Yom Tov of Megilas Taanis
Today, the 8th of the month of Adar, is recorded in Megillat Taʿanit Chapter 12 as a Yom Tov or “Yom Teruas Mitra”. It is a day of celebration marking the blessing of rainfall following a prolonged period of fasting and supplication which preceded a long period of drought. After the sounding of the shofar on this day with a heartfelt supplication, rain began to fall.
📅 Today’s Yahrzeits[1] 🕯️
🌿 Rabbi Eliyahu ben Rav Shlomo HaKohen — Author of Shevet HaMussar
📖 Rabbi Yosef Halevi Yadid — Author of Yemei Yosef
Their Background[2]
🕯️ Rabbi Eliyahu ben Rav Shlomo Avraham HaKohen
(Known as Rabbi Eliyahu HaKohen of Smyrna)
Rabbi Eliyahu HaKohen was a prominent Sephardic rabbi, preacher, and ethical writer who lived in Smyrna (Izmir, Ottoman Empire) during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He is especially renowned for his influence in the field of Mussar (Jewish ethical literature).
His most famous work, Shevet HaMussar, is an ethical treatise composed of 52 chapters, traditionally studied on a weekly basis throughout the year. The book emphasizes repentance, humility, moral self‑discipline, and personal responsibility, and it became one of the most widely circulated Mussar works in the Sephardic world, appearing in numerous editions and translations.
Beyond Shevet HaMussar, Rabbi Eliyahu authored over thirty works, including sermons, biblical commentaries, and ethical writings. He was known as a powerful public speaker whose sermons aimed to inspire moral refinement and spiritual growth among the broader community. His writings reflect deep concern for the poor, orphans, and the spiritual welfare of society.
🕯️ Rabbi Yosef Halevi Yadid
Author of Yemei Yosef
Rabbi Yosef Yadid Halevi was a Sephardic halachic authority and dayan (rabbinical judge) who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in Aleppo (Halab) and later immigrated to Eretz Yisrael, where he served as a dayan in Safed and subsequently in Jerusalem.
He is best known as the author of Yemei Yosef, a collection of halachic responsa (she’elot u‑teshuvot) that address practical questions in Jewish law. The work was first published in Jerusalem in 1913 and includes approbations from leading Sephardic sages of the time.
Rabbi Yosef Yadid also served as Av Beit Din of the Aleppan (Halabi) community and as a halachic authority for the Bukharian community in Jerusalem. He authored several additional works, including Birkas Yosef and Vayechi Yosef, reflecting his broad engagement with both communal leadership and halachic scholarship.
[1] Taken from Luach Itim Labina
[2] Please not that these historical notes were prepared with the assistance of Copilot Pro, an AI Research Agent, and have not been independently verified.
