🕯️ Today’s Yartzite 19th Elul
🕯️ 1189 – The Martyrdom of Rabbi Yaakov of Orléans
In the year ד’תתקמ”ט (1189), Rabbi Yaakov of Orléans הי”ד, one of the outstanding disciples of Rabbeinu Tam, was murdered in London during the anti-Jewish riots that accompanied the coronation of King Richard I (“Richard the Lionheart”).
Rabbi Yaakov was among the leading Tosafists of his generation and helped transmit the teachings of Rabbeinu Tam and the school of the Baalei HaTosafos. His martyrdom occurred during one of the earliest major persecutions suffered by English Jewry and is remembered among the tragedies of medieval Ashkenaz.
🕯️ 1666 – The Passing of Rabbi Berechiah Shapiro, Author of Zera Berach
Passed away Rabbi Berechiah Shapiro זצ”ל, author of זרע ברך.
Rabbi Berechiah was known as a distinguished Torah scholar whose writings combine traditional scholarship with ethical and spiritual instruction. His sefer Zera Berach gained a respected place among works of Torah commentary and derash.
🕯️ 1710 – The Passing of Rabbi Chaim Benveniste, Author of Kenesses HaGedolah
Passed away the gaon Rabbi Chaim Benveniste זצ”ל, author of the monumental כנסת הגדולה.
Rabbi Benveniste was one of the greatest Sephardic halachic authorities of the seventeenth century. His Kenesses HaGedolah became one of the most important encyclopedic works on the Tur and Shulchan Aruch and is constantly cited by later authorities.
His influence extended throughout the Sephardic and Ashkenazic worlds, and his rulings remain foundational in halachic literature.
🕯️ 1874 –The Passing of Rabbi Meshulam Feivish HaLevi Halperin, Author of Sefas Emes
Passed away the holy Rabbi Meshulam Feivish HaLevi Halperin זצ”ל, author of שפת אמת.
A respected Chassidic master and Torah scholar, Rabbi Meshulam Feivish was known for his piety, wisdom, and deep insights into avodas Hashem. His teachings continued to inspire later generations of Chassidim.
🕯️ 1885 – The Passing of Rabbi Zev Nachum of Burshtyn, Author of Agudas Ezovi
Passed away the holy Rabbi Zev Nachum of Burshtyn זצ”ל, author of אגודת אזובי.
Rabbi Zev Nachum was among the respected Chassidic leaders of Galicia. His sefer Agudas Ezovi contains Torah teachings and Chassidic insights reflecting devotion to Torah, prayer, and spiritual growth.
🕯️ Today in Chabad History 19th Elul
🕯️ 19 Elul, 5700 (1940) – The Frierdiker Rebbe Moves to 770 Eastern Parkway
On 11 Elul 5700 (1940), the Frierdiker Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, moved into his new residence and headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York.
This event marked a historic turning point in Chabad history. Having been miraculously rescued from war-torn Europe only months earlier, the Rebbe now established his permanent center in America. From this building would emerge the rebuilding of Chabad after the devastation of European Jewry and the foundations of its future worldwide growth.
🕯️ Entering 770 for the First Time
When the Frierdiker Rebbe entered the building for the first time, he did not proceed directly to his private quarters. Instead, he first entered the synagogue located on the main floor.
There he expressed a heartfelt prayer:
“May it be Hashem’s will that the prayers offered here be with inwardness (pnimiyus), and that they possess the sweetness of genuine inner avodah.”
This brief blessing established the spiritual character that would come to define 770. The Rebbe’s first concern was not the building itself, but the quality of the prayer, devotion, and spiritual life that would fill it.
🕯️ The First Farbrengen in the New Building
Afterward, the Frierdiker Rebbe entered the dining room, took his seat, and began speaking.
His first talk dealt with a classic Chassidic question:
Why do we bless every month of the year, yet do not bless the month of Tishrei?
In that discourse, later recorded in Sefer HaSichos Kayitz HaTash”ah, he explained the unique spiritual nature of Tishrei and its relationship to the blessings bestowed from Above for the entire year.
The subject was especially fitting, as the date itself was only days before Rosh Hashanah and the beginning of the month of Tishrei.
🕯️ The Beginning of a New Era
At the time, few could have imagined what 770 would become.
From this building:
- The Frierdiker Rebbe rebuilt Chabad institutions in America.
- Networks of yeshivos and schools were established.
- Chassidus was disseminated to thousands of new students.
- The groundwork was laid for the global expansion later led by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
What began as a newly acquired residence became one of the most recognized centers of Jewish life in the modern era.