Rav Mordechai ben Hillel, the “Mordechai” (~1230-1298). A descendent of the Ravyah, he was a principle disciple of the Maharam miRottenberg, and a close friend of the Rosh. The Mordechai cites views of French and German authorities and brings the piskei halacha of the Tosefos without the discussion. He, his wife, and their five children were all burned at the stake during the Rindfleisch pogroms, when over 100,000 Jews in Bavaria and Austria were murdered, and well over 100 communities disappeared.
Rav Meir HaGadol of Premishlan. One of the closest Chasidim of the Baal Shem Tov, his grandson (also Reb Meir) became more famous than he. (1773)
Rav Eliyahu HaKohen Dushnitzer, Mashgiach of Lomza Yeshiva in Petach Tikva (1949). He authored Nachalas Eliyahu. He was involved with the famous dybuk story, which also involved the Chafetz Chaim.
Rav Shmuel Meyuchas of Yerushalayim (1771)
Today in History – 22 Av
· 16 Jews were burned to death in Toledo, Spain, 1488.
· First printing of Shulchan Aruch Orech Chaim, 1555 (in Eretz Yisrael).
· After evicting the Jews from Vienna, Leopold I sold the Jewish Quarter, which was then renamed Leopoldstadt in his honor, for 100,000 florins, 1670. The shul and the beis medrash were turned into St. Margaret’s Church.
· Joop Westerweel, Dutch poet and educator was executed by the Nazis, 1944, for helping Jews escape.
· The U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam were destroyed leaving 256 dead and thousands wounded, 1998.
· 23 Jews died and over 130 were injured due to a suicide bomber in the number 2 bus leaving the Kosel and approaching Rechov Shmuel Hanavi. Among those murdered were Goldie Taubenfeld of Rockland County and the youngest of her 12 children, Shalom Mordechai Reinitz, a Rosh Mesivta in Sanz, and his 9 year old son, Yissacher Dov, Reb Chanoch Segal, a rebbi in Bnei Brak’s Toras Emes for 40 years, Mrs. Liba Schwartz, a 57 year-old wife of a dayan in Yerushalayim, Mrs. Feiga Dushinski, a 50 year-old woman who – together with her husband – would host 100 yeshiva boys every Shabbos, Mrs. Fruma Rachel Weitz, 73 years old, of Mattersdorf, Mrs. Lilach Kardi, a 22 year old whom lost her father at 12 andher mother at 18, and who adopted her younger brother, Yosef, and made his Bar Mitzvah, Menachem Leibel, a 24 year old talmid of Mir Yeshiva, Miriam Eisenstein, a 20 year old whojust graduated teachers’ seminary, Chava Nechama Rechnitzer, a 19 year old daughter of a magid shiur in Belz, Reb Shmuel Wolner, 52, who ran a sfarim shop in Meah Shearim, Binyamin Bergman, 15 years old, and Tehilla Nathanson, formerly of Monsey.
Today’s Yahrtzeits – 23 Av
Rav Dovid Sutton Dabbah (1885-1949). Born and raised in Aleppo, Syria, he married in 1910, and was asked to serve as the Rav of Killis, Turkey, near the Syrian border. He returned to Syria in 1916, but his wife died at the age of 25 one year later. He remarried in 1918, and left for Yerushalayim in 1924, as daily life for Jews in Syria became quite difficult. Settling in the Bucharim neighborhood, he studied at the Yeshiva Porat Yosef. Several years later, he traveled to Argentina, hoping to raise funds for the Jews of Yerushalayim. Shortly after his arrival, the leader of the Syrian community in Argentina, Rav Shaul Sutton, was niftar, and Rav Dovid was asked to succeed him. He became Rav and Av Beis Din of Buenos Aires and authored Yaaleh Hadas, chidushim on gittin and mishpatei beis din.
Rav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, the Steipler Gaon, author of Kehillas Yaakov (1899-1985). His father, Reb Chaim Peretz, was a shochet in Horensteipel. When Ren Chaim Peretz was 60 years old, his wife died, leaving him with three daughters. He asked his rebbe, Rav Mordechai Dov, the son-in-law of Rav Chaim Sanzer, whether he should remarry. On the latter’s recommendation, he married a young woman, and he fathered three sons. The oldest was Rav Yaakov Yisrael. At the age of 11, Rav Yaakov Yisrael was recruited to learn with Rav Yosef Yosel Hurvitz at Novardock. At 19, he was sent by the Alter of Novardock to head a yeshiva at Rogatshov. After a stint in the Russian army, he was appointed rosh yeshiva of Novardock at Pinsk. The Chazon Ish saught him as a husband for his sister. He authored many works, most notably Kehillas Yaakov. His son, Rav Chaim Kanievsky, is a leading Torah authority in Yisrael.
Rav Shimon Goldstein (1942-2005). Born in Williamsburg to Reb Dovid and Rochel Goldstein, he learned in Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, and was orphaned of both his parents at a young age. He resided with his grandmother for a few years. After her petirah, he moved into the Chaim Berlin dormitory as a young teenager. He became very close to the rosh yeshiva, Rav Yitzchak Hutner, who had a major hashpa’ah on his derech halimud and hashkafa. Despite his difficult situation, he was one of the happiest talmidim in the yeshiva. After his marriage, Rav Shimon continued learning in the yeshiva, and joined the staff as a rebbi three years later. Rav Shimon never left the koslei bais medrash for any other employment until the day of his petirah, a beloved eighth grade rebbi for decades.
Today in History – 23 Av
· Pogrom in Zhitomir, Russia resulted in the loss of many Jewish lives plus the life of a Russian student who tried to help the Jews, 1905
{Yahrtzeits licensed to Matzav.com by Manny Saltiel and Anshe.org/Matzav.com Newscenter}
