This Day In History 9 Cheshvan/November 10

In 5528/1867, a great earthquake shook Tzfas, killing hundreds.

Yahrtzeiten

5088/1327, Rabbeinu Asher ben Yechiel, the Rosh, zt”l

5554/1793, Harav Avraham Moshe Hagadol of Pshevorsk, zy”a

5649/1888, Harav Shmuel of Gorlitz, zy”a

5663/1902, Harav Shmuel Zanvil Klapfish, zt”l, Rav in Warsaw

5700/1939, Harav Shimon Shkop, the Shaarei Yosher, zt”l

5742/1981, Harav Yehudah Horowitz, the Stutchiner Rebbe, zy”a

5612/1851, Harav Yitzchak Schick, Rav of Karlin, zt”l, mechaber of Keren Orah

Harav Yitzchak Schick was born in Minsk in 5548/1788. His father was Harav Aharon, a distinguished member of the Minsk kehillah, son of Harav Baruch of Shklov.

Even as youngsters, Reb Yitzchak and his brother Reb Yaakov, author of Mishkenos Yaakov and Kehillas Yaakov, were noted for their genius in learning.

Rav Yaakov was appointed Rav in Davir-Hodrok and published his first work, Mishkenos Yaakov, while young. Reb Yitzchak, however, preferred to stay out of the limelight and simply continue his own growth in Torah. Even when times were hard and he could barely support himself, Reb Yitzchak preferred not to become a Rav, but to dedicate himself to working on his sefarim.

Later on, Reb Yitzchak and his brother moved to Karlin, where they were supported by the nagid Reb Shaul of Karlin. They both lived there until the end of their days.

In Karlin, Reb Yitzchak finished his works on the entire Seder Kodashim and on Masechtos Nedarim, Nazir and Sotah. (He had written his chiddushim on the other masechtos of Seder Nashim earlier.) He prepared them for publication and they were printed after his petirah by his children.

Reb Yitzchak would rise before daybreak to learn Zohar and other sifrei Kabbalah. Later he would learn Mishnayos. At daybreak, he would don tallis and tefillin and daven Shacharis. Following Shacharis, Reb Yitzchak would deliver a Gemara shiur to the bachurim in his yeshivah. Then he would return to his private room and put on Rabbeinu Tam tefillin, and learn privately until chatzos. Whenever he came up with a chiddush, he wrote it down, and many of these were published.

After the petirah of his brother Rav Yaakov, Reb Yitzchak finally agreed to become Rav in Karlin in his place.

During his tenure as Rav in Karlin, Reb Yitzchak wrote his last sefer, Keren Orah. His wish was that his sefarim be printed and distributed for free in batei medrash for talmidei chachamim. He expended special effort on Seder Kodashim, since this seder does not have many of the regular commentaries and it is very hard to comprehend many of its sugyos.

Reb Yitzchak was niftar on 9 Cheshvan 5612/1851, at the age of 64.

Yehi zichro baruch.

Nov. 10

In 1775, the U.S. Marines were organized under authority of the Continental Congress.

In 1942, Winston Churchill delivered a speech in London in which he said, “I have not become the King’s First Minister to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire.”

In 1951, customer-dialed long-distance telephone service began as Mayor M. Leslie Denning of Englewood, New Jersey, called Alameda, California, Mayor Frank Osborne without operator assistance.

In 1954, the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, depicting the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima in 1945, was dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Arlington, Virginia.