Day of Hilula
Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin
י״ד בסיוון
Volozhin, Lithuania
In Jewish tradition, the day of a tzadik's passing — the 'Hilula' — is not a day of mourning, but a day of spiritual elevation and awakening. According to the teachings of Kabbalah, on this day the soul of the tzadik ascends to a higher realm, and their light and merits shine upon the world. Many Jews mark the day through Torah study, reciting Tehillim, lighting a memorial candle, and good deeds for the elevation of the soul — to connect with the tzadik's path and qualities.
His Life and 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.
"The Torah is acquired only through self-sacrifice"