Table of Contents
📅 Today in Jewish History
📅 The Beginning of the Manna for the Children of Israel
In II Chronicles (Divrei HaYamim II) it is recorded concerning the beginning of the descent of the manna in the wilderness for the Children of Israel who had left Egypt. Having arrived from the Wilderness of Sin, toward evening the provisions they had brought with them—the cakes baked from the remnants of their dough—were exhausted. The entire congregation complained, and on the following morning the manna began to descend for them.
Thus was established for Israel a new order of sustenance, daily provided from Heaven.
📅 Today’s Yahrzeits
🕯️ Rabbi Yaakov ben Rabbi Meir Katz and his son Rabbi Meir- Baalei Piskeiy Hatosafus
🕯️ Year 5605 (1845) — Passing of Rabbi Meir ben Rabbi Gedalia, known as the Maharam of Lvov, Av Beit Din of Lublin, author of novellae on the Talmud and responsa, of blessed memory.
🕯️ Rabbi Yitzchak Chaim Taib
🕯️ Year 5681 (1921) — Passing of the holy Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Damitz, son of Rabbi David of Zblitov, of blessed memory.
🕯️ Year 5685 (1925) — The ascent to the gallows of Eliyahu ben Shaul HaKohen, may G‑d avenge his blood, in Damascus. Fortunate is one who assisted in bringing him to burial in the soil of the Land of Israel, for which cause he gave his life.
👤Their Background[1]
🕯️ Rabbi Yaakov ben Rabbi Meir Katz and his son Rabbi Meir
Murdered al kiddush Hashem, 16 Iyar
Rabbi Yaakov ben Rabbi Meir Katz was a Tosafist of Ashkenaz, belonging to the inner circle of medieval Tosafist scholarship that flourished in the Rhineland and northern France during the turbulent twelfth century. This period, marked by crusading movements and recurring outbreaks of violence, was one of extreme insecurity for Jewish communities, even as Torah learning reached remarkable heights.
On 16 Iyar, Rabbi Yaakov ben Rabbi Meir Katz and his son, Rabbi Meir, were murdered together for being Jews, entering Jewish memory as a father and son slain al kiddush Hashem. Tosafist memorial traditions and later Ashkenazic yahrzeit lists preserve their names jointly, emphasizing the profound tragedy of their double martyrdom. As is often the case with medieval persecutions, the specific circumstances and accusations that led to their deaths were not recorded in detail, reflecting the vulnerability of Jews who were frequently targeted without formal charge or protection.
🕯️ Rabbi Yitzchak Chaim Taib – Late 19th – early 20th century
Author of Chelev Chittim
Rabbi Yitzchak Chaim Taib was a distinguished Torah scholar of the Sephardic world, known primarily as the author of Chelev Chittim, a work reflecting deep engagement with halachic and exegetical tradition. He lived in an era when Torah scholarship in North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean was transmitted through small circles of learned rabbis whose influence was measured not by public office but by the endurance of their writings.
Very little biographical detail has survived regarding the circumstances of his life and passing, a common fate of Sephardic sages whose communities preserved teachings more diligently than personal histories. Nevertheless, his work ensured his remembrance, and his yahrzeit is marked in rabbinic memory alongside those scholars whose merit rests in Torah study and authorship.
🕯️ Rabbi Gershon ben Rabbi Moshe Stern – 1936
Author of Yalkut Gershoni
Rabbi Gershon ben Rabbi Moshe Stern was a rabbinic scholar and compiler, known as the author of Yalkut Gershoni, a work reflecting the medieval tradition of thematic collection and synthesis of Torah sources. Such compilations played a crucial role in shaping study and teaching, especially in communities where access to large libraries was limited.
🕯️ Rabbi Avraham ben Rabbi Aharon Tabork
Author of Siddur Beit Avraham
Rabbi Avraham ben Rabbi Aharon Tabork was a rabbinic scholar and man of prayer, best known as the author of Siddur Beit Avraham. Siddur composition reflects not only textual knowledge but a lived devotional tradition, shaped by communal custom, halacha, and spiritual sensitivity.
🕯️ Eliyahu ben Shaul HaKohen of Damascus
Executed in 5685 (1925), may G‑d avenge his blood
Eliyahu ben Shaul HaKohen was a member of the ancient Jewish community of Damascus, one of the oldest continuous Jewish centers in the Middle East. In the early twentieth century, Syrian Jewry lived under conditions of political instability, communal vulnerability, and periodic persecution, particularly in the years following the collapse of Ottoman rule and during the formation of the French Mandate.
In 5685 (1925), Eliyahu ben Shaul HaKohen was publicly executed by hanging in Damascus. Contemporary Jewish calendars and communal records preserve his memory as one who ascended the gallows al kiddush Hashem, and his death made a deep impression upon the Jews of Syria and beyond. Details of the charges brought against him are not clearly preserved, a common fate of many such cases in the region and period, where Jews were often accused on tenuous or fabricated grounds and denied meaningful recourse.
Particularly noted in tradition is the extraordinary effort made to bring his body to burial in the Land of Israel. Such an act, in an era of great political and logistical difficulty, was regarded as a profound merit. Jewish sources record with praise that he gave his life for this cause, and that fortunate is the one who assisted in ensuring that his remains would rest in the soil of Eretz HaKodesh.
[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.
