Cortesy of Congregation Anshe Emes, Los Angeles

The update of Jewish History of this week

YAHRTZEITS

Sunday, 16 Adar

• Rav Shalom Charif (1825). Having learned under Rav Pinchas Halevi Horowitz (the Baal Haflaah) in Frankfurt for many years, Rav Shalom became Rav and Rosh Yeshiva in Ansbach, a town in Bavaria, Germany. He later moved to Hungary and served as Rav in Stampen, Frauenkirchen, and Lankenbach. Only one of his manuscripts, Divrei Rash, on several mesechtas, has been published.
• Rav Eliezer [Eleazar] Menachem Mendel Biederman, Lelover Rav in Yerushalayim, the son of Rav Moshe Biederman (1827-1883)
• Rav Yitzchak Friedman of Boyan, founder of the Boyaner Chasidim, author of Pachad Yitzchak (1849-1917). He was the third son of Rav Avraham Yaakov of Sadigora, the son of Rav Yisrael of Rizhin. (17 Adar according to others)
• Rav Pinchas Menachem Alter, the Pnei Menachem of Ger (1926-1996). The fifth son of Rav Avraham Mordechai Alter (the Imrei Emes), Rav Pinchas was born in the resort town of Palinitz, Poland when his father was 60 years old. Along with his father and other family members, he escaped to Erezt Yisrael during World War II. In 1946, he married his cousin, and two years later, his father passed away. Three of the Imrei Emes sons became Rebbe of Ger: Rav Yisrael (the Beis Yisrael, nifter 1977), Rav Simcha Bunim (the Lev Simcha, nifter 1992), and Rav Pinchas Menachem (the Pnei Menachem). However, Rav Pinchas Menachem was Rosh Yeshiva of Sefas Emes of Ger in Yerushalayim from the time he was 30, and was head of Agudas Yisrael after the petria of Rav Yitzchak Meir Levine.

Monday, 17 Adar

• Rav Chaim Davidson (1760-1854). Born in Pinchov, he lost his father at an early age. Soon after his bar mitzvah, the Warsaw gevir, Rav Naftali Tzvi Tzinimer, made the shidduch for Rav Chaim to marry his daughter Rochel. Rav Chaim moved to Warsaw, making it his home for the next 80 years. When Hoffmann, the chief Prussian administrator of Warsaw, insisted that every Jew adopt a surname for use on official documents 1795, Reb Chaim took the name Davidson, in honor of his father. In addition to studying at the yeshiva of the Nesivos in Lissa, Rav Chaim often visited and studied with Rabbi Akiva Eiger. In the early 1800s, the Jewish population of Warsaw was skyrocketing, largely because of refugees coming in from the Ukraine and other places. From 2,519 Jews in 1765, the Jewish presence shot up to 15,000 by 1816. In 1802, the maskilim were numerous enough to open their own shul, which they named the "German Synagogue." After 1815 when Russia annexed Warsaw, a deadly partnersh ip developed between the autonomous Polish government and Haskala Jews. An edict in 1821 decreed the abolition of the kehillos, and substituted them with "Congregational Boards" consisting of the rav, his assistant, and three trustees. In 1822, Rav Chaim was chosen as one of Warsaw's three trustees and held this position for two years. After the passing of the Chemdas Shlomo in 1839, a council appointed Rav Chaim to be the new Rav of Warsaw. Thereafter, his wealthy son, Rav Naftali, supplied him with funds to continue the numerous chesed projects he had financed while he himself was a wealthy man.
• Rav Shimon Sofer, Rav and Av Beis Din of Cracow (1821-1883). Born in Pressburg, the second son of the Chasam Sofer
• Rav Yisrael Zeev Mintzberg (Minzberg), Av Beis Din of K'hal Chassidim (or Khal Masmidim) in Yerushalayim (1962)
• Rav Avraham Menachem Danziger, the ninth Admor of Alexander (1921-2005). The earliest Chasidim of Alexander followed Rav Shraga Feivel of Gritza (d. 1848) who was a close talmid of Rav Simcha Bunim of Peshischa. After Rav Shraga Feivels petira, they followed Rav Menachem Mendel of Vorki. . After his petira in 1864, they followed Rav Yechiel (1828-1894), the son of Rav Shraga Feivel. He set up court in Alexander near Lodz, Poland. Rav Yechiel had 3 sons. One of them, Rav Yerachmiel Yisrael Yitzchak, led the Alexander Chassidim from 1894 to 1910 and was the mechaber of Yismach Yisrael. After his passing, his younger brother, Rav Shmuel Tzvi (the Tiferes Shmuel) led the court until 1924. The third brother, Rav Betzalel Yair, followed. Rav Shmuel Tzvis son, Rav Yitzchak, took over leadership until the Holocaust. The Alexander Chassidim, which outnumber all others in Europe except for Ger, all but perished. The broken pieces were put together by Rav Yehuda Moshe, son-in-law of Rav Betzalel Yair; he had departed Poland for Eretz Yisrael in 1934. Of his 9 sons, only one survived., Rav Avraham Menachem. He was survived by 3 sons, 4 daughters, and thousands of pages of chidushei Torah yet to be published.

