeshiva a Torah center that absorbed disciples from all circles.
Rabbi Chaim composed Nefesh HaChaim as a foundational book of Jewish thought. In his book he explained the value of Torah study and its influence on the supernal worlds: every word of Torah that a person studies raises the holiness in the world and gives life to the worlds. The book was printed after his death by his son, Rabbi Yitzchak, and became a foundational book in the yeshivas and in Jewish thought. The vision of Rabbi Chaim — the study of Torah as a service of the heart and the soul — influenced the Musar movement and the world of the yeshivas for the generations.
Students
Teachers
Grave Site
Grave Details
- Grave Name
- Tomb of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin
- City
- Volozhin
- Country
- Belarus (historic Lithuania)
Timeline
Birth in Volozhin, Lithuania
Beginning of study under the Gaon of Vilna, his preeminent teacher
Beginning of service as the rabbi of Volozhin
Move to serve as rabbi in Vilkomir; return to Volozhin after one year
Death of his teacher, the Gra
Founding of Yeshivat Etz Chaim (the Volozhin Yeshiva) — 'the mother of the yeshivas'
Composition of Shut Chot HaMeshulash
Death in Volozhin
Printing of Nefesh HaChaim by his son, Rabbi Yitzchak
Legacy
The legacy of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin is felt in the entire world of the yeshivas and the thought of Lithuanian Jewry. The Volozhin Yeshiva — 'the mother of the yeshivas' — that he founded became a model and an example for all the yeshivas that came after it: Mir, Slobodka, Telz, and others. His book Nefesh HaChaim is a foundational book of Jewish thought, and influenced the Musar movement and the thought of the yeshivas for the generations. His way — the establishment of Torah study and the fear of Heaven as the foundation of divine service — shaped the character of Lithuanian Jewry. His more moderate attitude toward Hasidism paved the way for a rapprochement between the camps in the generations after him. The figure of Rabbi Chaim — the devoted disciple, the founder of the yeshivas, and the man of thought — became a model for the generations, and his memory is preserved in Israel as the founder of 'the mother of the yeshivas' and as the author of Nefesh HaChaim.