Ḥayyim ben Isaac

Among them was Ḥayyim ben Issac, who went on to found the great yeshiva (Talmudic academy) at Volozhin (now Valozhyn, Belarus), which trained several generations of scholars, rabbis, and leaders. Elijah’s writings were published posthumously and include commentaries and numerous annotations on the Bible, Talmud, Midrash, and other…

…adapting Judaism to modern culture, Ḥayyim ben Isaac attempted to counter its influence by establishing a yeshiva (1803) at Volozhin, Russia (now Valozhyn, Belarus). It profoundly influenced Russian Jewry until its final closing in 1892. By including secular subjects in its training of future rabbis, Volozhin departed from the traditional…