This Day In History 13 Shevat/February 9

13 Shevat

In 5550/1790, the French National Assembly granted full and equal citizenship to the Portuguese and Avignonese Jews.


Yahrtzeiten

5570/1810, Harav Mordechai of Lechovitz, zt”l

5680/1920, Harav Binyamin Eisenstadt, zt”l, mechaber of Mas’as Binyamin

R-L: Harav Baruch Sorotzkin, zt”l, with Harav Shneur Kotler, zt”l.

 

5739/1979

Harav Raphael Baruch Sorotzkin, Zt”l

Harav Baruch Sorotzkin was born on 13 Shevat 5677/1917. His father was Harav Zalman Sorotzkin, the illustrious Lutzker Rav, mechaber of Oznayim LaTorah; his mother was the daughter of Harav Eliezer Gordon, the founding Rosh Yeshivah of Telshe.

Reb Baruch was a brilliant student with a great love of Torah. Throughout his life, Reb Baruch never rested; he used every precious moment to accomplish something, whether it was for his yeshivah or for Klal Yisrael.

In his youth, he learned in the Yeshivah of Baranovitch under Harav Elchanan Wasserman, and later in Kamenitz under Harav Baruch Ber Leibovitz.

When the war broke out and the yeshivah fled to Vilna, Reb Baruch went to study in the Telshe Yeshivah. The Rosh Yeshivah was his cousin, Harav Avraham Yitzchak Bloch, Hy”d.

Harav Bloch immediately recognized Reb Baruch’s greatness and soon Reb Baruch married the Rosh Yeshivah’s eldest daughter. Due to the war, Reb Baruch and his Rebbetzin escaped to the United States, where he joined Harav Eliyahu Meir Bloch and Harav Chaim Mordechai (Reb Mottel) Katz and helped them re-establish the Telshe Yeshivah in Cleveland, Ohio.

Upon Reb Mottel Katz’s petirah, Reb Baruch and Harav Mordechai Gifter became the Roshei Yeshivah of Telshe. Reb Baruch assumed responsibility for the Chinuch Atzmai school system, a position that had been held by his father in Eretz Yisrael, and was also a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of America.

Reb Baruch’s ahavas haTorah knew no bounds. Every extra minute was spent learning, and every chiddush was recorded. The Rosh Yeshivah went to great lengths to write down every shiur he delivered. Every dvar Torah he said at a bris or a sheva brachos, every address at a public affair, whether prepared or impromptu, was committed to writing in one of his copious notebooks.

Of all the shiurim, speeches and shmuessen he delivered, the Rosh Yeshivah gave pride of place to the hashkafah discourses he delivered in the yeshivah’s beis medrash, known as shiurei daas.

In the year 5722/1962, Reb Baruch was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Although his illness made him very weak, Reb Baruch spent as much time as possible at the yeshivah.

Much to his doctors’ surprise, with the tefillos of the entire olam haTorah and a brachah from the Gerrer Rebbe, the Beis Yisrael, he recovered, and he continued to expand his Torah activities for the next 17 years.

In his last year of life, his illness returned with a vengeance. Reb Baruch succumbed to the illness on 13 Shevat 5739/1979. A collection of his chiddushei Torah, Sefer Habinah V’habrachah, was published posthumously.

Zechuso yagen aleinu.


February 9

In 1825, after no candidate had received a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president.

In 1861, Jefferson Davis was elected provisional president of the Confederate States of America.

In 1870, the U.S. Weather Bureau was established.

In 1942, daylight-saving “War Time” went into effect in the United States, with clocks turned one hour forward.

To Read The Full Story

Are you already a subscriber?
Click to log in!