Tuesday, 18 Adar

• Rav Alexander Ziskind, born in Brzhen, but lived most of his life in Horodna (Grodno, Belarus), Lithuania, the product of the teaching of Rav Aryeh Leib Epstein, Rav of Nikolsberg. He authored the mussar work, Yesod V'shoresh Ha'avoda, which contains how one should behave every hour of the day and kavanos for tefillos and mitvos, as well as Karnei Ohr, a commentary on the Zohar. (1700-1794)
• Rav Chanoch Henoch HaKohen (1798-1870), Alexander Rebbe. He was a disciple of Rav Simcha Bunam of Pshis'cha, Rav Menachem Mendel of Kotzk and the Chidushei Harim.
• Rav Nachum Mordechai Friedman (1946), Tchortkover Rebbe
• Rav Yechezkel Levenstein, mashgiach of Ponevezh (1885-1974). Born in Warsaw in 1896 to Osminer Chassidim,, he he lost his mother at age 5. At 13, he joined the yeshiva at Lomza. Early in life, he moved to Radin to learn with the Chafetz Chaim. There, he met the mashgiach, Rav Yerucham Levovitz, who wasa talmid of the Alter of Kelm. He then learned in Kelm, where he was fortunate to enjoy the close attention of Rav Tzvi Hirsch Broide (son-in-law of the Alter), at whose table he ate his Shabbos meals. In 1919, while Reb Yeruchom was serving as mashgiach, the Mirrer Yeshiva was exiled from its hometown of Mir, Poland, into Russia and then to Vilna. Reb Chatzkel, who was then learning in Mir, was asked by the rosh yeshiva, Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, to supervise the yeshiva's spiritual welfare until Reb Yeruchom returned. Reb Chatzkel was approached by Rav Aharon Kotler, who headed Yeshivas Eitz Chaim in Kletsk, to come and serve as mashgiach ruchani in his yeshiva. Reb Chatz kel accepted. In 1935, he moved to Eretz Yisrael to serve as mashgiach of Yeshivas Lomza in Petach Tikvah, which was headed by Rav Reuven Katzl, but he moved back to serve as mashgiach in Mir after the petira of Reb Yerucham. After 2 years in America, he served as mashgiach at the Mir in Israel, then - upon the passing of Rav Dessler - at Ponevezh.
• Rav Moshe Weber (1914-2000) would go to the Western Wall from his home in Meah Shearim nearly every day to pray and to help visitors wrap tefillin. Less publicly, he distributed enormous sums of tzedakah to the city's poor. The Lubavitcher Rebbe said of him that he is one of the holiest and kindest people in the world. He published several volumes of Torah insights in Yarim Moshe. There is an ongoing periodical of his teachings distributed weekly called Shemu V'Techi Nafshechem, which also offers for sale his audio recordings.
• Yitzchak Shlomo Zilberman (1928-2001).

