Table of Contents
📅 Today’s Yahrzeits
🕯️ Rabbi Meir ben Rabbi Todros HaLevi Abulafia of Toledo (the Ramah)
🕯️ Rabbi Yitzchak ben Rabbi Moshe Belmonte — author of Shaar HaMelech
🕯️ Rabbi Sasson ben Rabbi Moshe Persiado
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👤Their Background[1]
🕯️ Rabbi Meir ben Rabbi Todros HaLevi Abulafia of Toledo (the Ramah) – Year 1274
Rabbi Meir ben Rabbi Todros HaLevi Abulafia, known as the Ramah, was one of the foremost Torah giants of medieval Spain and a leading figure among the early Tosafists. Living in Toledo during the 12th–13th centuries, he was renowned for his sharp analytical brilliance and uncompromising fidelity to the mesorah of the Geonim and Rishonim. His monumental work Yad Ramah, consisting of penetrating glosses and explanations on the Talmud, became a foundational text for later halachic analysis, particularly in the tractates of Bava Batra and Sanhedrin, and is cited extensively by subsequent authorities. The Ramah was deeply involved in major theological debates of his era, most notably opposing philosophical reinterpretations of traditional beliefs, and he articulated his positions with clarity, reverence, and intellectual courage. Beyond his halachic legacy, Melitzei Yosher records that Sefer Charedim (chapter 1) preserves a personal prayer composed by the Ramah, reflecting his inner humility, fear of Heaven, and emotional avodah. Tradition notes that it is especially fitting to recite this prayer on the day of his passing, as a connection to his spiritual legacy. He passed away in 5034 (1274), leaving an enduring imprint on Torah scholarship.
🕯️ Rabbi Yitzchak ben Rabbi Moshe Belmonte — author of Shaar HaMelech
Rabbi Yitzchak ben Rabbi Moshe Belmonte (also known as Yitzchak Nuñez‑Belmonte) was a leading Sephardic Torah authority of the post‑expulsion era and the author of Shaar HaMelech, a monumental and highly influential commentary on the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah. His work, first printed in Salonika in 1771, is distinguished by its sharp analytical method, careful defense of the Rambam’s rulings, and its systematic engagement with the major halachic authorities. Shaar HaMelech became one of the classic super‑commentaries on the Rambam and is cited extensively by later poskim and scholars. Surviving manuscript and early printed copies testify to the wide circulation and esteem of the work across Sephardic and Ashkenazic communities alike. Rabbi Yitzchak Belmonte’s scholarship reflects a synthesis of precision, reverence for tradition, and intellectual independence, securing his place among the major halachic voices of his generation.
🕯️ Rabbi Sasson ben Rabbi Moshe Persiado – Year 1903
Rabbi Sasson ben Rabbi Moshe Persiado was one of the outstanding kabbalists of Jerusalem in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and a central figure in the legendary Beit‑El Kabbalistic Yeshiva. A master of both revealed Torah and the inner wisdom, he was deeply immersed in the teachings of the Arizal and the Jerusalem kabbalistic tradition, and his writings display clarity, precision, and profound spiritual sensitivity. He is the author of Shemen Sasson and Petach Einayim, works that elucidate complex kabbalistic passages and guide the reader toward a disciplined and elevated inner service of Hashem. Rabbi Sasson was widely respected not only for his scholarship but also for his personal holiness, modesty, and devotion to prayer. His influence extended through his students and writings, which continue to be studied by those engaged in the wisdom of Kabbalah. He passed away in 5663 (1903), and is remembered as one of the luminous pillars of the Beit‑El circle, of blessed memory.
[1] Please not that these historical notes were prepared with the assistance of Copilot Pro, an AI Research Agent, and have not been independently verified.
Today in Chabad History
📅 Birth of  Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, renowned gaon, chassid, and kabbalist, was born on the 30th day of Cheshvan (Rosh Chodesh Kislev) in the town of Podobrenka, near the city of Homel. He was the son of Rabbi Baruch Schneerson, a great Torah scholar of extraordinary memory who knew the entire Talmud by heart and was a devoted chassid of the Rebbe Maharash, the Rebbe Rashab, and the Frierdiker Rebbe, and of Rebbetzin Zelda Rachel, daughter of the chassid Rabbi Zalman Chaikin, who was closely connected to the Tzemach Tzedek and the Rebbe Maharash. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was named after his grandfather, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak ben the Rebbe Rashab, who passed away at a young age of forty‑four. In his youth, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak studied Torah under his great‑uncle and grandfather Rabbi Yoel Chaikin, the rabbi of Podobrenka, and even at a young age his exceptional genius and depth in Torah were already clearly evident. He later became the father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, may he live long life, and is remembered for his brilliance, holiness, and unwavering dedication to Torah under the most difficult circumstances.
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đź“… Circumcision of the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson)
On 18 Nissan 5662 (1902), when Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson was twenty‑four years old, the circumcision of his son, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (the future Lubavitcher Rebbe), was performed, entering him into the covenant of Avraham Avinu. The brit milah took place in the home of Rabbi Meir Shlomo, and the brit meal was held on the second day of Chol HaMoed Pesach in the home of his grandfather, Rabbi Meir Shlomo Yanovsky, the rabbi of Nikolayev. Present at the celebration was Rabbi Levi Yitzchak’s father, Rabbi Baruch Schneerson, along with many Jews of Nikolayev, who participated in the great joy of the occasion. Those gathered rejoiced in the words of Torah spoken by the grandfathers of the infant and by Rabbi Levi Yitzchak himself, who spoke at length about the inner connection between the two events that occurred on that day, describing them as days imbued with the spirit of kingship.
