Letter from R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin mansions Rabbi S. Salant

Letter from R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin mansions Rabbi S. Salant

מכתב מהגאון הגדול רבי נפתלי צבי יהודה ברלין מולוז'ין אל רבי יוסף ריבלין, בסוף המכתב לאחר החתימה, הגאון הוסיף וכותב לשלוח דרישת שלום להגאון רבי שמואל סלאנט.

R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin – the Netziv of Volozhin (1817-1893), a foremost and outstanding Torah scholar of his generation, was the son-in-law of R. Yitzchak of Volozhin and his successor as dean of the yeshiva for decades. His father, R. Yaakov Berlin of Mir (1794-1868), immigrated to Jerusalem in 1854 and was one of the leaders of the Prushim community in Jerusalem. Known for his great diligence and brilliance, the Netziv led the Volozhin yeshiva with devotion and love for many years, until the yeshiva became the main breeding ground for Torah leaders who were the glory of Lithuanian, Russian and Polish Jewry. With his noble personality and profound, thorough erudition, he produced generations of eminent Torah scholars, yeshiva deans, dayanim and rabbis. He was also engaged in public leadership and his opinion was conclusive on all community matters in Russia and Lithuania. He responded to halachic queries which many rabbis sent to him, customarily signing his letters in those years as "one who is laden with work". He composed many books, including Hamek She'ala – novellae on She'iltot; Hamek Davar on the Torah; Responsa Meshiv Davar; Talmudic novellae and commentaries on Halachic midrashim: Mechilta, Sifra and Sifrei.