Wednesday, 19 Adar

• Rav Dovid of Dinov (1874), father of Rav Tzvi Elimelech Shapira. Rav Dovid was the author of Tzemach Dovid and the son of Rav Tzvi Elimelech, the Bnei Yissoschar.
• Rav Meir Yechiel Haldshtok, founder of the court of Ostrovtze (1851-1928). A talmid of Rav Elimelech of Grodzinsk, a scion of the Kozhnitzer dynasty. Ostrovtze was one of two courts in Poland known for their yeshivos and high level of learning; the other was Sochatchov. Rav Meir Yechiels intricate sermons, which drew heavily on gematria, came to be known as "Ostgrovotze pshetlach." They have been collected in Meir Einei Chachamim, and his teachings on Bereishis in Ohr Torah.
• Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, av beis din and Rav of Yerushalayim before the State of Israel was established. (1848-1932)
• Rav Yehuda Greenwald, Av Bais Din of Satmar, author of Shevet MiYehuda
• Rav Shmuel Engel (1853-1935). Born in Tarno, Galicia. Rav of Radomishla (Radimishla) from 1888. Authored Sheilos Uteshuvas Maharash.
• Rav Yitzchak Kalish, Amshenover Rebbe, New York (1993). Son of Rav Yosef Kalish of Amshinov, grandson of Rav Menachem Kalish of Amshinov.
• Rav Yaakov Chaim Jofen (Yaffen), Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Yosef and the son of Rav Avraham Jofen, the son-in-law of the Alter of Novardok. Following his bar mitzvah he studied at Baranovich for one year under Rav Dovid Rapaport, and then for a year under Rav Elchonon Wasserman. During these two years he lived with his uncle, the mashgiach, Rav Yisrael Yaakov Lubchansky. Later he returned to Bialystok to study under his father at Yeshivas Beis Yosef. In 1941, he arrived in the U.S. with his father. He began giving shiurim that year at Yeshivas Beis Yosef, and continued to do so for the next sixty years (1917-2003)

Thursday, 20 Adar

• Rav Meir Schiff, the Maharam Schiff (1608-1644). Born in Frankfurt am Main, he became Rav of the nearby town of Fulda at the age of 17. His chidushim on the Talmud are terse, incisive, and profound. In 1644, he was appointed Rav of Prague, but he died at the age of 36 shortly after his arrival there.[6 Nissan according to others]
• Rav Yoel Sirkes of Cracow, (the Bach) (1561-1641), author of Bayis Chadash on the Tur, in which he traced each law to its source in the gemarah. In his youth, he studied under Rav Shlomo Leibush of Lublin and Rav Meshulam Feivush in Brisk. He had several rabbinic appointments throughout Poland, lastly as Chief Rabbi of Cracow in 1619. He was the teacher and father-in-law of Rav Dovid HaLevy, the Taz.
• Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (1910-1995), born in the Shaarei Chesed neighborhood of Yerushalayim to Rav Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach, author of Chacham Lev and rosh yeshiva of Shaar Hashamayim. Rav Shlomo Zalman learned at Etz Chaim yeshiva. He married Chaya Rivka Ruchamkin on erev Purim 1930. During the next 19 years he wrote Meorei Eish on the laws of electricity, Maadeanei Haaretz on laws regarding agriculture in Eretz Yisrael, as well as a commentary on Shev Shmaatsa. In 1949, he left Etz Chaim to succeed Rav Yechiel Schlesinger as Rosh Yeshiva of Kol Torah Yeshiva in the Rechavia section of Yerushalayim. He was the author of Minchas Shlomo. His brother-in-law was Rav Shalom Schwadron. His piskei halacha on Shabbos are found throughout the sefer Shmiras Shabbos Kehilchasa, written by his talmid Rav Yehoshua Neuwirth. Rav Raphael Blum, the Kashau Rav, who replanted his Chasidic community from Europe to Bedford Hills in Westchester County, NY (1910-2005)

