This Day in History – 4 Sivan/June 7

4 Sivan

In 2449, Moshe Rabbeinu explained to Bnei Yisrael the mitzvos of hagbalah and perishah. According to Rabi Yosi (Shabbos 86b) there were three days of hagbalah, and the Torah was given on 7 Sivan; according to the Chachamim there were two days of hagbalah and the Torah was given on 6 Sivan.

Moshe Rabbeinu wrote down the first 68 perakim of the Torah, from Bereishis to Mattan Torah, and the mitzvos that they were commanded in Marah. (Shemos 24:4; Rashi ibid.). He also taught the seven mitzvos of Bnei Noach.

In 4336, over 500 Jews were forcibly baptized in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

In 5241/1481, the pope issued an order calling on all Christian princes to send back to Spain any Jews who had fled from the Inquisition.

In 5408/1648, the infamous riots of tach v’tat broke out. Led by Bogdan Chmielnicki, they resulted in the massacre of more than 300,000 Jews, Hy”d.

Yahrtzeiten

5648/1888, Harav Yeshaya Naftali Hertz, Rav of Dinov, zt”l, mechaber of Hanosen Imrei Shefer.

5686/1926

Harav Moshe Yungreis, Zt”l, Rav of Kashau

Harav Moshe Halevi Yungreis was born in 5604/1844. His father, Harav Shraga Feivish, zt”l, was Rav in Setshe.

Rav Moshe learned under Harav Aharon Dovid Deustch, zt”l, the Goren Dovid, and then in the yeshivah of the Ksav Sofer in Pressburg. His brother Harav Shmuel Dovid, zt”l, later Rav in Yarmat, was in Pressburg at the same time as he.

Rav Moshe married the daughter of the nagid Reb Noach Yaakov, who supported him while he dedicated himself to learning Torah in Yarmat.

Rav Moshe was later appointed Rav of Kashau. When he left Yarmat for Kashau, in 5634/1874, his Rebbe said that the city had lost its finest talmid chacham.

He served as Rav in Kashau for the next 34 years. He founded a new kehillah to counter the attempts to uproot traditional Yiddishkeit which were so prevalent then in Hungary. He led the fight against the Haskalah movement in the region with mesirus nefesh.

Rav Moshe was niftar on 4 Sivan 5686/1926 at 82. His son Harav Yitzchak Tzvi, zt”l, succeeded him as Rav of Kashau.

Rav Moshe wrote chiddushim on many masechtos of Shas, as well as drashos, all of which have remained in manuscript form.

Zecher tzaddik livrachah.

June 7

In 1712, Pennsylvania’s colonial assembly voted to ban the further importation of slaves.

In 1769, frontiersman Daniel Boone first began to explore present-day Kentucky.

In 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia offered a resolution to the Continental Congress stating “That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.”

In 1981, Israeli military planes destroyed a nuclear power plant in Iraq, a facility the Israelis charged could have been used to make nuclear weapons.

In 1993, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that religious groups could sometimes meet on school property after hours.