Exclusive: What Did the Prime Minister's Grandfather Write?

On the occasion of the start of the new semester, "Zman Elul" in the yeshiva world, the words of Rabbi Nathan Mileikovsky, the grandfather of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were quoted yesterday in the newspaper "Yated Ne'eman".

Rabbi Mileikovsky studied for many years at the Volozhin Yeshiva in Lithuania until he joined the Zionist movement.

The newspaper quotes the words of our sages, the Baalei Tosafot: "The path of one who goes to study is to become great in Torah." The paper excitedly notes that "among the vast armies of yeshiva students, there also stand young men, graduates of institutes, who have left broken cisterns, abandoned a world of vanity and nonsense, and have joined the yeshiva students. They prove that none are forsaken, and the blessing of the Torah 'for it shall not be forgotten from his descendants' holds true and accompanies all those whose feet retrace their steps back to Mount Sinai, where their forefathers stood."

Later in the article, the words of Rabbi Nathan Mileikovsky, the grandfather of the current Prime Minister, are quoted. Rabbi Mileikovsky used to document his memories from the Volozhin Yeshiva:

"I will never forget Klimovichi. He would often rise early, retrieve a small letter from his box—a response from his father to his first letter, which apparently lamented the conditions at the yeshiva. His father, deeply concerned, wrote back, and the son would read it each time with tears and excitement,

The letter read: 'My son, do not leave Volozhin... The sacred walls of the yeshiva, the tables and pillars are imbued with sound logic, deep thought, and noble ideas, sufficient for anyone under their shelter to become great and wise.' And here the father continues with stirring words demonstrating his love for the Torah: 'I will send you money, my precious son! We will sell the cow and immediately send you eight rubles. Next week, I have decided to go work digging the canal at the landowner's estate. It is a long canal that will provide work for a long time.'

'All the local peasants work there indeed, and it will not be so easy for me, a Jew from the beit midrash and store, to work with them... However, for you, my son at Volozhin, I will do everything, and it will not be difficult for me. Even your mother is looking for a buyer for her jewelry. If Hashem wills, we will sell the jewelry and send you the money, just study, my son, study!'"