This Day in History – 12 Tishrei/October 6

In 2048/1714 B.C.E., shlishi l’milah of Avraham Avinu, according to Pirkei d’Rabi Eliezer.

As we are taught in the beginning of Parashas Vayera, Hashem took the sun out of its sheath, causing it to shine very intensely so that Avraham Avinu, who was recovering from his bris, would not trouble himself with guests.

However, when Hashem Himself came to be mevaker choleh and saw how desperate Avraham Avinu was for guests, He sent three malachim in the form of humans. One was Refael, who healed Avraham Avinu; another brought Sarah Imeinu the good tidings that she would give birth to Yitzchak within the year.


 

5537/1776, Harav Avraham Hamalach, zt”l

Son of the Maggid of Mezeritch, Reb Avraham was born in 5501/1741. The madreigos of the talmidei Baal Shem Tov are beyond our comprehension. Yet in this generation of great and holy masters, the “Malach” was known by this unique title because of his exceptional level of holiness. He had essentially no contact with the material world.

It is told that the Malach was once seen looking out of a window for hours, staring toward the horizon at a hill in the distance. When asked why he was doing this, he responded, “I am looking [in amazement] at how a lowly piece of earth can hold itself so high.”

The late Kopyczynitzer Rebbe, Reb Moshe Mordechai, zt”l, a descendant of the Malach, told the following story, heard from his father:

The Malach married the daughter of Harav Feivish of Kremenetz, mechaber of Mishnas Chachamim. Reb Feivish was so consistent and devoted to his Torah studies that he declined to attend his own daughter’s wedding, to avoid bittul Torah.

Later, however, when he heard of the illustriousness of his mechutan, the great Maggid, he decided to pay him a visit. He arrived on a Friday afternoon, hoping to be invited for the Shabbos meals. The Maggid instructed his son the Malach to invite his father-in-law for the Friday night seudah.

As the Malach entered the house with his father-in-law and began singing Shalom Aleichem, welcoming the malachim that escort Yidden home from shul on Friday evening, Rav Feivish fainted. After he was revived, the Malach turned to him and said, “You saw your malachim. If you had seen my malachim, if you had seen my malachim!…”

Chassidim understood this to mean that Rav Feivish actually saw the malachim that escorted him home from shul that week. Were he to have seen the malachim that escorted his son-in-law home, the people might not have been able to revive him…

The Malach was niftar at just 36 years of age, leaving two sons: Harav Yisrael Chaim of Ludmir and Harav Shalom Shachna of Prohobich, the father of Harav Yisrael of Ruzhin.

Zechuso yagen aleinu.


 

Oct. 6

In 1683, 13 families from Krefeld, Germany, arrived in Philadelphia to begin the settlement of Germantown.

In 1928, Chiang Kai-shek became president of China.

In 1939, in a speech to the Reichstag, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler spoke of his plans to reorder the ethnic layout of a plan which would entail settling the “Jewish problem.”

In 1958, the nuclear submarine USS Seawolf surfaced after spending 60 days submerged.

In 1973, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel during Yom Kippur.

In 1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was shot to death by terrorists while reviewing a military parade.

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