Today in Jewish History

[olger]

I ain't real impressed with them towel heads.

g

[phkrause]

Shevat 22

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, Poland (1787-1859), the great chassidic leader known as the Kotzker Rebbe. He was said to be completely uncompromising in the quest for faith, honesty and truth. He abhorred rote piety, and taught his followers that they must renew their quest for self-knowledge and truth on a daily basis. He is known for his sharp wit and catchy phrases, for example: "Where is God? Wherever you let Him in."

pk

[phkrause]

23 Shevat

On this date in 1918, the Jewish Legion left England to join the Allies in liberating Palestine from the Turks. Four years earlier, Zev Jabotinsky had proposed that a Jewish legion be formed, but the British resisted the idea of Jewish volunteers fighting on the Palestinian front; this led instead to the establishment of the Zion Mule Corps. Meanwhile, Jabotinsky pursued his project of a Jewish Legion, which was eventually designated as the 38th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers. It included British volunteers, members of the former Zion Mule Corps, a large number of Russian Jews, and later joined by a large number of American volunteers. A few years later, the Jewish Legion was demobilized by the anti-Zionist British Military Administration. Yet it would be remembered as the first organized Jewish fighting force since Roman times, and a precursor to the Israeli Defense Force (IDF).

pk

[phkrause]

24 Shevat

In 354 BCE, the prophet Zechariah predicted the rebuilding of Zion, as recorded in the biblical Book of Zechariah (1:7). King Darius of Persia had given permission to rebuild the second Holy Temple, and Zechariah rebuked the people for not quickly taking the opportunity to do so.

pk

[phkrause]

25 Shevat

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter (1810-1883), founder of the Mussar (Jewish ethics) movement of spiritual growth. Rabbi Salanter's approach gained popularity in Lithuania, at a time when chassidic influences were growing. The idea of Mussar is to use meditations, guided imagery, and exercises to penetrate the subconscious. In this way an individual can break through the barriers that prevent the soul from expressing its purity. Mussar books such as Path of the Just give a road map to developing traits of humility, alacrity and purity. Rabbi Salanter encouraged people to set a time every day for the study of Mussar, an idea which remains popular until today.

pk

[phkrause]

27 Shevat

In 1583, a convert to Judaism named Joseph Sanalbo was burned at the stake in Rome. In the second half of the 16th century, Jews were subject to grave Church-sponsored persecutions: Pope Julius III and Pope Clement VIII condemned the Talmud and other Hebrew writings as "obscene," "blasphemous" and "abominable" -- and ordered them all seized and burned.

pk

[phkrause]

Shevat 28

In 163 BCE, King Antiochus V lifted the siege of Jerusalem. The day was observed in subsequent years as a holiday. Antiochus V was only nine years old when he became head of the Seleucid dynasty, following the death of his father Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the oppressor of the Jews who provoked the Maccabees' revolt.

pk

[phkrause]

Shevat 29

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Noson Tzvi Finkel (1849-1927), better known as the Alter of Slobodka (a town in Lithuania). He was a master at bringing out the potential of every individual, encouraging students to refine their character and become great in both scholarship and ethics. Many of his disciples, who studied at his famed Slobodka Yeshiva, became major leaders of 20th century Judaism -- Rabbis Yitzhak Hutner, Yaakov Kamenetzky, Aaron Kotler, Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, Yechezkel Sarna, and Elazar M. Shach. His own son, Eliezer Yehudah Finkel eventually became dean of the famed Mir Yeshiva, today located in Jerusalem and the largest yeshiva in the world with 5,000 students.

On this date in 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, killing all seven crew members aboard, including Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon. During his 16 days in space, Ramon defied gravity by lifting his country from the morass of terror, by making Jews feel connected and proud. Ramon's space luggage included a small Torah scroll that had survived Bergen-Belsen. He also brought along a mezuzah adorned with barbed wire -- symbolizing the Nazi concentration camps -- in tribute to his mother who survived Auschwitz and his grandfather who was murdered there. On board the Shuttle, Ramon ate kosher food and welcomed Shabbat with the first intergalactic Kiddush. And as he passed over Jerusalem, he recited "Shema Yisrael," the age-old declaration of Jewish faith.

pk

[phkrause]

30 Shevat

In 1667, the Jews of Rome ran the humiliating "Carnival race" for the last time. Every year, during Rome's annual carnival, scantily-clad Jews had been forced to race along the main street, while the crowd mocked them, threw trash, and reigned heavy blows. (The event often proved fatal.) As further indignity, Jews were forced to contribute financially to the operation of the Carnival. During this time, Jews were confined to living in the Roman Ghetto, a walled quarter with three gates that were locked at night. The Jews were subjected to other degradations, including having to attend compulsory Catholic sermons on Shabbat. Outside the ghetto, Jews were required to wear identifying yellow clothing.

pk

[phkrause]

1 Adar

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra (1089-1164), famed biblical commentator. He was born in Tudela during the height of Spain's Golden Age. When anti-Semitism flared, he was forced to flee to Rome, and later to Egypt. He also wrote dozens of books on astronomy, astrology and mathematics.