Friday, 21 Adar

• Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk, author of Noam Elimelech, (1717-1787). Learned under the Maggid of Mezritch. Among his students were Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apta, The Chozeh of Lublin, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, and Rav Menachem Mendel of Rimanov.
• Rav Yitzchak Elchonon Spector, rav of Kovno (1817-1896), lived in Kovno 1866-1896. The 3rd son of Rav Yisrael Isser ben Elchonon, the rav of the Lithuanian town of Roush, located in the Grodno district. After he married (to Sara Raizel), he moved to Volkovisk where his father-in-law comfortably supported him. The rav in Volkovisk at that time was Rav Binyamin Diskin. A great luminary in and of himself, he was also famous for his illustrious son, Rav Yoshua Leib Diskin, the rav of Brisk, who later moved to Eretz Yisrael. Rav Binyamin Diskin was so impressed with Yitzchak Elchonon that he set up a special chavrusa to study with him Choshen Mishpot two hours a day. In 1837, when he was 20 years old, he accepted the offer to become rav of the small village of Zebelen, and then became rav in Baraze in 1839. He became rav of Novardok in 1851 and rav of Kovno in 1864. He held the position in Kovno for 32 years. He authored Beer Yitzchak and Eyn Yitzchak (both teshuvos) and Nach al Yitzchak on Choshen Mishpat.
• Rav Itzele Ponevezher, Rosh Yeshiva in Slabodka and Ponevezh (1919)
• Rav Moshe Shmuel Glasner, a great-grandson of the Chasam Sofer, was born in Pressburg and later moved with his family to Klausenberg, where his father served as Rabbi. Rav Moshe succeeded his father in that post in 1878. His best known work is Dor Revi'i on Tractate Chullin, in which he explains those places where Rambam's understanding differs from that of other Rishonim. (1924)
• Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin, editor of the Talmudical Encyclopedia (1976)
• Rav Yitzchak Horowitz of Stetchin (1862-1940). His father was a direct descendent of Rav Naftali Tzvi of Ropshitz, and his uncle was the Imrei Noam of Dzikov. Rav Yitzchak was succeeded by his son Rav Yehuda, who moved to New York before passing away in 1982.
• Tchaber Rav of London (1989)
• Mr. Avraham Dov Kohn, Principal of Gateshead Seminary.

Shabbos, 22 Adar

• Rav Yaakov of Novominsk (1902). Father of Rav Yehuda Aryeh Perlow of Vlodova (1878-1961) and Rav Alter Yisrael Shimon Perlow of Novominsk.
• Rav Yechiel Michel Epstein (1829-1908). Born in Bobroysk, author of the Aruch Hashulchan, Rav of Novardok for 34 years, father of Rav Baruch HaLevy Epstein (author of Torah Temima) and grandfather of Rav Meir Bar-Ilan, with whom he learned in Novardok.
• Rav Eliezer Dovid of Radoshitz (1927)
• Rav Avraham Dov Ber Kahana-Shapiro, Chief Rabbi of Kovno before and during World War II (1870-1943). Born in Kobrin on Yom Kippur, his father, Shlomo Zalman was a descendant of Rav Chaim Volozhiner. Rav Avraham attended the Volozhin Yeshiva. He was president of the Agudas Ha-Rabbanim of Lithuania and came to the US in March 1924 with Rav Kook and Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein, to collect funds for Torah institutions in Israel and Europe. He died in the Slobodka ghetto on. His piskei halacha can be found in the sefer Dvar Avraham.
• Rav Reuven Grozovsky, Rosh Yeshivas Kamenitz and Torah Vodaas (1896-1958). Successor of Rav Baruch Ber Lebowitz at Kaminetz. When Rav Reuevn was a young man studying in the Slobodka Yeshiva, his father, the Dayan of Minsk, passed away. His colleagues at Slobodka included Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Halevi Ruderman, Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky, Rav Aharon Kotler and Rav Yitzchak Hutner.
• Rav Yisrael Moshe Dushinsky (1921-2003). Born in Chust, Hungary, to Rav Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky, Rav of Chust (later to beomce Rav and Av Beis Din of the Eida Charedis of Yerushalayim), he was his fathers first son, when his father was 50 years old. After many years and many brachos, Rav Rav Yosef Tzvi received a bracha from Rav Yechezkel Shraga of Shinava, who also gave a him his sefer, Ayalah Sheluchah, printed in the memory of the Shonava Ravs son, Naftali, who was nifter on the 21st of Kislev, 1864. The following year, on the exact date of Reb Naftalis yahrtzeit, Yisrael Moshe was born. His middle name was in honor of his great uncle, the Maharam Shick. The family moved to Eretz Yisrael in Adar of 1930, one month before the petirah of Rav Yosef Chaim Zonenfeld. He was married to the daughter of Rav Dovid Yehoshua Gross, Rosh Hakohol of the Satmar Kehillah, in 1945. On Erev Sukkos of 1949, his father was niftar, and the 27-year-old Rav Yisrael Moshe was appointed Rosh Yeshiva of Dushinsky. In 1969, he was inducted as a member of the Eidah Charedis. He became Sgan Beish Din after the Satmar Rebbes petira and the Av Beis Din in 1996. See more: HaRav Yisroel Moshe Dushinsky, zt'l
• Rav Yeshaya Shimonowitz, Rosh Yeshivas Rav Yaakov Yosef, U.S.

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