🗓️ Today in Jewish History – 10th Tishreiy
🕯️ The Bris Milah of Avraham Avinu
According to one opinion, Avraham Avinu was circumcised on 10 Tishrei at the age of ninety-nine, together with Yishmael, who was thirteen years old, and all the males of Avraham’s household.
This was the day on which the mitzvah of Bris Milah was first fulfilled by the Jewish people. Through it, Avraham entered the eternal covenant that Hashem established with him and his descendants.
🕯️ The covenant of circumcision became the everlasting sign of the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people, a covenant that has been faithfully observed throughout every generation.
🕯️ The Akeidah According to Some Opinions
According to certain traditions, the Akeidas Yitzchak took place on Yom Kippur. If so, Avraham and Yitzchak would have reached the climax of their journey at this season of the year.
Several ancient liturgical poems for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur connect the Akeidah with these days of repentance and Divine mercy, seeing it as one of the greatest merits standing for the Jewish people during the Days of Judgment.
Some authorities discuss whether the Akeidah took place in the morning, corresponding to the Tamid Shel Shachar, or later in the day, corresponding to the afternoon offering.
🕯️ The Akeidah remains the supreme example of faith, devotion, and self-sacrifice before Hashem.
🕯️ Moshe Rabbeinu Descends with the Second Luchos
On 10 Tishrei, Moshe Rabbeinu completed the final stages of the forty days he spent on Har Sinai after the sin of the Golden Calf.
He descended from the mountain carrying the Second Luchos and brought the joyful message that Hashem had forgiven the Jewish people.
At that time Hashem also commanded the construction of the Mishkan, through which the Divine Presence would once again dwell among Israel after having withdrawn as a result of the sin of the Golden Calf.
🕯️ The Second Luchos represent reconciliation between Hashem and His people and the restoration of their relationship following repentance.
🕯️ Hashem Forgives David HaMelech
According to ancient traditions cited in Kabbalistic sources, on this day David HaMelech received confirmation that Hashem had forgiven him for the episode of Bas-Sheva.
Following profound repentance and suffering, David merited to hear that his transgression had been forgiven.
🕯️ This event became one of the great examples of the power of sincere teshuvah, demonstrating that no person is beyond the reach of Divine mercy when returning to Hashem with a complete heart.
🕯️ Iyov’s Heavenly Trial
According to the Targum, the verse:
“ויהי היום”
in the Book of Iyov refers to Yom Kippur.
On that day the heavenly discussion concerning Iyov took place, initiating the series of events that would test his faith and endurance.
🕯️ For this reason, some sources connect the story of Iyov with the themes of judgment and Divine providence associated with Yom Kippur.
🕯️ The Rebuke and Martyrdom of Zechariah ben Yehoyada
In the year ג’פ”ז לבריאה, the righteous prophet and Kohen, Zechariah ben Yehoyada HaKohen, stood before the people of Yehudah and rebuked them for abandoning the ways of Hashem.
Filled with prophetic courage, he declared:
“Why do you transgress the commandments of Hashem and not succeed? Because you have forsaken Hashem, He has forsaken you.”
Rather than heed his words, the people turned against him. At the command of King Yoash, the very king whose life had once been saved by Yehoyada, Zechariah was stoned to death in the courtyard of the Beis HaMikdash.
Chazal teach that his murder took place on Shabbos, Yom Kippur, within the sacred precincts of the Beis HaMikdash itself.
His death represented an unprecedented desecration. The Midrash enumerates several grave sins that were committed simultaneously:
- A Kohen was murdered.
- A prophet was murdered.
- A judge was murdered.
- The sanctity of Shabbos was violated.
- The holiness of Yom Kippur was violated.
- Idolatry was practiced.
- The Beis HaMikdash was defiled.
- The daily Tamid offering was eventually interrupted.
After his murder, the blood of Zechariah did not rest. Chazal relate that it continued to boil upon the floor of the Beis HaMikdash for approximately 252 years, serving as a constant Heavenly accusation against the nation.
When Nevuzaradan entered Jerusalem at the time of the destruction of the First Beis HaMikdash, he saw the blood still seething. After learning what had occurred, he executed many of the city’s elders and leaders in an attempt to quiet the blood, until finally it ceased.
The tragedy of Zechariah ben Yehoyada became one of the most powerful symbols of the consequences of rejecting prophetic rebuke and of the sanctity of innocent blood.
