Today in Jewish History

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16 Tammuz

In 2000, Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut was nominated as Al Gore's running mate in the presidential election, becoming the first Jew nominated for this post by a major party. Lieberman, an observant Jew, upended the conventional wisdom that to get ahead in secular society, one had to tone down his Jewishness. Indeed, Lieberman was chosen largely because of his Jewish observance, which earned him the appellation, "moral conscience of the Senate." (Lieberman helped to register black voters in the South during the 1960s, and attended Martin Luther King's historic 1963 march on Washington.) In the November 2000 presidential election, the Gore-Lieberman ticket won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College count, as the Supreme Court stepped in to decide the disputed Florida butterfly ballots. Yet the publicity surrounding Lieberman succeeded in communicating Jewish pride to millions of Americans.

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17 Tammuz

Five major catastrophes occurred in Jewish history on the 17th of Tammuz: (1) Moses broke the tablets at Mount Sinai, in response to the building of the Golden Calf. (2) The daily offerings in the First Temple were suspended during the siege of Jerusalem in the 5th century BCE. (3) Jerusalem's walls were breached, prior to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. (4) Prior to the Great Revolt, the Roman general Apostamos burned a Torah scroll -- setting a precedent for the horrific burning of Jewish books throughout the centuries. (5) An idolatrous image was placed in the Holy Temple -- a brazen act of blasphemy and desecration.

Tammuz 17 is also the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg (1923-1999), dean of the Ner Yisrael Yeshiva in Baltimore. Rabbi Weinberg descended from the Slonimer chassidic dynasty. As a youth, he studied in Tiberias, Israel where his mother's relatives lived, and later in New York under Rabbi Yitzhak Hutner. Rabbi Weinberg married the daughter of Rabbi Yaakov Yitzhak Ruderman, whom he later succeeded as dean of Ner Yisrael. Rabbi Weinberg was known for his unwavering commitment to truth, his masterful logic, and his painstaking clarity in revealing the nuance of every word in the Bible and in Maimonides' code of law. He lived with the reality of the modern world through the lens of Torah, and had supreme confidence in the Torah's ability to stand up against any philosophy or scientific theory. He produced generations of Jewish leaders, and was the mentor of his younger brother, Rabbi Noah Weinberg, the dean and founder of Aish HaTorah.

[John317]

15 Tammuz

In the Hebrew year 2448 (1312 BCE), Chur, the son of Miriam, was killed when he stood up and tried to dissuade the Israelites from building the Golden Calf.

Does that mean the Exodus was not in 1445 BCE? I guess it does, but I don't know how they arrive at the date of 1312 BC. Most Bible scholars put the date of the Exodus at either c. 1400 or c. 1200 BCE. Almost all SDA scholars believe it was about 1445 BCE.

Is Chur mentioned only in Jewish traditions? I don't recall his name or his being killed, in the Bible.

[phkrause]

Does that mean the Exodus was not in 1445 BCE? I guess it does, but I don't know how they arrive at the date of 1312 BC. Most Bible scholars put the date of the Exodus at either c. 1400 or c. 1200 BCE. Almost all SDA scholars believe it was about 1445 BCE.

Is Chur mentioned only in Jewish traditions? I don't recall his name or his being killed, in the Bible.

LOL, I think they make up stuff!

Not sure how they arrive at there years. I once talked to a Brazilian Pastor and he believes that the Jewish calendar is off by a few hundred years.

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18 Tammuz

In the Hebrew year 2448 (1312 BCE), the day after the making of the Golden Calf, Moses burned the Calf, crushed it into powder, mixed it with water, and had the Jewish people drink it. The next morning, those who had embraced the Calf were found dead, their bellies miraculously swollen from the water.

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19 Tammuz

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog (1889-1959), Chief Rabbi of Ireland and later the Chief Rabbi of Israel during the years of Israeli independence. His father was the Chief Rabbi of Paris, and his son, Chaim Herzog, was later president of Israel. Rabbi Herzog studied Oriental languages at the Sorbonne in Paris, and classics and mathematics at the University of London. His doctoral dissertation claimed that the Murex snail is the source for Techelet, the long-lost blue dye used for making tzitzit. After World War II, Herzog went on a rescue mission to redeem Jewish children from the churches and monasteries where they had been hidden during the war. Rabbi Herzog authored a book of talmudic discourses, Divrei Yitzhak.

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20 Tammuz

This date marks the passing of Theodor Herzl in 1904. Upon witnessing the Alfred Dreyfus trial in France, Herzl was so affected by the anti-Semitism and injustice, that he committed his life to vigorously pursuing the cause of Zionism. Herzl promoted his vision in two books, The Jewish State, and Old New Land, a novel which pictured the future Jewish state as a socialist utopia. Herzl coined the phrase, "If you will it, it is no dream," which became the motto of the Zionist movement. During his career as president of the World Zionist Organization, he never took a salary and paid for all expenses out of his own pocket. Herzl died, penniless, of heart disease at the age of 44. In 1949, Herzl's remains were brought to Israel and reinterred on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.

