Birth and yahrtzeit of Yosef ben Yaakov Avinu (1561-1451 BCE).
Rav Shmuel ben Yechiel of Cologne, killed by Crusaders.
-Rav Nachman of Horodenka, one of the first close colleagues of the Baal Shem Tov, whose mechutan he later became. His grandson was Rav Nachman of Breslav. In 1764, he emigrated to the Holy Land, and settled in Tiveria. The following year (1765), he passed away and was buried there. (According to “Aliyos to Eretz Yisrael,” he was already in Eretz Yisrael in 1750, and he passed away in 1772.)
-Rav Mordechai Zeev Itinger, co-author of Mefarshei Hayam (1863)
-Rav Avraham Twersky, the Trisker Maggid (1802-1889), whose drashos are recorded in his sefer Magen Avraham. He was one of eight sons of Rav Mordechai of Chernobyl and was Rebbe for 50 years.
-Reb Elimelech Gavriel (Mike) Tress (1909-1967).
-Rav Paltiel Friend (2003). Born in the 1920s, Reb Paltiel grew up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn and attended Mesivta Torah Vodaas, becomimg a talmid of Rav Dovid Leibowitz. When Rav Dovid left to form Yeshiva Chafetz Chaim, Rav Paltiel left with him. In the late 1960s, the rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Chafetz Chaim, Rav Henoch Leibowitz zt”l, was approached by the small Torah community in Montreal asking for his help in starting a yeshiva in their city. Rav Henoch appointed Rav Paltiel to be a rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Mercaz HaTorah. In the 1970s, he was again approached by Rav Henoch Leibowitz to assume the role of masmich of Chafetz Chaim. In his later years, together with Rav Avraham Ginzberg, he formed a Senior Kollel of talmidim of the yeshiva.
Today in History – 2 Tammuz
· The sun stood still in Givon and the moon in Emek Ayalon for Yehoshua in the war against the kings from the south, 1270 B.C.E.
· 12 Jews of Cologne martyred, 1266.
· First printed edition of the Sefer Hachinuch, 1523. (Some say 13 Tammuz)
· Rabbi Menashe b. Yisrael petitioned for permission to practice Judaism in England, 1656. Permission was debated by the Council of State who couldn’t reach a final decision. Nevertheless, the authorities closed their eyes to Jewish immigration which began to trickle into the country.
· An Auto da Fe was held in honor of the marriage of Carlos II to Louis Marie d’Orleans, 1680. It lasted 14 hours and was the last time that a “royal” Auto da Fe was held. The king himself set light to the quemadero (burning place).
{Yahrtzeits licensed to Matzav.com by Manny Saltiel and Anshe.org/Matzav.com Newscenter}
An aside note for the readers today. Open orthodoxy is a misnomer. The reality is that it is oval orthodox. They are trying to refine freedom of Torah for the orthodox limit of non-chalant reasoning. It is oval because Torah is a round life but they want to be skewed. Torah is not exactly an “open” experience but these who call themselves Open Orthodoxy are really fish without a sea of human trust in G-d. They want their piece of good will and they want their better homes. They want good hands and good feelings. But they fail to concede that Torah is a faster process of Torah learning. Ultimately, the way of change and growth in Torah is slow. These people do not want to take the time to learn Torah. They want to run fast to the easiest grave in sight that is just a little more remorseful than the conservative jewish gravestone. A field of dreams perhaps for the little “open” mood of time. What we really need is open orthodox minds. B’Shalom
To Anonymous: You mean well but I don’t understand a word you’re saying. B’Shalom U’Bracha.
An interesting story about the Trisker maggid zy”o,whose yohrtsait is today…There was a certain deadly desease r”l spreading through a certain town in Poland and the inhabitants did not know what to do to stop it,as it had already claimed some victims.They decided to invite the Trisker maggid to visit them over shabbos without telling him that they were suffering from a pandemic…Upon his arrival they cried to him that they were suffering a terrible mageifoh,and he should help them.He called for the shamesh of the shull and instructed him to open the Oroin Hakoidesh and to call into it that Avrohom ben Faige is here !.This was done,and shortly afterwards the plague halted…V’hamageifoh ne’etsoroh…