This Day In History 5 Tishrei/October 7

In 3884/123 C.E., the Tanna Rabi Akiva was arrested by the Romans. He was subsequently tortured and killed al kiddush Hashem on Yom Kippur. The story of his killing, along with those of the other nine Harugei Malchus, is related in the stirring piyut, Eleh Ezkerah, recited during the Yom Kippur davening.

A taanis tzaddikim was established to commemorate this event as well as the killing of 20 Jews during that time. (Shulchan Aruch 580:2)

Yahrtzeiten

2327/1435 B.C.E., Naftali, zt”l, the son of Yaakov Avinu. He was born on this date, in 2196/1566 B.C.E.

5592/1831, Harav Eliezer Brish, zt”l, Rav of Kutna

5668/1907, Harav Mordechai Schneerson of Vitebsk, zt”l

5752/1991, Harav Baruch Shalom Ashlag, zt”l, mechaber of Birkas Shalom

5406/1645, Harav Naftali Katz of Lublin, zt”l

Harav Naftali Hakohen Katz was born in Prague. He was the son of Harav Yitzchak Hakohen, son-in-law of the Maharal of Prague, and descendant of Maharam Padwa.

His grandson and namesake, the Semichas Chachamim, records that Reb Naftali was one of the most respected Rabbanim of his time, who exchanged halachic correspondence with the Taz, among other Gedolim.

Reb Naftali was a maggid in Prague, and then a Dayan in Prostitz, Nicholsburg, and Pinsk. His final position was in Lublin, where he was Dayan and Rav.

At the same time, the famous Rav Heschel of Cracow headed the yeshivah in Lublin.

His sons were Rav Yitzchak, maggid in Prague and Lublin, and Rav Chaim, who succeeded to his position.

Reb Naftali was niftar on 5 Tishrei 5406/1645, and is buried in Lublin.

Zecher tzaddik livrachah.

Oct. 7

In 1765, the Stamp Act Congress convened in New York to draw up colonial grievances against England.

In 1777, the second Battle of Saratoga began during the American Revolution. (British forces under Gen. John Burgoyne surrendered ten days later.) In 1949, the Republic of East Germany was formed.

In 1858, the fifth debate between Illinois senatorial candidates Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas took place in Galesburg.

In 1929, former Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall, one of the main figures of the Teapot Dome scandal, went on trial in Washington, D.C., charged with accepting a bribe from oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny. (Fall was found guilty and sentenced to a year in prison and fined $100,000; he ended up serving nine months. Ironically, Doheny was acquitted at trial of offering the bribe that Fall was convicted of taking.)

In 1981, the Egyptian parliament, after the assassination of Anwar Sadat, named Vice President Hosni Mubarak the next president of Egypt.

In 1985, the United States announced that it would no longer automatically comply with World Court decisions.

In 1985, Palestinian gunmen hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in the Mediterranean. (The hijackers cruelly killed American tourist Leon Klinghoffer, Hy”d, who was confined to a wheelchair.)

In 1992, trade representatives of the United States, Canada and Mexico initialed the North American Free Trade Agreement during a ceremony in San Antonio, Texas.

In 2001, the current war in Afghanistan started, as the United States and Britain launched air attacks against military targets and Osama bin Laden’s training camps in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.