🕯️ His martyrdom remains one of the most tragic events recorded in the history of the First Beis HaMikdash, and Chazal repeatedly cite it as a warning of how far a nation can fall when it turns away from the voice of Torah and prophecy.
🕯️ 10 Tishrei – The Prophecy of Yechezkel Concerning the Future Beis HaMikdash
In the year ג’שנ”ג (593 BCE), fourteen years after the destruction of Yerushalayim and twenty-five years after the exile of King Yehoyachin, the prophet Yechezkel received one of the most remarkable prophecies in Tanach.
The verse states:
“In the twenty-fifth year of our exile… on Rosh Hashanah, on the tenth day of the month…”
(Yechezkel 40:1)
At that moment, Hashem showed Yechezkel a detailed vision of the future Beis HaMikdash.
Over the next chapters, Yechezkel was shown:
- The structure and measurements of the future Temple.
- The courtyards, gates, chambers, and altar.
- The Divine service that would be performed there.
- The future division of Eretz Yisrael among the tribes.
- The restoration of Jewish sovereignty in the Land.
Chazal explain that this prophecy was given during one of the darkest periods in Jewish history. The Beis HaMikdash lay in ruins, Yerushalayim had been destroyed, and the Jewish people were in exile.
Precisely at that time, Hashem revealed to Yechezkel the vision of the future redemption.
🕯️ The message was clear: even in the midst of destruction, the promise of rebuilding already exists.
For this reason, the prophecy of Yechezkel remains one of the central sources for the description of the Third Beis HaMikdash and the future redemption of the Jewish people.
🕯️ Thus, Yom Kippur is associated not only with forgiveness and atonement, but also with one of the greatest prophetic visions of hope ever granted to the Jewish people: the vision of the future Beis HaMikdash standing once again in Jerusalem.
🕯️ Martyrdom of Rabbi Akiva and the Birth of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi
Chazal teach that on Yom Kippur, the holy Tanna Rabbi Akiva ben Yosef was martyred by the Romans in Tiberias.
The Gemara records a remarkable tradition:
When Rabbi Akiva passed away, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi was born.
Thus, on the very day that one of the greatest transmitters of the Oral Torah departed from this world, the future redactor of the Mishnah entered it.
🕯️ The Sages saw in this a manifestation of Divine providence, ensuring that the light of Torah would never be extinguished from Israel.
🕯️ The Butcher Who Refused to Reconcile With Rav
The Gemara in Yoma relates the story of a butcher who offended Rav and refused repeated opportunities to seek forgiveness.
On the eve of Yom Kippur, Rav himself went to reconcile with him. Yet the butcher stubbornly refused to appease the sage or ask forgiveness.
Shortly thereafter, the butcher suffered an unusual and sudden death.
🕯️ Chazal preserved this episode as a powerful lesson regarding the gravity of interpersonal offenses and the obligation to seek reconciliation before Yom Kippur.
🕯️ 680 – The Passing of Rav Aḥai, Son of Rabbah bar Avuh
In the year ד’תמ”א (680) passed away Rav Aḥai bar Rabbah bar Avuh, one of the scholars of the Savoraic period.
The Savoraim served as the link between the Amoraim and the Geonim, preserving and transmitting the Talmud during a formative period of Jewish history.
🕯️ Through the work of the Savoraim, the text and traditions of the Talmud were safeguarded for future generations.
🕯️ 1676 – Death of the False Messiah Shabbetai Tzvi
In the year תל”ו (1676) died Shabbetai Tzvi, the notorious false messiah whose movement shook the Jewish world during the seventeenth century.
After attracting a massive following throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, he was arrested by the Ottoman authorities. Faced with the choice between execution and conversion, he chose to accept Islam.
His apostasy devastated countless followers. Nevertheless, some continued to cling to his claims and followed him into conversion.
🕯️ The rise and fall of Shabbetai Tzvi remains one of the most tragic episodes in Jewish history and serves as a lasting warning regarding false messianic movements.
🕯️ 1973 – The Outbreak of the Yom Kippur War
On Yom Kippur, 10 Tishrei 5734 (October 6, 1973), Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack against the State of Israel on the holiest day of the Jewish year.
The attack was carefully timed for Yom Kippur, when much of the country had come to a standstill and many soldiers were in synagogues observing the fast. The enemy hoped to achieve a decisive victory and inflict a crushing blow upon the Jewish state.