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21 Tammuz

In 1963, the State of Israel instituted a law prohibiting the raising of pigs on Jewish farms. According to Jewish law, one is not allowed to make his livelihood by dealing in non-kosher products. Beyond this, the Talmud states that one should not raise a pig, even as a pet. Why such great opposition against the pig? The answer may be rooted in the fact that the pig is the only animal in the world possessing the outward symbol of kosher (split hooves), but not the inward symbol (chewing cud). The pig therefore represents that which is kosher in outward appearance, but is in fact unclean on the inside. This type of hypocrisy is described by the Talmud as one of the behaviors that God most detests. For that moral reason, the pig is universally viewed as reprehensible to the Jew.

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22 Tammuz

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (1522-1570), a great kabbalist known by the acronym of his name, Ramak. He was born in Tzfat, Israel, to a distinguished family of Spanish descent, originally from the town of Cordova. In Tzfat, he studied with Rabbi Yosef Karo, author of the Code of Jewish Law, and he headed his own academy of mysticism, during the time of the great Arizal. Ramak's classic book, Pardes Rimonim (Garden of Pomegranates), written when he was only 26, presents the primary kabbalistic topics in an orderly system. He also authored the popular Palm Tree of Devorah, an ethical treatise devoted to the idea of emulating God. (Some sources list his yahrtzeit as Tammuz 23.)

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23 Tammuz

In 1099, Crusaders captured Jerusalem. The Crusaders were a Church-sponsored movement to "liberate the Holy Land from the infidels." (En route, the Crusaders carried out a campaign of rape and pillage; an estimated 40% of European Jewry was slaughtered in the process.) The day following their conquest of Jerusalem, the Crusaders murdered all the city's Jews, by herding them into a synagogue and setting it on fire. Jews were barred from Jerusalem for the next century. Muslims were also victims of the Crusaders, which historians believe planted a deep-seeded hatred of the West.

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24 Tammuz

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Jacob Joseph (1840-1902), one of the only "chief rabbis" of New York City. A revered leader in Lithuania, Rabbi Joseph was invited to come to America and lead a fledging group of Eastern European immigrants -- at a time when America had little infrastructure for Jewish education, kashrut, and other keys to Jewish continuity. Rabbi Joseph fought vigorously to uphold Jewish tradition, but it was an uphill battle against a Jewish community that was assimilating, and against a government that was not yet fully supportive of religious rights. Tragically, Rabbi Joseph often bore the brunt of mockery and scorn from Jews who saw him as clinging to the "old ways," and he withdrew from public life after suffering a debilitating stroke. A crowd estimated at 100,000 lined the route of his funeral; as the procession passed through an Irish neighborhood, the mourners were attacked by a barrage of bottles and buckets of water. The police were called in and over 300 Jews required medical attention. After Rabbi Joseph's death, a dispute ensued who should be his successor; it went unresolved and the office of Chief Rabbi ended.

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25 Tammuz

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Aryeh Leib Gunzberg (1695-1785), popularly known by the title of his book of responsa, Sha'ages Aryeh (the Lion's Roar). Rabbi Gunzberg was born in Minsk, served as rabbi in the town of Voluzhin and later in Metz. His writings, marked by their brilliant insight and depth, are studied widely today.

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26 Tammuz

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried (1804-1886), author of the popular Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Concise Code of Jewish Law). He was born in Carpathia, and later became a rabbi in Ungvar, Hungary. Ganzfried wrote the Concise Code to provide an easy guide to practical Jewish law, for those Jews who were not in a position to study and comprehend Rabbi Yosef Karo's original Code and its many commentaries. The Concise Code became immensely popular, and it is estimated that over two million copies have been printed. (Other sources list his yahrtzeit as Tammuz 28.)

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27 Tammuz

In 1205, Pope Innocent III published official Church doctrine that saw Jews doomed to eternal damnation for the crucifixion of Jesus. This charge of deicide was the basis for much anti-Semitism throughout the Middle Ages. It wasn't until 1963, with the Second Vatican Council, that Church doctrine was revised.

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28 Tammuz

In 1922, the League of Nations confirmed the British Mandate of Palestine, territory taken from the Ottoman Empire following World War I. The Mandate charged Britain with securing the establishment of the Jewish national home, and safeguarding the civil and religious rights of all the inhabitants of Palestine. Just a few months later, Britain decided to lop off 77% of the land and use it to establish the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan (today called Jordan). In ensuing years, Jewish immigration to Palestine created much Arab resentment, and the British responded by placing strict limitations on Jewish immigration. This policy had lethal consequences for Jews fleeing Hitler's ovens. When the British continued to placate the Arabs, for example by restricting Jewish land purchases, a revolt was organized by Zionist groups. By 1948 this pressure had forced the British out of Palestine, clearing the way for an independent State of Israel.

