This Day in History – 19 Sivan/May 28

19 Sivan

Yahrtzeiten
5598/1838, Harav Shlomo Chakim, zt”l, mechaber of Kisei Shlomo
5737/1977, Harav Shmuel Hominer of Yerushalayim, zt”l, mechaber of Eved Hamelech and Ikarei Dinim
5706/1946, Harav Menachem Nachum Twersky, zt”l, the Skverer-Machnovka Rebbe

5493/1733 Harav Yehudah Ben-Attar of Fez, zt”l

Harav Yehudah ben Harav Yaakov Ben-Attar was born in Elul 5415/1655 in Fez, Morocco. Fez was known as the home of many Gedolei Yisrael, most notably of Rishonim including the Rif and the Rambam. It was always a city of Torah, with many Rabbanim and yeshivos there.

The rebbeim of Harav Yehudah were Harav Vidal Hatzarfasi and Harav Menachem Siriro, who both gave him semichah. Even after Harav Yehudah became well known, he continued to sit and learn at the feet of these Gedolim.

In 5442/1682, at age 27, Harav Yehudah already headed a yeshivah, spreading Torah to many talmidim.

When he was 43, in 5458/1698, Harav Yehudah was appointed Dayan in Fez. Six years later, in 5464/1704, he was appointed Av Beis Din, a post that he held until his petirah.

All his life, even after being appointed Dayan and Av Beis Din, Harav Yehudah refused to accept money from the public. To cover his own expenses he worked as a smith. It is related that he would open his business in the morning, and when he had earned the sum he needed for the day he would close up shop and go to the beis medrash to continue his learning.

The ruler of Morocco was Sultan Mulai Ismael, a rabid anti-Semite. He, together with his friends, schemed to cause pain and distress to the Jewish community. They imposed many heavy taxes, which deeply impoverished many Jews. Rabbanim and other communal leaders were often imprisoned, and then the community was forced to redeem them for exorbitantly high sums.

Once Harav Yehudah was imprisoned. When the community could not collect the ransom demanded by the sultan, Harav Yehudah was thrown into the lions’ den. All were sure that he would not survive but, to their amazement, Harav Yehudah began walking up and down in the den and the lions did not even touch him. When the public found out that he eventually left unharmed, Harav Yehudah received a reputation as a miracle worker, a tzaddik who was protected from harm.

In 5460/1700, heavy taxes were levied on the Jews of Fez, due to the wars that the country was waging. This forced most of the Jews to flee from Fez to Meknes. Harav Yehudah also moved to Meknes, residing there until 5464/1704. When the circumstances of the Jews improved somewhat he returned to Fez.

Harav Yehudah left his mark on Moroccan Jewry. Together with his talmid Harav Yaakov Ben-Tzur, also known as the Yaakbetz, he compiled the many minhagim of the kehillos of the Western countries, according to the takanos of the Rabbanim who settled there after the Spanish Expulsion. They became known as Raboseinu Baalei Haminhagim, and are frequently quoted in many halachah sefarim.

Harav Yehudah and his beis din established many takanos for the benefit of the community, things that have been implemented in many kehillos today as well — for example, takanos restricting overspending for seudos bris, bar mitzvah or chasunah.

Harav Yehudah wrote many sefarim: Minchas Yehudah, on the Torah; Minhagei Treifos B’Fez; Dinei Get V’Chalitzah; She’eilos U’teshuvos and Psakim; and Shir Michtam, his work on hilchos shechitah and treifos, written in rhyme.

Zechuso yagen aleinu.

May 28:

In 1863, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, made up of freed Blacks, left Boston to fight for the Union in the Civil War.

In 1912, the Senate Commerce Committee issued its report on the Titanic disaster that cited a “state of absolute unpreparedness,” improperly tested safety equipment and an “indifference to danger” as some of the causes of an “unnecessary tragedy.”

In 1934, the Dionne quintuplets — Annette, Cecile, Emilie, Marie and Yvonne — were born to Elzire Dionne at the family farm in Ontario, Canada.

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pushed a button in Washington signaling that vehicular traffic could begin crossing the just-opened Golden Gate Bridge in California.

In 1940, during World War II, the Belgian army surrendered to invading German forces.

In 1959, the U.S. Army launched Able, a rhesus monkey, and Baker, a squirrel monkey, aboard a Jupiter missile for a suborbital flight that both primates survived.

In 1961, Amnesty International had its beginnings with the publication of an article in the British newspaper The Observer, “The Forgotten Prisoners.”

In 1987, to the embarrassment of Soviet officials, Mathias Rust, a young West German pilot, landed a private plane in Moscow’s Red Square without authorization. (Rust was freed by the Soviets the following year.)