Lot 334
Dedication Handwritten and Signed by the Netziv of Volozhin, in his Book Rina shel Torah on Shir HaShirim - Another Dedication Handwritten and Signed by his Son Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Rina shel Torah. Shir HaShirim, with the Rashi commentary, and the Metiv Shir and She'er Yisrael commentaries by R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin of Volozhin. Warsaw, 1886.
At the top of the title page, two (trimmed) dedications. The first is a dedication handwritten and signed by the author - the Netziv: "[Gift… from the author to my friend…], the accomplished individual, Mr. Yitzchak Luria Levin. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin". Another dedication (trimmed) in the margin, handwritten and signed by the son of the author, R. Chaim Berlin, to a British Jew: "…the outstanding rabbi, Avraham Yisrael Friedner, shochet and bodek in Liverpool. Chaim Berlin, rabbi of Volozhin". Various owners' stamps of the second recipient, the renowned collector: "A.I. Friedner", from Liverpool and London.
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. 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 glorified 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 for all communal matters in Russia and Lithuania. He responded to halachic queries which many rabbis sent to him, customarily signing his letters in those years as "he who is laden with work". He composed many books, including HaEmek She'ela - novellae on She'iltot; HaEmek Davar on the Torah; Rina shel Torah on Shir HaShirim; Imrei Shefer on the Passover Haggadah; Responsa Meishiv Davar; Talmudic novellae and commentaries on Halachic midrashim: Mechilta, Sifri and Sifra.
R. Chaim Berlin (1832-1912), eldest son of the Netziv of Volozhin, was a foremost Torah scholar in his generation, and an illustrious Torah figure of Lithuania and Jerusalem. He served as chief rabbi of Moscow, and his Torah influence spread throughout Russia. He served for a while as yeshiva dean and rabbi in Volozhin, in view of the plans of his father, the Netziv, to hand over to him all his responsibilities in leading the yeshiva and as rabbi of the city, but the plans did not come to fruition since a short while later, the yeshiva was shut down by government order, and the Netziv and his son were barred from residing in Volozhin. The Netziv went to Warsaw, and his son R. Chaim Berlin was appointed rabbi of Kobryn. In 1896, he went to serve as rabbi of and Yelisavetgrad (Kropyvnytskyi), and in 1906, he immigrated to Jerusalem, where he soon became recognized as a leading rabbinic authority in the city.
134, [1] pages. 21.5 cm. Dry, brittle paper. Good-fair condition. Marginal tears to title page. Stains. Minor worming. Several detached leaves (title page partially detached). Old binding, damaged.
