One of the great and righteous rabbanim of the Holy Land was Rav Yaakov Dovid ben Zev, the Ridbaz zt”l, who, in his later years, emigrated from Lithuania to serve as the Rav of the holy city of Tzefas. He upheld the yoke of Torah, authoring numerous works across all fields of Torah expertise, including Sha’alos U’Teshuvos Ridbaz, Perush Ridbaz on the Yerushalmi, Beis Ridbaz on agricultural mitzvos, Nimukkei Ridbaz on the Torah, and many others. He is referred to by the acronym “Ridbaz” used for his sefarim’s titles, standing for “Rav Yaakov David ben Zev.”
During his tenure as the Rav of Slutsk, a prominent city in Lithuania, he established the renowned Slutsk Yeshivah, also known as the Kletsk Yeshivah, which produced great Torah leaders. After he arrived in the Holy Land, he established Yeshivas Ridbaz in Tzefas, where talmidim focused on studying and clarifying the halachos relating to the land-dependent mitzvos (mitzvos hateluyos ba’aretz).
The depth of his dedication to the holy Torah can be gleaned from stories of his youth when his burning love for Torah already permeated every aspect of his life. He and his righteous wife lived in poverty, subsisting on meager bread and water, yet their lives were filled with immense joy and boundless happiness in the delight of Torah. Often, their meals consisted of dry bread and salted fish, yet they rejoiced in the sweetness of the holy Torah.
His profound diligence in Torah study often filled his nights with the melody of Torah. He used the quiet hours of the night to delve deeply into his studies, clarifying the many halachic questions that arose during his daytime rabbinic duties. His days were occupied with communal responsibilities, beis din rulings, and delivering regular shiurim in the great yeshivah. Thus, he reserved the nighttime, when the world was at rest, to focus without distraction on his Torah study, fulfilling the phrase from Maariv: “For they are our life and the length of our days, and we will meditate on them day and night.”
Indeed, over the years, his dedication bore fruit, fulfilling the teaching of Reish Lakish (Chagigah 12b): “Whoever engages in Torah study at night, the Holy One, Blessed Be He, draws a thread of kindness over him during the day, as it says (Tehillim 42:9), By day Hashem will command His kindness. Why does He command His kindness during the day? Because His song is with me by night.” The Ridbaz’s Torah wisdom and leadership earned him widespread admiration, and he was recognized as one of the foremost spiritual leaders of his generation.
However, a significant challenge often arose in the course of these years during his nightly study vigils. At that time, sefarim were not as readily available in private homes as today. Like other great talmidei chachamim immersed in their studies, his learning spanned many topics and areas. Often, the Ridbaz required access to sefarim housed in the shul’s library to resolve intricate halachic questions or complex legal disputes.
But there was a major problem. During the late hours of the night, the shul was locked and dark, and the city streets were not lit up. The Ridbaz was afraid to venture alone into the pitch-black streets or remain in the darkened shul for extended periods.
The righteous wife of the great scholar, a”h, saw her husband’s profound longing to immerse himself in the sweetness of Torah study during the depths of the night, with no solution to his dilemma. She arose from her bed in the middle of the night, strengthening herself like a lioness to assist her illustrious husband in his Torah pursuits. She proposed that she accompany him to the beis midrash, staying with him throughout his learning to alleviate his concerns and allowing him to delve into the depths of his studies with complete focus.
Indeed, “a talmid chacham’s wife is like the talmid chacham himself” (Shavuos 30b), and she, too, deprived herself of sleep, accompanying him on many nights with candles in hand. Upon reaching the beis midrash, the Rav took his place while his wife lit several large candles to illuminate his workspace. The sefarim began to open one after another, stacking up on the table, while the sweet and pleasant sound of Torah study for its own sake filled the air. During all this, the rebbetzin sat in her designated place in the women’s section, praying and supplicating from the depths of her heart to the compassionate and faithful Father in Heaven, who neither slumbers nor sleeps. She remained there, keeping watch until the Rav concluded his study, and then they returned together to their holy abode.
The two thus merited the fulfillment of the pasuk (Eichah 2:19): Arise, sing out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out your heart like water before the face of Hashem; raise your hands to Him for the life of your infants. The immense spiritual power of Torah study at night is well known from the sacred Zohar and other sefarim, as it says (Tehillim 119:148): My eyes preceded the night watches, to speak of Your word.
This is an example of true messirus nefesh for Torah! This is the behavior of a devoted and righteous wife of a talmid chacham, one whose entire life is dedicated to elevating the Torah’s greatness. Only when the sweetness of Torah is tangibly felt in the home, and the very air breathed within the household is infused with the honey of Torah, can such a Torah home be built—a great house of Yisrael!
When the husband returns home from his Torah study filled with vitality and joy for the Torah, his entire being immersed in it, he naturally draws his wife into his Torah as well. The entire household then absorbs the spirit of Torah and longs for its sweetness.
Of course, once one has tasted the goodness of Torah, nothing else in the world compares. This is beautifully articulated by the golden words of the Or Hachaim Hakadosh (Devarim 26:11): “There is nothing good except for Torah’ (Berachos 5a), for if people could only feel the sweetness and pleasantness of Torah’s goodness, they would go mad with passion and pursue it fervently. All the world’s wealth—silver and gold—would be considered as nothing to them, for Torah encompasses all the goodness in the world.”
