This Day In History 30 Nisan/April 26

According to some opinions, today is the last day one may recite Birkas Ha’ilanos.

In 5693/1933, Jewish students were barred from all German schools.

In 5693/1933, the notorious Gestapo was established.

Yahrtzeiten

4901/1141, Rabbeinu Yosef Migash (Ri Migash), talmid of the Rif

5380/1620, Harav Chaim Vital, zt”l, talmid of the Ari Hakadosh

5536/1776, Harav Yaakov Emden, zt”l, son of the Chacham Tzvi

5684/1924, Harav Chaim Meir Yechiel of Drobich, zt”l

5477/1717, Harav Avraham Broide, zt”l, Rav of Frankfurt

Harav Avraham Broide was the son of Harav Shaul.

In his youth he was the talmid of Harav Yitzchak Isaac Charif.

Rav Avraham served as a Rosh Yeshivah in Prague. His yeshivah attracted many talmidim because of his unique derech halimud of comparing and contrasting sugyos with one another.

His love of his talmidim was boundless; Rav Avraham paid all the expenses of those who came from impoverished homes.

Rav Avraham replaced Harav Naftali Hakohen Katz as Rav of Prague. Later on he was appointed Rav of Metz, and his last rabbanus was in Frankfurt.

Printed in his sefer Toldos Avraham is a description of the end of his life. The passuk “Adam ki yamus atzmo baohel [shel Torah]” was truly fulfilled; less than half an hour before his petirah he was still discussing a complex sugya.

Rav Avraham was niftar on 30 Nisan, the first day of Rosh Chodesh Iyar, 5477/1717.

Among his sifrei chiddushim are Eshel Avraham on Pesachim, Chulin, Bava Kama, Bava Metzia and Gittin; Toldos Avraham on Kiddushin and Kesubos; and Shmata Chadata on Kesubos.

Many of his teshuvos were also published in contemporary sifrei she’eilos u’teshuvos such as Chacham Tzvi and Me’il Tzedakah.

Zecher tzaddik livrachah.

April 26

In 1607, English colonists went ashore at present-day Cape Henry, Virginia, on an expedition to establish the first permanent English settlement in the Western Hemisphere.

In 1964, the African nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form Tanzania.

In 1972, the first Lockheed L-1011 TriStar went into commercial service with Eastern Airlines.

In 1986, an explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union) caused radioactive fallout to begin spewing into the atmosphere. Dozens of people were killed in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, while the long-term death toll from radiation poisoning is believed to number in the thousands.