This Day In History 8 Elul/August 30

In 3828/68 C.E. (or 3830/70 C.E.), Jewish resistance to Roman forces during the time of the second Beis Hamikdash came to an end, with the fall of the walls of the upper city of Yerushalayim.

In 5109/1349, Jews were killed in Worms on charges that they brought about the Black Plague, which wiped out thousands upon thousands in Europe. A taanis tzibbur in the kehillah of Worms commemorated the victims of this libel, Hy”d.


Yahrtzeiten

5559/1799, Harav Avraham Shimshon of Rashkov, zt”l, son of the Toldos Yaakov Yosef

5694/1934, Harav Alter Elyakim Shapiro of Chernowitz, zt”l, author of Shem MiShimon


A typical page of Tzemach Dovid.

5373/1613, Harav Dovid Ganz, author of Tzemach Dovid, zt”l

Harav Dovid was born in 5301/1541 in Lippstadt, Germany. His father was Harav Shlomo. Harav Dovid was an ardent student with remarkable diligence. Initially he learned in the yeshivah of Harav Eliezer of Troyes (France), and later went on to become a talmid of the Maharal of Prague and the Rema in Cracow.

Tzemach Dovid was one of the first sefarim to record Jewish historical events. He wrote the sefer with the consent of his Rebbi, the Rema. The sefer, which is written chronologically, is divided into two parts. The first half is about different Jewish historical figures and important events; the second half provides a chronological general understanding of historical events, including their background.

In the introduction to his sefer he writes, “I wrote this sefer for a generation that is fatigued by exile, to rejuvenate the broken spirit, so that when laymen come home after a hard day of work they can read this sefer and derive tremendous chizuk from all the great miracles Hashem has performed for His nation. For even though many kings and nations have stood up against us, they never succeeded in eliminating us.”

Harav Dovid was highly respected even among the non-Jews. He was well versed in the subjects of mathematics and astrology and even authored sefarim on the subjects of kiddush hachodesh and ibur hashana, called Nechmad Venaim and Maor Katan.

The sefer Tzemach Dovid was reprinted many times, and for many years was a primary source of Jewish historical information. In 5632/1892, Harav Yosef Yikusiel Kaufman reprinted it yet again and added a third part to the sefer, containing the historical events from the time of Harav Dovid’s petirah up to his times.

Harav Dovid was niftar on 8 Elul and buried in the old beis hachaim in Prague.

Zechuso yagen aleinu.


August 30

In 1861, Union Gen. John C. Fremont instituted martial law in Missouri and declared slaves there to be free. (However, Fremont’s emancipation order was countermanded by President Abraham Lincoln.)

In 1862, Confederate forces won victories against the Union at the Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia, and the Battle of Richmond in Kentucky.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, which was intended to promote private development of nuclear energy.

In 1963, the “Hot Line” communications link between Washington and Moscow went into operation.

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