🗓️✨ Luach Hayom – Today in Halacha & Jewish History
Today in Jewish History – 20th Adar[1]
🗓️ The Story of Ḥoni HaMe’agel[2]
On the 20th of Adar the Jewish people fasted for rain to fall and the rain fell. The story is as follows: During the Second Temple period, the Land of Israel was struck by a severe drought and famine that lasted three consecutive years. Despite communal fasting and prayer, no rain fell. When most of the month of Adar had passed and the land remained parched, the people turned to Ḥoni HaMe’agel, a righteous man known for the intimacy of his prayers.
They said to him, “Pray that rain should fall.” He replied, “Go and bring the Passover ovens indoors, so that they will not be ruined,” for he was confident that rain would soon come. Yet when he prayed, no rain fell. Ḥoni then drew a circle on the ground and stood within it, as the prophet Habakkuk had once declared, “I will stand upon my watch.” He said before G-d: “Master of the Universe, Your children have turned their faces toward me, for I am like a member of Your household before You. I swear by Your great Name that I will not move from here until You have mercy upon Your children.” Rain began to fall—but only in tiny droplets. The people said, “We believe this rain is coming only to release you from your oath.” Ḥoni answered, “My children, do not fear,” and prayed again:
“Master of the Universe, this is not what I asked for, but rain to fill cisterns, ditches, and caves.” At once the rain began to fall in violent torrents, each drop said by the Sages to be as large as the mouth of a barrel. The people cried out, “We believe this rain has come to destroy the world!” Again Ḥoni reassured them and prayed: “Master of the Universe, this too is not what I asked for, but rain of goodwill, blessing, and generosity.” Then the rain fell in perfect measure, steady and life‑giving. It continued so abundantly that the people of Jerusalem were forced to leave the city and take refuge on the Temple Mount. The people then said to him, “Just as you prayed that the rain should fall, pray now that it should cease.” Ḥoni replied, “One does not pray for rain to stop, for rain is a blessing.” Instead, he instructed them to bring a bull as a thanksgiving offering. He placed both hands upon it and prayed that the excess rain be tempered, and the rains subsided. Shimon ben Shetach, the Nasi, sent word to Ḥoni, saying: “Were you not Ḥoni, I would decree excommunication upon you—for you press Heaven and it fulfills your will. But what can I do? You are like a child who entreats his father, and the father grants his request.” Thus the Sages taught that although Ḥoni’s manner was bold, his relationship with Heaven was one of profound closeness, and through him mercy was brought to Israel in a time of great need.
🗓️The Purim miracle of Narbonne 4996 (1236):
A Jewish rabbi became involved in a dispute with a non‑Jewish fish merchant, and the latter died as a result of a malicious accusation. The homes of the Jews were plundered, and the books of Rabbi Meir son of Rabbi Yitzchak were seized. The governor, Don Aimeric, ordered that order be restored. A Purim Scroll was written by Rabbi Meir son of Rabbi Yitzchak, and it was printed in Ginzei Yerushalayim, volume 2, section 45.
🗓️The Maharal of Prague, of blessed memory, created the Golem
The Maharal of Prague, of blessed memory, created the Golem, which assisted him in thwarting blood libels. It is reported that the Maharal used Sefer Yetzirah and created a Golem. The Golem remained alive until the foolish libel was annulled by Emperor Rudolf. It was concealed on Lag BaOmer, in the year 5350 (1590), in the attic of the Altneuschul in Prague. This account appears in Moriah, volume 14 (Sivan 5745 / 1985), page 102; and also in Kfar Chabad and Bnei She (Kislev–Tevet, issues 2–21);
and in HaSefarim Niftachim (Buchach), Birkat Avraham, page 170.
📅 Today’s Yahrzeits[3]
🕯️ Rabbi Yoel Sirkus — Author of the Bach
🕯️ Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Aurbauch — Author of Minchas Shlomo
Their Background[4]
🕯️ Rabbi Yoel Sirkus (the Bach)
Author of Bayit Chadash
Rabbi Yoel ben Shmuel Sirkus (c. 1561–1640), known universally as the Bach—an acronym of his monumental work Bayit Chadash—was one of the greatest halachic authorities of Polish Jewry and among the foremost Acharonim. Born in Lublin into a distinguished rabbinic family, he emerged early as a prodigious Talmudic scholar and went on to serve as rabbi and av beit din in several major communities, including Belz, Brest-Litovsk, and ultimately Kraków.
His Bayit Chadash, a comprehensive commentary on the Arba‘ah Turim, revolutionized halachic study by tracing practical law back to its Talmudic roots and early authorities, emphasizing depth, clarity, and intellectual honesty. The Bach was known for his independence of thought, his opposition to shallow pilpul, and his insistence that halachah be grounded in primary sources rather than mechanical reliance on later codes. While deeply versed in Kabbalah, he firmly maintained that mystical considerations must not override established halachic norms.
Through his writings, responsa, and students—most notably his son-in-law, the Taz—Rabbi Yoel Sirkus left an enduring imprint on Ashkenazic halachah that continues to shape Torah learning to this day.
🕯️ Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
Author of Minchas Shlomo
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (1910–1995) was one of the preeminent halachic decisors of the twentieth century and a central pillar of Torah life in Jerusalem. Born in the Sha‘arei Chesed neighborhood to a family steeped in rabbinic leadership, he displayed extraordinary diligence and brilliance from a young age. He later became Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Kol Torah, where he taught generations of תלמידים with remarkable clarity and humility.
Rabbi Auerbach was renowned for his pioneering engagement with modern halachic challenges, especially in the realms of electricity, medicine, and technology. His early work Meorei Esh laid the foundations for contemporary discussions of electricity on Shabbat, while his responsa, collected in Minchas Shlomo, exemplify his method: rigorous analysis, intellectual honesty, and deep sensitivity to human realities. He was widely respected across the Orthodox spectrum and was often regarded as the final halachic authority in Israel on complex questions.
Beyond his scholarship, Rav Shlomo Zalman was beloved for his gentleness, humility, and profound fear of Heaven. His influence continues through his writings, his students, and the living halachic tradition he helped shape.
[1] Taken from Luach Itim Labina, and Luach Davar Beito
[2] Taken from Megilas Taanis and Tractate Taanis 23a and Yerushalmi 3:9
[3] Taken from Luach Itim Labina
[4] Please not that these historical notes were prepared with the assistance of Copilot Pro, an AI Research Agent, and have not been independently verified.
