True tales from the corners of our world
Rabbi Chananya Berzon has spent many fruitful years educating Jewish yeshivah and seminary students. We met at Yeshivah Shaarei Mevaseret Tzion, where I serve as the baal tefillah on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and we hit it off instantly. The following story happened to him more than 30 years ago, but its impact is still being felt today.
Twenty-five years ago, in addition to serving as rav of a shul in Yerushalayim and a rebbi at BMT (Beit Midrash L’Torah), I also ran Bar-Ilan University’s foreign student program. This program was for 20 American boys from a variety of yeshivah high schools who were studying at the university.
On the first day, I wanted to give them chizuk for the upcoming year, so I told them the following famous story about the Netziv, Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, and the split-second decision he made that led him to become one of the most famous talmidei chachamim of his time.
The Netziv made a seudas mitzvah to celebrate the publication of his sefer, Ha’amek Sh’eilah on the She’iltos. The assembled could see he was incredibly happy, and when they asked him why, the Netziv explained.
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