During the opening days of the war, fierce battles raged:
- On the Golan Heights against Syrian forces.
- Along the Suez Canal against the Egyptian army.
- In the skies and on the seas surrounding Israel.
The fighting exacted a heavy price. Thousands of Israeli soldiers were wounded, and many gave their lives in defense of the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.
As the war progressed, however, the tide turned dramatically. Israeli forces halted the Syrian advance, pushed deep into Syrian territory, crossed the Suez Canal, and surrounded Egypt’s Third Army. What had begun as a grave and unexpected danger ended with the enemy driven back and Israel’s military position greatly strengthened.
🕯️ The Yom Kippur War remains one of the most significant and painful chapters in modern Jewish history. It is remembered both for the immense sacrifice of the fallen soldiers הי”ד and for the remarkable salvation that followed a moment of great national peril. May the memory of all those who gave their lives be a blessing.
🗓️ Today’s Yartzites – 10th Tishreiy
🕯️ The Passing of Rabbi Naftali Chaim of Dzikov
In the year תרנ”ה (1895) passed away the holy Rabbi Naftali Chaim Halberstam of Dzikov, son of Rabbi Meir of Dzikov, author of:
מנחה חדשה
Rabbi Naftali Chaim was one of the outstanding Chassidic leaders of Galicia and the head of the Dzikov dynasty. Renowned for his deep scholarship, saintliness, and extraordinary devotion in prayer, he attracted thousands of chassidim who sought his guidance and blessings.
A remarkable tradition is recorded concerning his final years. He was accustomed to quietly repeat to himself each day the words from the Mussaf service of Yom Kippur:
“והכהנים…”
without explaining his practice to anyone.
Only after his passing on Yom Kippur did those around him understand the meaning of this behavior. They realized that he had constantly kept the day of his passing before him, fulfilling the teaching:
“יזכיר לו יום המיתה“
“Let a person remember the day of death.”
This was connected to the verse:
“בכל עת יהיו בגדיך לבנים“
“Let your garments always be white.”
His followers saw this as evidence of his constant spiritual readiness and awareness of standing before Hashem at every moment.
🕯️ Rabbi Naftali Chaim is remembered as one of the great Chassidic masters of Galicia, whose sefer Minchah Chadashah and personal example continue to inspire students of Chassidus.
🕯️ 1830 – The Passing of Rabbi Chaim Shlomo Pfeffer of Tzfas
In the year תק”ץ (1830) passed away the gaon Rabbi Chaim Shlomo ben Rabbi Meir Kalonymus Pfeffer, Rav of the Sanzer Beis Midrash in Tzfas.
Rabbi Chaim Shlomo was a respected Torah scholar and communal leader in the Old Yishuv. His resting place became known as a place where many came to pray and seek Divine mercy.
🕯️ His memory remains cherished among the early rabbinic figures of Tzfas.
🕯️ 1954 – The Passing of the Baal HaSulam
In the year תשט”ו (1954) passed away the holy Rabbi Yehudah Leib HaLevi Ashlag, universally known as the Baal HaSulam.
He earned this title from his monumental commentary on the Zohar:
הסולם (The Ladder)
which opened the teachings of the Zohar to a broader audience than ever before.
Among his major works are:
- HaSulam on the Zohar
- Talmud Eser HaSefiros
- Numerous essays on Kabbalah, redemption, and the spiritual purpose of creation
The Baal HaSulam devoted his life to explaining the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (the Ari) in a systematic and accessible form. He believed that the widespread study of the inner dimension of Torah would play a significant role in preparing the world for redemption.
🕯️ He is regarded as one of the most influential Kabbalists of the modern era.
🕯️ 1963 – The Passing of Rabbi Avraham Binyamin Silberberg
In the year תשכ”ג (1963) passed away the gaon Rabbi Avraham Binyamin ben Rabbi Michael Moshe Yehudah Silberberg, Av Beis Din of Pittsburgh, author of:
- אמרי בנימין
- הדרת מלך
Rabbi Silberberg was known as a distinguished posek, darshan, and communal leader. Through decades of rabbinic service he strengthened Torah life in both Europe and America and left behind respected Torah works studied by תלמידי חכמים.
🕯️ His scholarship, leadership, and writings continue to influence those who study his works.