Adar 1 is also the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shabsai HaKohen Katz (1622-1663), author of a classic commentary on the Code of Jewish Law (Shulchan Aruch). Katz is known popularly as the Shach, an acronym of his commentary, "Sifsei Kohen." He lived in Poland where he was forced to flee from the Cossack pogroms. The Shach died at age 41 in Germany.

pk

[phkrause]

PKRAUSE

WOW so many wrote bookS....I guess they

wanted to save the JEWISH teachings

dgrimm60

Yes they did dgrimm!

pk

[phkrause]

3 Adar

In 350 BCE, the building of the second Holy Temple was completed in Jerusalem, as recorded in the biblical Book of Ezra (6:15). The re-building of the Temple had begun under Cyrus when the Persians first took over the Babylonian empire. The re-building was then interrupted for 18 years, and resumed with the blessing of Darius II, the Persian king whom is said to be the son of Esther. The Second Temple lacked much of the glory of the First Temple: There was no Ark of the Covenant, and the daily miracles and prophets were no longer part of the scenery. The Second Temple would stand for 420 years, before being destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.

pk

[phkrause]

4 Adar

Yahrtzeit of Menachem Begin (1913-1992), prime minister of Israel. Prior to the creation of the state, Begin became leader of the Irgun and used militant means to force the British government to withdraw from Palestine. In the Knesset, Begin led the opposition party for decades, before being elected prime minister in 1977. Begin negotiated the Camp David Accords with Anwar Sadat of Egypt, for which he was awarded the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize. Begin is also remembered for his conviction to Jewish tradition (he was known to consult with great rabbis and to walk to meetings on Shabbat), and his resolve to defend the Jewish people from another Holocaust (Begin had lost his parents and a brother to the Nazis), which factored greatly in his decision to bomb the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981.

pk

[LifeHiscost]

All throughout history dgrimm. The Jews have never know peace, except for little time's here and there. But yet they get themselves up, dust themselves off and go on, without asking for anyone to give them anything.

pk

That would be a result of this, would it not?

"The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying,

Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house. "Ezekiel 12:1,2 KJV

Of course, there is a lot more that goes along with this from the same chapter, and it really tells the story of mankind and is about ready to come to a welcome conclusion for some, and an unwelcome conclusion for others.

Blessings!!

[LifeHiscost]

2 Kislev

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Aharon Kotler (1892-1962), a prominent Torah sage in Lithuania, and later in America. Rabbi Kotler studied under the famed Alter of Slabodka, and was the son-in-law of Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer. Rabbi Kotler led various efforts to rescue Jews from the Holocaust; he was instrumental in persuading Henry Morgenthau, U.S. Treasury Secretary, to risk his political career in order to help save Jews. In 1943, Rabbi Kotler founded a yeshiva in Lakewood, New Jersey, which has since grown into the largest institution of its kind in America with over 2,000 advanced-level students.

pk

Did you ever wonder, PK, how it might feel if all you had access to of your forebears was your father (divorced from your mother at about age 3), with one exception that when your grandfather died without a will, the estate ($2000) was probated to his grandchildren? It made it a lot easier to see the Father in heaven as the best place to rely on family.

There's always a silver lining.

Blessings!!

[phkrause]

In 1957, Israeli troops withdrew from the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula. This followed the Suez War of 1956, in which France, Britain and Israel teamed up to stop Egyptian interference with shipping through the Suez Canal. (The canal was a crucial trade link between Europe and the regions of India, North Africa and the Middle East; two-thirds of Europe's oil passed through the Suez Canal.) In the war, Israel was able to secure Gaza and the Sinai, but fearing a larger conflict with the Soviet Union, U.S. President Eisenhower forced a cease-fire and persuaded Israel to withdraw. In response to the Suez War, the Egyptian government expelled 25,000 Egyptian Jews and confiscated their property, and sent 1,000 more Jews to prisons and detention camps.

pk

[phkrause]

In 1273 BCE (Jewish year 2488), Moses completed his farewell address to the Jewish people, and God informed Moses that the day of his death was approaching (Deut. 31:14). Amazingly, the anniversary of Moses' completing his teaching coincides with the date in 1482 of the first printing of the standard format used for Jewish Bibles today: vowel signs, accents, translation (Targum), and Rashi commentary.

pk

[LifeHiscost]

It sounds like Shlomo the Clown...

He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines, and his wives turned away his heart from God.

1 Kings 11:2 AMP

Seems like that would be a reputable occupation for a person with that many women, but I guess he had to become a king to support his hobby. Pk, maybe you have some insight about why he is remembered like this.

"And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.

For he was wiser than all men"1 Kings 4:30,31 KJV

Perhaps the virtue of wisdom was only later lost. And God does have a promise for potential unrealized.