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29 Tammuz

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki (1040-1105), pre-eminent rabbinic commentator known by the acronym, Rashi. His commentary on the Five Books of Moses is studied till today by almost every Jewish child and adult, layman and scholar alike. And his monumental commentary on the Talmud, which appears in every standard edition, is the basis upon which nearly all Talmud study is based. Rashi lived in France, where his grandchildren composed the Tosfot commentary on the Talmud, which is second only to Rashi in being indispensable for a proper understanding of the text. Amazingly, Rashi accomplished all his work during the period of the Crusades, when life was extremely dangerous for the Jews. Just as amazing, Rashi made his living as a wine merchant, and wrote rabbinic commentaries in his spare time. Incidentally, Rashi's commentaries are the primary source of information for the study of French language and culture in the Middle Ages. The recent 900th anniversary of his death was widely commemorated in France, with public ceremonies, conferences, and a postage stamp issued in his honor.

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1 Av

Yahrtzeit of Aaron (1395-1272 BCE), the elder brother of Moses and the first High Priest of Israel. Aaron was a great prophet and righteous man, who was known for bringing peace between people. During the period of Jewish slavery in Egypt, Aaron accompanied Moses in deliberations with Pharaoh. After the giving of the Torah, when Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai and the people became impatient, Aaron worked to minimize damage from the building of the Golden Calf. All Kohanim in history are descended from Aaron; indeed, DNA research in recent years supports this tradition.

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2 Av

In 1942, the first trainload of Jews in Holland were sent to concentration camps. A few years earlier, tens of thousands of Jews had fled from Germany to Holland, which maintained an open-door immigration policy. But soon after, the Nazis occupied Holland and proceeded to make it Judenrein (clean of Jews). Perhaps the most famous Dutch Jew was Anne Frank, a teenage girl whose diary has become the most widely-read account of life during the Holocaust. In 2005, Holland's prime minister apologized for his country's collaboration with the Nazis.

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3 Av

In 1881, the first shipload of Russian Jewish immigrants arrived in New York City. This began the mass immigration of eastern European Jews to America, and in the next half-century over 2 million Jews would flee Russian pogroms for the safety of the U.S. This influx indelibly altered the demographics of American Jewry; according to the U.S. census of 1940, 1.75 million Jews spoke Yiddish at home.

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4 Av

In 333 BCE, the prophet Nechemia began to rebuild the destroyed wall around Jerusalem, as recorded in the biblical Book of Nechemia. This was a first stage in the restoration of the Jewish capital, crowned by the construction of the Second Holy Temple a few years later.

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5 Av

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yitzhak Luria Ashkenazi (1534-1572), the father of modern Kabbalah, known popularly by the acronym, Arizal. He was born in Jerusalem, and later moved to Egypt where he studied under the great sages, Radvaz and Shita Mekubetzet. At age 22, he became engrossed in the study of the Zohar, and spent the next seven years in near-total seclusion and meditation. At age 36, he moved to Tzfat in northern Israel, where his colleagues included rabbis Yosef Karo (author of the Code of Jewish Law), the kabbalist Moshe Cordovero (Ramak), Shlomo Alkabetz and Moshe Alshich. Arizal taught extensively about reincarnation and transmigration of souls. His primary student, Chaim Vital, collected Arizal's lectures into a six-volume work entitled, Aitz Chaim (Tree of Life). Arizal died at age 38, and till today his tomb in Tzfat is a place of pilgrimage and prayer.

The 5th of Av is also the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzensky (1863-1940), talmudic scholar and leader of eastern European Jewry. His father was a student of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, the founder of the Mussar ethics movement. Rabbi Grodzensky was gifted with an infallible memory (he could recite complex texts word-for-word), and he testified that he never experienced "forgetting." In the years between the World Wars, he was the central rabbinic figure in Lithuania, at that time the world center of Torah scholarship. He authored a book of responsa, entitled Achi'ezer, drawn from the thousands of questions sent to him from all parts of the world.

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6 Av

In 1656, the Jewish elders of Amsterdam issued an excommunication notice against Baruch Spinoza. Spinoza was a philosopher who postulated that God and nature are equivalent, and that the Bible is purely allegorical. Spinoza is known as the "Jewish Atheist," and he is considered the founder of modern biblical criticism. Spinoza believed that there is no Divine intervention, and that all events are fatalistically destined to occur (thus there is no free will). For these and other heretical ideas, Spinoza was officially shunned by the Jewish community.

[John317]

....Spinoza was a philosopher who postulated that God and nature are equivalent, and that the Bible is purely allegorical. .... Spinoza believed that there is no Divine intervention, and that all events are fatalistically destined to occur (thus there is no free will).

He would have gotten along just fine with many Christians and Jews today, wouldn't he? I am sure he would not be shunned today but would on the contrary be very popular indeed. I used to be really attracted to his writings.

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He would have gotten along just fine with many Christians and Jews today, wouldn't he? I am sure he would not be shunned today but would on the contrary be very popular indeed. I used to be really attracted to his writings.

LOL, I thought the same thing, just didn't want to say anything, but very true John, very true.

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7 Av

In 1920, Keren Hayesod (United Israel Appeal) was founded. Its purpose was to provide financial investment for building and developing the Jewish homeland. Over the years, Keren Hayesod has assisted in bringing 3 million immigrants to Israel and facilitating their absorption. Keren Hayesod has also helped establish and develop over 800 villages and towns in Israel. Its managing director, Leib Jaffe, was amongst those killed in 1948 by a bomb explosion in the Jewish Agency courtyard.