This Day in History – 26 Kislev/December 4

26 Kislev

In 4856/1095, the First Crusade was proclaimed. As they trekked toward Eretz Yisrael, the crusaders killed tens of thousands of Jews all across Europe.

Yahrtzeiten

4959/1198, Harav Avraham ben David, zt”l, the Raavad

5624/1863, Harav Elazar Hopstein, Rebbe of Kozhnitz, zy”a

5654/1893, Harav Shlomo Zalman Halevi Spitzer of Vienna, zt”l

5731/1970, Harav Yoshua Zelig Diskin, zt”l, Rav of Pardes Chana

5676/1915

Harav Yosef Perlow of Koidenov, Zy”a

Harav Yosef Perlow was the son of Harav Aharon of Koidenov, zy”a.

Rav Yosef married the daughter of his uncle, Harav Noach of Horodishtz.

After the petirah of his father on 26 Elul 5657/1894, Reb Yosef was named Rebbe in Koidenov. During his time, the Chassidus grew as Chassidim flocked to his court.

Rav Yosef founded Yeshivas Tomchei Tzedek in Koidenov that attracted many bachurim; at its peak, the yeshivah had 150 talmidim.

As Rebbe, Rav Yosef changed a number of the minhagim in Koidenov Chassidus. Shacharis was scheduled at an early hour, and the davening did not take long. Also, since his forebears were descendants of the Karlin dynasty, davening for them was an avodah with much fervor, whereas for him, while it was intense, it was quieter.

After World War I, Koidenov was transferred to Soviet Russian control, and thus the connection between Rav Yosef and the Chassidim became a problem, as he was now across the border.

Rav Yosef was niftar on 26 Kislev, the second day of Chanukah, 5676/1915.

His son Harav Alter Chaim Shlomo, who succeeded him as Rebbe in Koidenov, was niftar just a few months later, on 17 Iyar 5676/1916. At that time, most of the Chassidim transferred to Harav Nechemiah, the younger brother of Rav Yosef. One group, though, crowned Rav Yaakov, the son of Rav Yosef from his zivug sheini, appointing him Rebbe at his wedding.

The sons-in-law of Rav Yosef were Harav Moshe Chaim of Tomashpol and later New York; Harav Menachem Nachum Rabinowitz of Kantikozvah and later of Haifa; Harav Shlomo Chaim Artinberg; and Harav Shmuel Epstein of Vilna, zecher tzaddikim livrachah.

Many of Rav Yosef’s divrei Torah were published by his son-in-law, Harav Menachem Nachum Rabinowitz, while more is quoted in the sefer of Harav Menachem Nachum, Machsheves Nachum.

Zechuso yagen aleinu.

Dec. 4

In 1619, a group of settlers from Bristol, England, arrived at Berkeley Hundred in present-day Charles City County, Virginia, where they held a service thanking G-d for their safe arrival.

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the dismantling of the Works Progress Administration, which had been created to provide jobs during the Depression.

In 1965, the United States launched Gemini 7 with Air Force Lt. Col. Frank Borman and Navy Cmdr. James A. Lovell aboard on a two-week mission. (While Gemini 7 was in orbit, its sister ship, Gemini 6A, was launched on Dec. 15 on a one-day mission; the two spacecraft were able to rendezvous within a foot of each other.)

In 1996, the Mars Pathfinder lifted off from Cape Canaveral and began speeding toward the red planet on a 310 million-mile odyssey. It reached Mars in July 1997.