This Day in History – 7 Adar I/February 16

Today is a taanis tzaddikim commemorating the petirah of Moshe Rabbeinu. It is customary for the chevrah kaddisha to fast on 7 Adar.

Moshe Rabbeinu was born on 7 Adar 2369/1394 B.C.E. and was niftar at the age of 120 in 2489/1274 B.C.E. As recorded in the Torah, the location of his grave is unknown.

In 5384/1624, in the city of Lonchitz, numerous Jews were killed al kiddush Hashem. The Rav of the city, Harav Shlomo Chaver, zt”l, composed a special kinah commemorating this tragic event.

Yahrtzeiten

5379/1619, Harav Shlomo Ephraim of Lonchitz, zt”l, the Kli Yakar

5581/1821, Harav Yitzchak Eizik of Kalev, zt”l

5695/1935, Harav Menachem Mendel Landau of Zabeirtze, zt”l

5579/1819, Harav Avraham Tzvi Patznovski of Pietrkov, zy”a

Harav Avraham Tzvi was born in 5537/1777. His father was Harav Elazar, and his mother was the daughter of Harav Tzvi Hersh, author of Geon Tzvi. His grandfather had promised his mother that she would have a child who would light up the eyes of Klal Yisrael with his Torah.

In his youth, Reb Avraham Tzvi learned Torah from his grandfather, Harav Shlomo Zalman, Rav of Pchanov, and from Harav Moshe, Rav of Pietrkov. He achieved great heights in Torah while still very young, which is proven by the fact that he was appointed Rav of Piltz at the age of 23. His second and greater Rabbanus was undertaken at the age of 35 in Pietrkov, an ir va’eim b’Yisrael. He constantly repeated the passuk “Tov li Toras picha, mei’alfei zahav va’kesef,” which in great measure epitomized his life.

Reb Avraham Tzvi married the daughter of Harav Yehudah Leib Lipshitz, Rav of Opotshna. Unfortunately, his personal life was filled with pain and anguish. All of his sons predeceased him, and he himself only lived until age 42.

During the last few years of his life he became a fiery Chassid of Harav Yaakov Yitzchak, the Chozeh of Lublin. Later, the Tiferes Shlomo became his disciple.

During one of his journeys to consult an eminent physician, he was niftar on 7 Adar in the city of Breslau, but was buried in Pietrkov.

His sefer Bris Avraham, which deals with the four parts of Shulchan Aruch, was published by his father Harav Elazar. In the foreword to the sefer, Harav Elazar wrote a lengthy hesped on his beloved son.

Zechuso yagein aleinu

Feb. 16

In 1937, Dr. Wallace H. Carothers, a research chemist for Du Pont who’d invented nylon, received a patent for the synthetic fiber.

In 1959, Fidel Castro became premier of Cuba a month and a half after the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista.

In 1961, the United States launched the Explorer 9 satellite.

In 1968, the nation’s first 911 emergency telephone system was inaugurated in Haleyville, Alabama.