This Day In History 8 Av/August 12

In 2448/1313 B.C.E., the meraglim returned from their forty-day mission to Eretz Yisrael. Even as they praised the ability of the Holy Land to grow abundant crops, unlike any the world had ever seen, they terrified Bnei Yisrael with tales of mighty giant warriors dwelling there, and asserted that the land was unconquerable.

In 5430/1670, the Jewish community of Vienna, Austria, was expelled.

In 5702/1942, the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto was announced, with over 300,000 Jews taken to death camps during the 53 days of this Nazi action.


Yahrtzeiten

5625/1865, Harav Shmuel Shmelke Toibish, zt”l, Rav of Yas (Jassi), mechaber of Chayei Olam, Milchamos Hashem and Mitzvas Chalitzah

5638/1878, Harav Yehudah Halevi of Ragoza, zt”l, founder of the Jewish yishuv in Yaffo

5658/1898, Harav Shmuel Luvtzar, zt”l, mechaber of Olas Shmuel

5658/1898, Harav Simchah Zissel Ziv, zt”l, the Alter of Kelm

5674/1914, Harav Shimon Agasi, zt”l, mechaber of Shem MiShimon

5738/1978, Harav Chanoch Henoch Dov Zilberfarb, zt”l, the Koidenover Rebbe


5591/1831, Harav Shlomo Zalman Levi, zt”l, Rav of Zlotchov

Harav Shlomo Zalman Levi was the oldest son of Harav Avraham Levi. He was named for his father’s father, Rav Shlomo Zalman, who was niftar when Rav Avraham was still young. His brothers were Rav Nachum of Shadik (Shadika), who later lived in Yerushalayim; Rav Asher Lemel of Galin; Rav Yaakov Yehudah of Sleshin; and Rav Yisrael.

Rav Shlomo Zalman was born in Warsaw during the time that his father learned there with Harav Shlomo Zalman Lifshitz, the Chemdas Shlomo. Later, Rav Avraham returned to his native Posen.

Rav Shlomo Zalman married the daughter of Harav Chaim Nachum Margulies, the son-in-law of Harav Ephraim Segal, Rav of Kviel. His zivug sheini was the daughter of Harav Binyamin Wolf Traube, Rav of Kalish.

Rav Shlomo Zalman was appointed Rav in Zlotchov, near Kalish. An outstanding masmid, he also secretly did many acts of tzedakah and chessed.

Rav Shlomo Zalman was considered to have ruach hakodesh. It is related that one time, during his shiur in his yeshivah in Zlotchov, a group of six doves landed on the window of the beis medrash; one flew away. Rav Shlomo Zalman instructed the talmidim to continue to learn on their own, while he himself set out to gather his brothers and travel to the home of their sister in Kletshev who had passed away. They arrived just in time for the kevurah. When asked how he had known, Rav Shlomo Zalman replied that the six doves on the window corresponded to their family, five brothers and one sister, and when one bird flew away, he understood it to mean that the sister had been niftar.

Another time, after a shiur, Rav Shlomo Zalman instructed one of the bachurim to recite Kaddish. Then he told the bachur to return home, and the bachur found that his mother had passed away. When asked how he knew, Rav Shlomo Zalman replied that his eyes saw further than those of other people.

Rav Shlomo Zalman was niftar on 8 Av 5591/1831, during a cholera outbreak.

Rav Shlomo Zalman left manuscripts of chiddushim on many masechtos, but they were not printed. Some of his chiddushim are quoted in other sefarim.

Rav Shlomo Zalman had one son-in-law: Harav Michoel Dov Weingott, Rav in Loivitch and mechaber of Agudas Ezov Midbari.

Zecher tzaddik livrachah.


Aug. 12

In 1851, Isaac Singer was issued a patent on the double-headed sewing machine.

In 1865, disinfectant was used for the first time during surgery by Joseph Lister.

In 1941, Marshal Henri Philippe Petain, head of the government of Vichy France, called on his countrymen to give full support to Nazi Germany.

In 1960, the first balloon communications satellite — the Echo 1 — was launched by the United States from Cape Canaveral.

In 1981, IBM, the top computer company at the time, introduced its first PC, the model 5150, at a press conference in New York..

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