The Netziv vs. Rav Chaim: Zionism and Love of the Land

Rabbi Meir Bar Ilan ל״צז

Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin zt”l (1816–1893), commonly known as the Netziv, led the renowned Volozhin Yeshiva for nearly four decades. Overcoming many destructive fires, internal conflicts and government opposition, the yeshiva thrived under the Netziv, becoming the greatest center of Torah learning in the world. Ultimately, the oppressive demands of the Czarist government, including a ban on Torah study during certain hours, led the Netziv to close down the yeshiva rather than compromise its principles.

The Netziv’s contributions to Torah scholarship extended beyond the traditional yeshiva curriculum. He actively responded to attacks on Jewish tradition through his writings in Jewish publications. His collection of responsa, Meishiv Davar, is an essential work of practical halacha, while his Ha’amek Davar has become a modern classic on Chumash.

Though he died a few years before the emergence of Herzl and modern Zionism, the Netziv was an early advocate for the Chovevei Zion movement and staunchly supported the resettlement of Eretz Yisrael. He was one of the three esteemed rabbis who served as formal advisors to the movement. Secret Religious Zionist cells operated within the Volozhin Yeshiva under his watchful eye. His younger son, Rabbi Meir Bar Ilan, would become one of the great Religious Zionist leaders of the 20th century.

To those who opposed the New Yishuv in Eretz Yisrael because secular Jews were involved in its rebuilding, the Netziv wrote: “We must awaken to the call of G-d’s will, which has been heard from one end of the world to the other… [all of us,] every type of Jew, are called to do that which is in our hands, whether a little or a lot.” He held this view throughout his life, and encouraged all those involved in the holy work of redeeming the Land.

Students traveled from all over the world to study at the Volozhin Yeshiva. After the yeshiva closed down, they migrated to the one place where the Volozhin Yeshiva still, in some way, lived on: to Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik zt”l (1853–1918) in Brisk.

A scion of the Soloveitchik rabbinic dynasty, Rav Chaim developed the famed “Brisker Method,” a highly analytical method of Talmud study focusing on precise definitions and categorizations of halacha which would shape the way much of the Torah world studies the Talmud. During the yeshiva’s final years in Volozhin, Rav Chaim’s shiur attracted the greatest students of the era. In Rav Bar Ilan’s words, “he was the Rav of the generation, and a guide for future generations.”

Unlike the Netziv, Rav Chaim was a staunch opponent of Zionism, viewing it as a movement that sought to destroy traditional Judaism and replace it with nationalism. His opposition to Zionism, however, did not lessen his love for Eretz Yisrael or his support for the traditional Old Yishuv centered in Jerusalem.

In honor of the Netziv’s 130th yahrzeit (28 Av) and Rav Chaim’s 105th yahrzeit (21 Av), we are honored to translate several passages from Rav Meir Bar Ilan’s memoir, From Volozhin to Jerusalem, in which he describes his father’s and Rav Chaim’s opposing views of the nascent Zionist movement. Despite their differences, the two great leaders of the generation shared a deep love for the Land, evident in Rav Bar Ilan’s firsthand account.