This Day in History – 30 Sivan/June 17

Yahrtzeiten

5341/1581, Harav Moshe Najara, zt”l, student of the Arizal and mechaber of Lekach Tov on Rashi

5609/1849, Harav Chaim Kitza of Irsha, zt”l, mechaber of Otzar Chaim

5668/1908, Harav Meir of Kretchenif, zt”l

5629/1869, Harav Shlomo Kluger, zt”l

Harav Shlomo Kluger was born in 5546/1786. His father was Harav Yehudah Aharon of Komarov (a shtetl near Zamosc, Poland). By the age of 10 he was so far ahead of the other children due to his extraordinary mind that his father taught him privately for a few years.

When he was 14 his pious father suddenly passed away, and his mother sent him to Zamosc to study in the yeshivah of Harav Mordechai Rabin. There he became close to Harav Yaakov Krantz, the Dubner Maggid, and to Harav Yosef Hoichgelernter, the Mishnas Chachamim. The Dubner Maggid was especially fond of this talmid and learned a special seder of Midrash with him every Friday.

In time, young Shlomo became known as an iluy. He was different from other talmidim; he would not participate in Torah discussions nor express his opinions, but sat in his quiet corner and spent lots of time writing.

After his marriage to the daughter of Harav Chaim Weinreb of Ravva, in 5562/1802, he devoted himself exclusively to Torah study. He learned with his brothers-in-law, Harav Mordechai Mardush and Harav Tzvi Hersh Heller and, together, they attained ever greater heights in Torah and hasmadah.

After the petirah of his father-in-law, he tried to support himself as a shopkeeper but was not successful. He was then prevailed upon by the Yeshuos Yaakov to accept a Rabbinical post in Kolki. Later on he moved to Yosefov, Poland. Finally, in 5580/1820, he became Dayan and Maggid in Brody, where he remained for close to 50 years.

Rav Shlomo wrote thousands of teshuvos. The number of his works is no less than 136, each one containing at least 200 pages, as he himself wrote in the introduction to Tikkun Olam. Fifteen of his chiburim were published in his lifetime and an equal number after his petirah; more than 100 remain in ksav yad.

Zechuso yagein aleinu.

June 17

In 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isère.

In 1930, President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which boosted U.S. tariffs to historically high levels, prompting foreign retaliation.

In 1944, the Republic of Iceland was established.

In 1972, President Nixon’s downfall began with the arrest of five burglars inside Democratic national headquarters in Washington’s Watergate complex.

In 1992, President George H.W. Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a breakthrough arms-reduction agreement.