Bidspirit auction | “Lif’ol inyanim u’nisim nifla’im —

“Lif’ol inyanim u’nisim nifla’im — hepech sidur kochos hateva” Nefesh HaChaim, Vilna–Grodna 1824 — First Edition Nefesh HaChaim, the yesod’dike sefer of deep inyonei taharas halev, deveikus, yirah, and the inner avodah of a Yid, authored by the gaon haEloki R’ Chaim of Volozhin, talmid muvhak of the Vilna Gaon — printed here in its first edition. Among the most famous passages in the entire sefer is the well-known segulah of “Ein od milvado.” In Shaar Gimmel, perek 12, R’ Chaim writes words that became etched into the mesorah of Klal Yisrael: “…This is truly a great inyan and a wondrous segulah — to remove and nullify from upon oneself all dinim and all other forces that seek to rule over him and leave no impression whatsoever — when a person firmly establishes in his heart to say: Hashem Hu HaElokim Ha’emes, and there is absolutely no other koach in the world besides Him… And he may even decree and it will be fulfilled — lif’ol inyanim u’nisim nifla’im, hepech sidur kochos hateva…” A promise of yeshuah that generations of gedolim treated with the utmost seriousness. It is related in the mesorah of Brisk — descendants of R’ Chaim — that the Brisker Rav, R’ Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik, was saved during the war through this very segulah!  While Nazi patrols were combing the streets and it was forbidden for residents to leave their homes, the wagon driver transporting the Rav lost his way and wandered for hours through the city. Miraculously, “eyes they had but did not see” — and they passed unharmed. His son, R’ Dovid Soloveitchik, would recount that this occurred in the zechus of the segulah of Nefesh HaChaim, which the Brisker Rav was repeating in his heart the entire time. R’ Meshulam Dovid would often quote this passage and point to its sources (see Shiurei R’ Meshulam Dovid HaLevi, Derush veAggadah, p. 137). Before us is the sefer of this great gaon and tzaddik, who merited to stand before the Vilna Gaon — and who assures in these very pages that one who lives with this clarity acquires for himself a magen olam, beyond the reach of any ra, and can merit nissim above derech hateva!