The mother of R' Chaim Volozhiner, founder of the great Volozhiner Yeshiva, and prime talmid of the Vilna Gaon, was a remarkable woman. She provided the Rav of her town, the Shaagas Aryeh, with a fine set of Talmud Bavli. He gave her a brocha, saying that she would give birth to two additional sons, one of whom would disseminate Gemara throughout the world, and the other of whom would not require a Gemara as he would have it all committed to memory.
The first son was R' Chaim, and the second was R' Zalman Volozhiner, who never forgot a word he learned. When she was about to give birth to R' Chaim, the Shaagas Aryeh was in her home. In order not to disturb the Rav's study, she suffered her pains in silence.
When the Rav heard a son had been born, he gave her a brocha that the child would rise to greatness until the voice of his Torah would be heard in the streets. Some say that she had asked the Shaagas Aryeh to be present in the home so that the very first sounds her baby would hear in this world would be sounds of Torah.
R' Chaim himself extols his mother's modesty, and tells of her years of toil and struggle to instruct her sons in Torah and mitzvos. His parents hired outstanding teachers for their sons. When the eldest son, R' Simcha, completed all six sections of the Mishnah and knew them by heart, his parents held a festive party to help him appreciate his learning.
His younger brother, Zalman, inspired by the excitement was jealous and vowed that he would do the same thing – and would begin at once. Zalman was then only 4 years old!
This remarkable woman had five sons – each one a great talmid chochom. Apart from the more renowned R' Chaim and R' Zalman, there were R' Simcha, R' Nachman and R' Yosef, who served as Rabbonim and Rebbeim throughout Lithuania and Poland. (Excerpted from the ArtScroll book – “She Shall Be Praised”)
Reprinted from the Parshas Re’eh email of The Weekly Vort.
