Commentaire de citation sur Isaïe 62:4

I constantly pray to the God of Purity that He should teach us His truth, His Torah, so that [we may] increase His teachings and substance. This is my longing in this transitory world: to benefit from the light emanating from the Face⁴“Face” refers to the various ways in which God is manifest to His creations. of the Living God, May He be blessed in the World of Perfection, the yearning of all [humankind]. Behold, I am the one laden with service, [for] all my desire and salvation are with her, [the Torah].⁵II Sam. 23:5 and Isa. 62:4.

Behold, I, the meek one, who dwell in darkness – I involve myself in prayer; I ask the One who graciously bestows [wisdom] to do so even to those who are unworthy. I pray that with His light and truthfulness, He may guide me in the paved paths and grant me a place beside the glorious light [of the Torah]. This is so that I may be able to spread and enhance the Torah, together with my son and son-in-law, who are esteemed rabbis, and men of great distinction. May God bless them with the threefold blessing and twofold peace: [that they receive] their daily bread, obtain what their families require, and [receive these gifts] in a most dignified manner. May the strength of the Torah implanted in their hearts produce tranquility and a heritage,³⁰He achieves a twofold peace (tranquility) by studying the Torah in depth and by knowing that his children are continuing this lofty effort. thereby creating an [enduring] fertile garden planted near the tranquil waters of the Torah.³¹See Psalms 1:3. May our feet be protected from becoming entrapped in error or stumbling, [for this protection] is the desired result of all striving. For His sake, may He be blessed, the One through Whom all acts are manifest: it is for Him that my spirit longs and my soul is consumed.³²See Psalms 42:2. To Him and to His kindness do I entrust my soul, that I may not be put to shame by my logic until the day He takes me from this world. May this be my reward for all my toil before Him, may He be blessed. Behold, I am the one laden with a great task,³³See what was written at the end of Part 1, pertaining to these words which are the signature of the Netziv. He ends most of his writings and responsa in this manner. for my whole salvation and yearning is [to acquire] her [the Torah].³⁴II Sam. 23:5 and Isa. 62:4.

In addition, my son-in-law, the teacher and master, R. Raphael Shapiro,¹⁹1837–1921. the son of the genius, our teacher and master, Rabbi Aryeh Leib Shapiro, of blessed memory, the head of the court of the holy community of Kovno, sat with me in group studies and he was [privileged] with strength of the Torah and with an ingenious mind, and he settled [disputes] by expressing and clarifying the profundities of the Halachah. He also added many annotations [to my book] by applying much deep analysis. May God be with them so that the departed of Israel [be revived] as grain²⁰Translated as the way the Targum explains Hosea 14:8. through the power of the Torah, blossoming like the vine, for they are God’s blessed seed,²¹Isa. 65:23. men of stature. Their names [will be respected by peoples of the world] as the wine of Lebanon²²Hos. 14:8. [because of] all their sound wisdom and the pure fear of God.²³Psalms 19:10. It is by the grace of God that the ones who strengthen the warriors [students] in Torah shall not stumble.²⁴The wording is similar to Eccl. 10:10. In Tractate Ta’anis this verse is considered as showing how one strengthens oneself through intense study. May our words be [constantly] uttered in the scholars’ meeting places, and may we merit [to experience] the light emanating from the presence of the Living King, both in the World of Action²⁵See Nefesh ha-Hayyim, Sha’ar 1, chapter 13, where Rav Hayyim Volozhiner discusses why this world is called the World of Action (Olam ha-Asiyyah). [this world] and in the eternal life. As a person who stands before the multitudes, so do the scribes of Israel tremble.²⁶See tractate Eruvin 13a, where R. Yishmael instructed R. Meir, who was a scribe, “My son, be careful with your work, as it is the work of Heaven, lest you omit or add one letter and cause the destruction of the world.” Behold, I am the one laden with a great task,²⁷Perhaps it is better to translate the word “he-amus,” as “overflowing,” rather than “laden.” Many of the Netziv’s works end with this statement. The Netziv intends to attribute his great accomplishments to Divine assistance and the merit of his deep involvement in God’s service. See Harhev Davar, Lev. 26:5, where the Netziv states that it is a great blessing when the Jewish people are “he-amus” with God’s service. for my whole salvation and yearning is with her [the Torah].²⁸II Sam. 23:5 and Isa. 62:4.