"“ I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins."Isaiah 43:25 NKJV

JOY!!!

[LifeHiscost]

16 Kislev

In 1946, the 22nd World Zionist Congress met in Basle, Switzerland. In the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust, Zionist leaders had lost all patience with British stonewalling about the creation of a Jewish state. Thus the Zionists decided to forcibly resist British policy, and Jewish underground movements redoubled their campaign to damage British installations such as rail lines, police stations and army bases. In one night in 1946, Ben Gurion's Hagana blew up 12 critical bridges. The efforts were largely successful, and by 1947 Britain declared its intention to withdraw, thus leading to the UN Partition Plan of November 1947.

pk

Not arguing for the right or wrong of the actions taken for either side, it certainly seems, depending upon where you were sitting at the time of the explosions, like terrorism started long before the Taliban or El-Quaeda existed.

"For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind"Hosea 8:7 KJV

Regards!!

[phkrause]

Originally Posted By: pkrause

16 Kislev

In 1946, the 22nd World Zionist Congress met in Basle, Switzerland. In the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust, Zionist leaders had lost all patience with British stonewalling about the creation of a Jewish state. Thus the Zionists decided to forcibly resist British policy, and Jewish underground movements redoubled their campaign to damage British installations such as rail lines, police stations and army bases. In one night in 1946, Ben Gurion's Hagana blew up 12 critical bridges. The efforts were largely successful, and by 1947 Britain declared its intention to withdraw, thus leading to the UN Partition Plan of November 1947.

pk

Not arguing for the right or wrong of the actions taken for either side, it certainly seems, depending upon where you were sitting at the time of the explosions, like terrorism started long before the Taliban or El-Quaeda existed.

"For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind"Hosea 8:7 KJV

Regards!!

Good point LHC, you could probably go as far back as Abraham to find terrorist activity!

pk

[phkrause]

7 Adar

Yahrtzeit of Moses in 1273 BCE (Jewish year 2488), on the same day of his birth 120 years earlier. (Consequently, "May you live to 120" has become a common Jewish blessing.) Moses was born in Egypt at a time when Pharaoh had decreed that all Jewish baby boys be drowned in the Nile River. His mother set him afloat in a reed basket, where he was -- most ironically -- discovered by Pharaoh's daughter and brought to Pharaoh's palace to be raised. When Moses matured, his heart turned to aid the Jewish people; he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Jew, and he fled to Midian where he married and had two sons. God spoke to Moses at the Burning Bush, instructing him to return to Egypt and persuade Pharaoh to "let my people go." Moses led the Jews through the ten plagues, the Exodus, and the splitting of the Red Sea. Seven weeks later, the Jews arrived at Mount Sinai and received the Torah, the only time in human history that an entire nation experienced Divine revelation. Over the next 40 years, Moses led the Jews through wanderings in the desert, and supervised construction of the Tabernacle. Moses died before being allowed to enter the promised Land of Israel. He is regarded as the greatest prophet of all time.

pk

[phkrause]

8 Adar

Yahrtzeit of Levi Eshkol (1895-1969), the third prime minister of Israel. Eshkol led the country during the momentous Six Day War, when Israel staved off five Arab armies and reunited the capital city Jerusalem. Born in a small village near Kiev, Ukraine, Eshkol made aliyah at age 19. As prime minister, he worked to improve foreign relations, establishing diplomatic contact with West Germany, and also cultural ties with the Soviet Union which allowed some Soviet Jews to immigrate to Israel. Eshkol is also known for implementing the National Water Carrier system.

pk

[phkrause]

9 Adar

Adar 9 is the traditional date of the first controversy between the talmudic academies of Hillel and Shammai. In the first century CE, Roman persecution of the Jews led to a weakening of Torah education channels, and two separate rabbinic schools came into being, each developing its own set of customs. However, the Hillel and Shammai academies worked together in a spirit of mutual cooperation that prevented any schism from forming in the Jewish world.

pk

[phkrause]

10 Adar

In 1980, Israel and Egypt exchanged ambassadors, marking a new era of cordial, if cold, diplomacy. In 1973, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat had orchestrated an attack on Israel in the Yom Kippur War, but after suffering defeat he became resigned to Israel's existence. In 1977, Sadat and Menachem Begin signed the Camp David Peace Agreement, for which they received the Nobel Peace Prize. Much of the Arab world was outraged by Sadat's overtures toward Israel, and he was assassinated by a Muslim extremist in 1981.

pk

[phkrause]

11 Adar

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai (1724-1807), a great Sephardic sage known by the acronym "Chida." He was born in Jerusalem, and for many years served as a roving emissary for Jews in Israel, traveling to hundreds of Jewish communities throughout Europe and North Africa to raise money. Chida studied under the Ohr HaChaim, and wrote some 70 works of Jewish commentary and law, including the famous Birkei Yosef. He also served for a time as chief rabbi of Egypt. He died in Italy, and was later re-interred to his beloved Jerusalem.

pk