Rav Chaim Itzkowitz of Volozhin zt"l
הרב חיים בן יצחק איצקוביץ זצ"ל
Sivan 14 , 5581
Rav Chaim Itzkowitz of Volozhin zt"l
Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin [8 Sivan 5509 - 14 Sivan 5581 (June 1749 - June 1821 c.e.)] was the main disciple of the Gaon of Vilna, who selected him to establish a yeshiva in 1802. The Volozhin Yeshiva became the most important and most influential in Lithuania. His major work is the Nefesh Ha-Chaim (perhaps inspired, some say, by the popularity of Tanya), dealing with complex spiritual issues.
http://www.ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=rebbeBios
Stories of Rav Chaim Itzkowitz of Volozhin zt"l
In his commentary to Pirkei Avos 1:1, Ruach Chaim, Rav Chaim of Volozhin tells us the following story: “The story is told regarding our master Rav Dovid, the Gaon and mechaber of the commentary Turei Zohov (Taz on Shulchon Aruch) that once a woman came before him, crying and shouting, ‘Woe is me! Rebbe, behold my son is so weak he is at death’s door!’
“He answered her, ‘Am I in Hashem’s place?’
“She responded: “I am calling out to the Torah which you learn and represent! For the Holy One and His holy Torah are one and united!’
“And he answered her, ‘I will do this for you: I will give as a gift the Torah which I am studying now together with my students for your sick son; maybe in its merit he will recover and live, since the pasuk says: ‘With this [Torah] shall you live a long life,’ and at that moment his fever broke. We see that through Torah study, with the power of his dveikus, attaching himself to Hashem, one has the ability and merit to revive and resurrect the dead!”
Rav Shapira related how when the Griz HaLevi Soloveitchik came before the draft board and he was worried that he would be drafted into army service, his father Rav Chaim ordered him to use this segula from the Nefesh haChaim. He also told in the name of Brisker Rav that when he escaped from Warsaw during the second World War and the Nazis may their names be blotted had already conquered half Poland, and all the ways and roads were swarming with the Nazi murderers he constantly concentrated on this segula non stop. When for one moment he had a momentary lapse of concentration, a wicked Nazi attacked them, immediately he resumed his focus on the segula of the Nefesh HaChaim and they were saved. (Yalkut Lekach tov Devarim 4:35)
Segulos of Rav Chaim Itzkowitz of Volozhin zt"l
Rav Shapira related how when the Griz HaLevi Soloveitchik came before the draft board and he was worried that he would be drafted into army service, his father Rav Chaim ordered him to use this segula from the Nefesh haChaim. He also told in the name of Brisker Rav that when he escaped from Warsaw during the second World War and the Nazis may their names be blotted had already conquered half Poland, and all the ways and roads were swarming with the Nazi murderers he constantly concentrated on this segula non stop. When for one moment he had a momentary lapse of concentration, a wicked Nazi attacked them, immediately he resumed his focus on the segula of the Nefesh HaChaim and they were saved. (Yalkut Lekach tov Devarim 4:35)