Today’s Yahrtzeits & History – 10-11 Teves

Zecharia ben Berachya ben Ido Hanavi (320 or 313 BCE)

Malachi Hanavi (320 or 313 BCE). His death ended the era of prophecy.

Rav Yehuda Eilenberg, author of Minchas Yehudah (1610)

Rav Nosson Sternhartz of Breslav, author of Likutei Halachos (1844). As a young man, he lived in Nemirov, nine miles north of Breslav. Despite family opposition, Nosson became the disciple who recorded Nachman’s thoughts, edited his writings and wrote the early history of the Breslaver Hasidim.

Rav Meir Shalom Rabinowitz of Kalushin (1851-1901). Born to Rav Yehoshua Asher of Zelichov, the son of the Yid Hakadosh of Peshischa, he became a son-in-law of his older brother, Rav Yaakov Tzvi of Porisov, author of Atarah Lerosh Tzadik. He served as Rav of the kehhillos of Porisov, Gravlin, and Kalushin. He became Rebbe after the petira of his brither in 1889. Many of his ideas in Torah and Chassidus were recorded by his son and successor Yehoshua Alter in the sefer Nahar Shalom.

Rav Noach of Hordishitz (1903)

Rav Raphael Wexelbaum, R osh Yeshiva of Itri

Rav Yechezkel Halshtuk, the Ostrovtzer Rebbe (1887-1942). Born to Rav Meir Yechiel, founder of the court of Ostrovtze (Ostrowiec), a town which lies along the Kamienna River , a tributary of the Vistula, and which is situated in the Polish highlands just north of the Swietokrzyskie Mountains . At 18, Reb Yechezkel married Rebbetziin Beila Mirel, daughter of Rav Naftali of Meilitz, who was a grandson of Rav Naftali of Ropshitz. In 1911, he was appointed Rav of the town of Inovlodz , and 10 years later, he was appointed Rav of Nashelsk. He succeeded his father as Rebbe after the latter’s petira in 1928. He founded a yeshiva named Beis Meir, in honor of his father. He and 20 of his Chasidim were murdered by the Nazis during davening on the night of Asesers BeTeves. His Rebbetzein, 7 sons, and one son-in-law were all murdered by the Nazis.Some of his writings were published after the war under the name Kodshei Yechezkel.

Rav Shabsai Yogel, born in Piask , Russia (1875-1957). After studying in Eishishock as a youngster, he learned at Volozhin until it was closed by the Russian authorities, at which time he returned to Piask until he married Liba Kletzkin from Slonim. He then moved to Slonim and learned in one of the Novardok kollelim. In 1906, he was asked to head the Slonim yeshiva, founded by Rav Shlomo Zalman Kahana in 1816. The yeshiva’s first rosh yeshiva was Rav Avraham Weinberg, who later became the founder of the Slonimer chassidic dynastry. In 1929, Rav Shabsai visited Yisrael for the first time; two months later, his son Shlomo perished in the Chevron massacres. During the early years of WW2, Rav Shabsai and his family moved to Eretz Yisrael. Since the yeshiva in Slonim was destroyed by the Nazis, he rebuilt in. He decided to do so in Ramat Gan , which at that time was a spiritual wasteland.

Rav Avraham Abba Leifer, the Pittsburgher Rebbe, the Admor of Petersburg-Ashdod (1989). Author of Emunas Avraham, son of Rav Yosef (Tzidkas Yosef), and son-in-law of Rebbe Issamar of Nadvorna. His son, Mordechai Yissacher Dov Ber Leifer of Pittsburg , is author of Pisgamei Oraisa.

Today in History – 10 Teves

· Siege of Yerushalayim by Nebuchadnezer begins, 424 BCE (or 586BCE)
· Beneyahu son of Yehoyada of Kavtze’eil struck down the two commanders of Moav, and slew a lion in the middle of a well on a snowy day. (Targum Rav Yosef on Divrei Hayamim I 11:22).
· The first masechta — Gemora Brachos — was printed by Joshua Soncino, 1483. It included Rashi, Tosefos, Piskei Tosefos, and the meforshim of the Rambam and Mordechai ben Hillel.
· The decree for the elimination of Jews from German economic life took effect, 1939.
· 3,000 Jews killed in Bucharest riots, 1941.
· Warsaw Jews were forbidden to greet a German in public, 1941.

Yahrtzeits – 11 Teves

Rav Moshe of Ostraha, author of Arugas Habosem (1784).

Rav Shlomo Eiger, Rav of Posen, author of Gilyon Maharsha, son of Rav Akiva Eiger. (1851)

Rav Shlomo Zalman Ullman of Makava, author of Yerios Shlomo (1865). Son of Rav Shalom Charif, Rav Shlomo Zalman served as Rav of Rendick for two years and of Makova , Hungary , for 39 years. He fought against any inroads of the Reform movement for much of his life. At the end of his sefer, Rav Shlomo Zalman added Kuntres Beis Yad, where he expounds on fourteen differences in the sugya of eid echad neeman b’issurim. This kuntres is the basis of many of the halachos os issur ve’heter.

Rav Yehoshua Horowitz of Dzikov, author of Ateres Yeshua. (1912)

Dovid Twersky of Zlatipoli (1914). The oldest son of Rav Tochanan of Rachmistrivke, the son of Rav Mordechai of Chernobyl . Reb Dovid married Rebbetzin Bas-Tzion Tzipora Feiga, daughter of Rav Aharon of Karlin. With his father’s petira, Rav Dovid became Rebbe in Rachmistrivke, along with his brothers, but moved his court to Zlatipoli.

Rav Moshe Bergman, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Avi Ezri-Yeshivas Rashbi in Bnei Brak. (1977). He was succeeded by his son, Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman.

Rav Dovid Kronglass, Mashgiach of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore (1973). Was one of the very top Talmidim of the Mirrer Yeshiva in Poland. During the World War II Holocaust, he traveled with the yeshiva across the Eurasian continent to Kobe, Japan and Shanghai, China. After the war, he came to the United States and was given the position of Mashgiach of the (relatively) new 12 year old Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore. He delivered a weekly Sichas Mussar and taught the highest daily Gemara Shiur. He authored the sefer “Divrei Dovid”: a collection of Iyunim on Seder Zeraim, and a set of five Kuntraisim of essays on various Torah topics.

Rav Yaakov Yosef Shlomo Halperin (1902-1984), the Vasloi Rebbe. Born in Rendken, near Vasloi , Romania , he was the grandson of the first Vasloier Rebbe, Rav Shalom Halperin. He moved from Romania to Eretz Yisrael in 1950, following his father’s own aliya earlier that year. He settled in Haifa , then moved to Nahariya one year later. He moved to Tel Aviv in 1955. His father was niftar in 1957. Rav Yaakov Yosef himself was succeeded by his son Rav Avraham Shimshon Shalom, who lives in Bnei Brak.

Rav Shmuel Dovid Tzvi Mayer (known as Rav Dovid Hersh), menahel of Yeshiva Beis Binyamin in Stamford , Connecticut . (2003)

Today in History – 11 Teves

· The Jews of Mezhibizh were saved from pogroms by the Cossacks, thanks to a Jew named Mordechai, whose wife was named Esther. The day was established as “Purim Mezhibuzh.” The Apter Rav (who later in life lived in Mezhibuzh) refused to say tachanun on this day, 1647.
· Jews of Austria expelled, 1667.
· Yiddish writers and other Jewish cultural figures were executed in the Soviet Union on the “Night of the Murdered Poets”, 1952.
· Germany agrees to provide Holocaust reparations, 1952.
· Operation Coresh begins immigration of Iranian Jews, 1952.

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