This Day in History – 28 Nisan/May 3

28 Nisan

In 2489, the walls of Yericho fell and the Jews conquered the once-fortified city.

For seven days, Bnei Yisrael had marched around the city walls carrying the Aron Hakodesh, preceded by kohanim sounding the shofar. On the seventh day, Shabbos, the walls crumbled and the city was conquered (Yehoshua 6). Yehoshua then composed the tefillah of Aleinu L’shabe’ach.

Yahrtzeiten

5633/1873, Harav Yehoshua of Ostrova, zt”l, son of Harav Shlomo Leib of Lentcha and mechaber of Toldos Adam

5665/1905, Harav Yosef Yozke Rosenberg, zt”l, mechaber of Yad Yosef and Revid Hazahav

5681/1921, Harav Yehoshua Pinchas Bombach, zt”l, of Ushpetzin

5688/1928, Harav Yissochor Leib Weinberg of Slonim, zt”l

5703/1943, Harav Shem Klingberg, zt”l, Hy”d, the Zaloshitzer Rebbe of Krakow

5761/2001, Harav Aharon Hakohen Rosenfeld, the Pinsk-Klarliner Rebbe, zt”l

5420/1660

Harav Shabsi Sheftel Horowitz, zt”l, Rav of Prague and mechaber of Vavei Ha’amudim

Rav Shabsi Sheftel Halevi was the son of Harav Yeshayah Horowitz, the Shelah Hakadosh. He was named for his paternal great-grandfather, Harav Shabsi Sheftel Horowitz, the mechaber of Yesh Nochalin and Emek Brachah.

Reb Shabsi Sheftel was a devoted talmid of his illustrious father, the Shelah, who taught his son works of kabbalah. He was also the talmid of Harav Shlomo Efraim, Rav of Prague and mechaber of Olelos Efraim.

Reb Shabsi Sheftel married the daughter of Harav Moshe Charif, Rav of Lvov. He served as Rav in Fiorira, Frankfurt, Posen, Vienna and Prague.

After his father moved to Eretz Yisrael, Reb Shabsi Sheftel remained in constant contact with him via letters. When Rav Yeshayah completed Shnei Luchos Habris (after which he is named, Shelah being an acronym of the name of the sefer) he sent a copy of the set to his son.

Reb Shabsi Sheftel wrote Vavei Ha’amudim — based on six amudim (pillars): Torah, avodah, gemilus chassadim, din, emes and shalom — as an introduction to Shnei Luchos Habris, as the title of the sefer implies: Hakdamah Vavei Ha’amudim.

Reb Shabsi Sheftel also wrote other chiddushim, but these were never published.

He was niftar on Erev Shabbos 28 Nisan, 5420/1660, in Vienna, survived by his son, Harav Yeshayah Horowitz, Rav in Frankfurt.

Zecher tzaddik livrachah.

May 3

In 1802, Washington, D.C. was incorporated as a city.

In 1913, Clorox had its beginnings as five entrepreneurs agreed to set up a liquid bleach factory in Oakland, Calif.

In 1948, the Supreme Court, in Shelley v. Kraemer, ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks or members of other racial groups were legally unenforceable.

In 1986, in NASA’s first post-Challenger launch, an unmanned Delta rocket lost power in its main engine shortly after liftoff, forcing safety officers to destroy it by remote control.