Yahrtzeits – 7 Tishrei
Birthday and Yahrtzeit of Zevulun ben Yaakov Avinu (1450 BCE)
Birthday of Dina bas Yaakov (2312)
Rav Dovid Oppenheim (1664-1736), born to Rav Avraham Oppenheim in Worms. When he was young, he studied in the city of Metz, under Rav Gershon Ashkenazi (author of Avodas HaGershuni), Rav Yaakov, the father of the Chacham Tzvi, and in the yeshivah of Rav Yitzchak Binyamin Wolf (author of Nachlas Binyamin). In Elul of 1689, at the ae of 25, he succeeded Rav Binyamin Banet, as rav of Nickolsburg, which included the entire state of Maherin. In 1702, he became Rav of Prague. In time, Rav Dovid was appointed rav of the entire state of Moravia and, eventually, rav of all Bohemia and served as rav in Vienna. His eventual successor as rav of Prague was the Noda B’Yehuda. His vast library serves as a tribute to his outstanding personality. The catalogue of the books in his library, published under the title, VaYikain Dovid lists hundreds of books.
Rav Avraham Calfon (1735-1819). Born in Tripoli, Libya. Actually, in those days, Libya did not exist – the region was comprised of three independent regions, Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and Fazzan. He learned under several sages, most notably the Italian gadol, Rav Malachi ben Yaakov HaKohen, author of Yad Malachi, a sefer that discusses the methodology and rules of the Shas and poskim. Blessed with wealth from both his parents and his in-laws, Rav Avraham was able to devote himself to Torah his whole life. He was appointed sheikh (president) of Tripoli’s kehillah, in 1778. By the time of Rav Avraham’s birth, Ahmed Karamanli controlled much of modern Libya. Karamanli was a member of the Sultan’s household guard, assassinated Tripoli’s evil Ottoman governor in 1711, and installed himself as a semi-independent ruler in his stead. As a result, Tripoli became a Corsair (Barbary pirate) base.
Rav Menachem Nachum of Makarov (1851), fourth of the eight sons of Rav Mordechai, the Chernobyler Maggid. He married Hinda Mattel, daughter of Rav Yosef HaLevi Horowitz, the Admor of Turchin, who in turn was the son of the Chozeh of Lublin. In 1833 he became Rebbe in the town of Makarov.
Yahrtzeits – 8 Tishrei
Rav Baruch Schneerson, father of the Baal Hatanya (1789)
Rav Noach of Lechovitz (1775-1832), son of Rav Mordechai, the founder of the Lechovitz dynasty. As he had no sons, his Chasidim were divided as to his successor: some went to his talmid, Rav Moshe of Kobrin, some to his son-in-law, Rav Mordechai, and some to his nephew Rav Shlomo Chaim of Koidenov. His divrei Torah were kept but not written alive until they were written down by the previous Slonimer Rebbe, as Toras Avos.
Rav Elazar Nissan Teitelbaum of Drohbich (Drohbitz) (1855)
Rav Shimon Sofer, Rav of Sandra and Paks (1930)
Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel of Biala (1932)
Rav Shlomo Benzion Twersky of Chernobyl (1870-1939). Son of Rav Yeshayahu Meshulam Zusha Twersky, and grandson of Rav Aharon of Tchernobyl, he was orphaned of his father at the age of 11 years. He was appointed Rebbe at his Bar Mitzvah. In 1920, after a pogrom in his city, Rav Shlomo moved to Brahin and then to Kiev.
Rav Binyamin Zeilberger, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Bais Hatalmud of Bensonhurst (1921-2005). Born in Koenigshaufen, Germany. Shortly after Pesach in 1936, he was sent to learn at the Mirrer Yeshiva in Poland, due in part to his parents fears of Hitler. He was zocheh to hear a few shmuzzen by Rav Yerucham before the mashgiach was nifter two months later. In 1939, he traveled with the Mir Yeshiva, first to Vilna, then to Japan and Shanghai. In 1947, he traveled to America to learn in the newly established Mirrer Yeshiva. Soon, he married the daughter of Rav Yisrael Chaim Kaplan, a son-in-law of Rav Yerucham. After the chasuna, Rav Binyamin joined Yeshiva Beis Hatalmud, which had recently been established by members of the Mir. There he remained as Rosh Yeshiva for decades.
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