Volozhin
HaRav Yosef Segal, author of "Toras HaLeviim," born in Volozhin, says that not even on Seder night did the sound of Torah cease in the yeshiva. Study shifts kept the vigil while he made the seder. When he finished, he took his turn in the beis medrash so that the first shift could make their seder. There is testimony to the fact that the Netziv himself made the seder with the yeshiva students.
Yitzchok bar Yehuda (his original name was Bershkovsky from Validkovisk) tells in the name of his father, HaRav Yehuda Bershkovsky, a student in Yeshivas Knesset Yisroel in Chevron, of one Pesach in Yeshiva Volozhin:
"Each year before Pesach, the yeshiva administration would allocate a sum of five Russian dollars to any talmid in need of money for travel expenses in order to spend the yom-tov with family. One time, a group which had received this sum decided that they needed this money more for decent clothing and shoes bought on the black market. They thought they would instead spend the yom-tov, especially the seder, with local families in Volozhin.
"To their dismay, they could not find baalebatim to host them. Came Seder night, they gathered in the yeshiva hall and began studying together in the special Volozhin niggun.
"It was the custom of the Netziv to immerse himself in a mikveh before commencing the seder. To his utter amazement, when he passed by the doors of the yeshiva hall he heard the sound of Torah study. Consumed by curiosity, he went in. All those present stood up for him.
"He immediately understood the problem and gave orders to bring live chickens to the yeshiva. The shochet was summoned. Ten women of the town were called upon to prepare kneidlach and cook up a festive meal. Thereupon, the Netziv joined the group in fervent study until the meal was all ready and then he began the joint seder with the students.
"The Netziv delivered a shiur in a heightened atmosphere, the likes of which were hardly matched at any other time. And then the seder began, right in the yeshiva hall. It carried on until the following morning, similar to what is related in the Haggadah itself."
Bar Yehuda continues to tell,
"My father was very moved as he related this and said: One who did not experience such a seder in Yeshivas Volozhin, never saw a joyous seder in his whole life. He felt it a tremendous merit to have participated in it and to truly fulfill the mitzvah of rejoicing with the festival. He maintained this custom of studying Torah before the seder for the rest of his life. After this, the yeshiva administration decided to allot the students enough money for clothing, shoes and travel fare to go home to their families.'
The Netziv
Other Sedorim in Volozhin
In his book Avi Hayeshivos, Rav Dov Eliach writes that in the time of the Netziv close to half of the 4-500 talmidim of the yeshiva remained for Pesach. The Seder was held in the home of the Rosh Yeshiva, the Netziv.
Hundreds of talmidim were in attendance and at their head officiating was the Netziv dressed in white like an angel, conducting the seder with a rare kedushah. In explaining the Haggadah he would weave in the insights of the rishonim and the acharonim, which were eventually collected in his commentary on the Haggadah named Imrei Shefer. After this was printed up the Netziv would give out copies at the seder.
The residents of Volozhin, after completing their own sedorim, would stream to the beis HaRav to listen or just to bask in the holy atmosphere. Upon finishing the formal Haggadah the Netziv would break out in song, Atoh bechartonu, and all the talmidim would join in until all were carried upon the spirit of the occasion.
Afterward they would go to the beis medrash where they would learn until vosikin.
Chag kosher vesomayach.
