Batiya Miryam Epstein - niece and 2nd wife of the Netziv of Volohzin & Mother of Meir Bar-Ilan
Batiya Miryam, the Rabbi's wife, named in Litvak Yiddish "The Rebetzin Bashe Mirl", was the second spouse of HANAZIV. She was a vital and powerful woman in her nature, character and energy. She stood by her husband's side and was of most significant assistance both in his private life as well as in the Rabbi's public activities, for more than twenty years.
Long before her ascendance to the Volozhin Rabbinical sphere she was already a remarkable person. As a young girl she was very unusual and unlike most young women, she possessed an intense enthusiasm and devotion to the Torah, thoughtful outlook on life and extra ordinary energy.
Bashe Mirl was born in Bobruysk to her father; Yekhiel Mikhael Haleyvi Epstein, the prodigious Rabbi. She was brought up in Novozikow, where her father became the town’s Rabbi. When she arrived to the age of matrimony, several young Jewish men from the wealthiest and most respected families asked for her hand in marriage. It was not surprising since she was good looking, intelligent, well educated and with good manners. She read and spoke Hebrew and knew in a certain measure the Russian language.
It turned out that those men did not impress the young maiden. She told her parents that she does not want a groom who will bring her richness, pleasures, beauty or bravery. Her single desire is to marry a scholar who dedicates his life to the Torah and Holy Scriptures.
Despite her pleas she became engaged and married a decent young man, son of a very well off family in the town of Tshernigov. He promised to dedicate all his time to Torah study according to his young wife's demands prior to their marriage.
A short time passed since the wedding and Bashe Mirl realized that her husband was reading some times in the holy books, but he did not posses any real wisdom inside him, and he had little ambition, he did not wish and maybe was unable to become a erudite scholar. The young wife stood up and told her husband and her father in law, that she is not ready to pass her life in house of richness and honor, but where Torah is absent. So she has to ask for a divorce.
She never wore the jewelry and she did not touch any of the beautiful dresses she received as gifts. When she was asked she perpetually claimed that she has nothing against her husband or his family, she was simply unable to live with an unlearned person. Her husband refused to grant her a divorce. Batiya – Mirl decided to leave his house and his town, and one day she did it.
The Russian law at that time allowed the husband to find and bring home his runaway wife accompanied by police escort. The husband with his father used this law and the police began a search for the rebel wife. She did not return to her parents' home, and she was hiding out for months until she had obtained the divorce. The parents were looking at their daughter behavior as very abnormal.
“Why are you leaving a fortune and a house full of worldly goods without a sufficient reason?”
Her parents and relatives asked “What will your prospective be as a runaway bride?”, Her answer to them was;
- “I would rather marry poor, undistinguished person or even an old man, but never someone who would neglect the Torah studies, because such a person, though he might be honored by some other people, I, Batia-Miryam, despise such people.”
In those days HANAZIV’s first wife passed away. A Yeshiva emissary from Volozhin, rabbi Dov from Slutsk, happened to visit the region where Bashe Mirl’s family lived. He was acquainted with the parents of the now famous divorcee.
Rabbi Dov from Slutsk heard the amazing story of the young woman whom despite her beauty, her youth and her intelligence, would prefer a life of poverty with Torah learned and God- fearing pauper instead of affluent and honored life with a Torah ignorant man. He immediately went to her parents' house to speak with them. He especially pleaded with her mother Mikhla who was the younger sister of the proposed groom, Hanaziv. He laid out his suggestion that their daughter should be married to the renowned Yeshiva head. Both of them, Mother and father became angry hearing the proposition of a match for their beautiful young daughter and an old man, thirty years older than the would be bride. However such a negative opinion on the subject was only expressed in discussions that her parents had.
She had never seen her old uncle, but his knowledge and erudition was renowned over the entire Jewish World, so she knew about him. "I should be dust at his feet; I will be his daughter and servant, should he only spread his wings over me. There cannot be more happiness for me as to be wife of this prodigy. Old age and hard life would do no harm to me if I only had the chance to be this Giant of the Torah – partner in life".
The emissary returned to Volozhin and suggested the marriage before the Rabbi. He did not finish to describe his proposition when he was interrupted by Hanaziv: Is it possible that a woman 30 years younger than I, and accustomed to the life of a big city, would consent to come to me?. I do not want to embark on fresh and altered way of life, and how could I do such evil did to the blood from my blood, to my sister's daughter?
But the emissary was very tenacious; he didn't stop to travel from Volozhin to Novozikov back and forth until a meeting was held in Molodetshno. And that is how a wonderful woman became the wife of a Rabbi of Volozhin – the "Volozhiner Rebetzin", Hanatziv's spouse.
As immense as her love for the Torah, equal became her love for charity work and justice. She was able to seat for many hours without a move hearing the voice and melody of the Torah study. She herself would persevere on the Holy Scriptures. Despite her continuous occupation with her house hold affairs and especially with the Yeshiva, she never subtracted her "day" of Psalms, and at the Shabbat days she would read two pages "Mikrah" and three "Unklos" Translations, also in Russian and German languages.
The Rebetzin was aware of all the troubles that the Yeshiva students encountered. She would always search for solutions to their problems. And when they complained she would comfort the young men by telling them of the bright future that awaited them when they would be rich in spirits and in Torah knowledge.
In case of serious illness, she would invite physicians' specialists from a big town and bring them into Volozhin to cure the sick Yeshiva students. So it's not a surprise that the young woman became renowned for her benevolence and energy.
The affection for the Rabbi's wife was fully demonstrated during her malady. The alarmed doctors could not find a remedy for her ilness. Hundreds of Volozhin men and women mingled with the Yeshiva students in a gathering . They cried, prayed and asked the Almighty who possessed healing gifts to save the beloved woman. A new name was added to her birt name; she was now called Haya-Batia-miryam. The crisis passed during the same evening. Healed she rose up that night.
Soon after their marriage Hanaziv asked her if she would consent to go with him to the Land of Israel. She agreed with enthusiasm, she would go not only to die there but to live in the Promised Land side by side with her great husband.
She came to Erets Israel, but not with him. Bashe Mirl ascended to the Holy Land years after her husband passed away. She lived there surrounded by her children and grand children.
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