๐๏ธ Today in Jewish History โ 1st Tishreiy
๐ฏ๏ธ The Sixth Day of Creation โ The Creation of Adam HaRishon
According to the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, the world was created on 25 Elul, and 1 Tishrei was the Sixth Day of Creation, the day on which Adam HaRishon was created.
On this day Hashem completed creation by bringing forth:
- The beasts of the field.
- Wild animals.
- Creeping creatures.
- And finally, mankind.
Chazal describe how, on the very day he was created, Adam passed through a remarkable sequence of events:
- His body was formed.
- A soul was breathed into him.
- He entered Gan Eden.
- He was commanded regarding the Tree of Knowledge.
- He sinned.
- He was judged.
- He was forgiven.
For this reason, Rosh Hashanah is not only the anniversary of the creation of man but also the prototype of the Day of Judgment and Divine mercy.
๐ฏ๏ธ The Waters of the Flood Recede
According to Rabbi Eliezerโs calculation, on 1 Tishrei, 1658 years after Creation, the waters of the Flood had sufficiently receded that:
โNoach removed the covering of the ark and saw that the surface of the earth had dried.โ
(Bereishis 8:13)
Thus, Rosh Hashanah became associated not only with creation but also with renewal after destruction and the beginning of a new era for mankind.
๐ฏ๏ธ Sarah Imeinu
Sarah Imeinu was born on Rosh Hashanah and passed away on Rosh Hashanah at the age of 127 years.
The first Matriarch of the Jewish people, Sarah Imeinu lived a life of absolute faith, holiness, and devotion to Hashem. As the wife of Avraham Avinu and the mother of Yitzchak Avinu, she helped establish the foundations of Klal Yisrael.
๐ฏ๏ธ The Remembrance of Sarah, Rachel, and Channah
The Gemara teaches:
โืืจืืฉ ืืฉื ื ื ืคืงืื ืฉืจื ืจืื ืืื ืโ
โOn Rosh Hashanah Sarah, Rachel, and Channah were remembered.โ
On this day:
- Sarah Imeinu was remembered and would give birth to Yitzchak.
- Rachel Imeinu was remembered and would later give birth to Yosef.
- Channah was remembered and would give birth to Shmuel HaNavi.
Rosh Hashanah therefore became a day especially associated with Divine remembrance, salvation, and answered prayers.
๐ฏ๏ธ Yitzchakโs Prayer for Rivkah
Chazal further teach that on Rosh Hashanah Hashem accepted the prayers of:
- Yitzchak Avinu
- Rivkah Imeinu
for children.
Thus the day became associated throughout Jewish history with tefillah and miraculous blessings.
๐ฏ๏ธ Yitzchak Avinu Blesses Yaakov Avinu
On Rosh Hashanah, Yitzchak Avinu bestowed the blessings upon Yaakov Avinu, granting him the blessings of abundance, success, and spiritual leadership that would accompany the future people of Israel.
These blessings, which Yaakov received in place of Esav, became the eternal inheritance of Klal Yisrael. Through them, Yaakov was established as the bearer of the covenant of Avraham and Yitzchak and the father of the Twelve Tribes.
๐ฏ๏ธ Yosef HaTzaddik Leaves Prison
On Rosh Hashanah, Yosef HaTzaddik was released from the Egyptian prison after twelve years of suffering.
On that day Pharaoh was troubled by his famous dreams. Yosef was summoned from prison to interpret them, and his wisdom immediately became evident to all. Within a matter of hours, Yosef was elevated from a prisoner to viceroy of Egypt.
This dramatic reversal marked the beginning of Yosefโs rise to greatness and the eventual salvation of his family during the years of famine.
๐ฏ๏ธ Elisha and the Shunammite Woman
On Rosh Hashanah, the prophet Elisha came to Shunem, where he was warmly received by the โgreat womanโ of Shunem.
There she urged him:
โPass by and eat bread.โ
In gratitude for her kindness and hospitality, Elisha blessed her that she would embrace a son. That child was later identified by many sources as Chabakuk HaNavi.
๐ฏ๏ธ The Returnees from Bavel Begin Offering Korbanos
In the year 3362 from Creation, on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish exiles who had returned from Bavel under the leadership of Zerubavel began once again to offer sacrifices to Hashem.
As recorded in Sefer Ezra:
Although the Beis HaMikdash had not yet been rebuilt and its foundations had not yet been laid, the Mizbeโach was erected and the korbanos were resumed.
๐ฏ๏ธ Ezra HaSoferโs Great Assembly
On Rosh Hashanah, Ezra HaSofer gathered the returned exiles and publicly read from the Torah from morning until midday before the assembled nation.
As the people listened, many began to weep.
Ezra and Nechemiah then encouraged them, declaring:
โToday is holy to Hashem your G-d; do not mourn and do not cryโฆ for the joy of Hashem is your strength.โ
The day concluded not in sadness but in celebration, gratitude, and renewed commitment to Torah.
๐ฏ๏ธ Birth of the Wonder-Child Nachman Katufa
In the year ืืณืจื ืดื ืืืจืืื, was born the wondrous child Nachman Katufa.
Ancient traditions refer to him as a child of exceptional and extraordinary character, describing him as a โืืืื ืื ืืื ืืคืืืโ (โthe wondrous prophetic childโ). His birth is recorded among the notable events associated with Rosh Hashanah.
๐ฏ๏ธ Burning of the Talmud in Rome
In the year 1553 (ืโืฉืโื), a devastating decree was carried out in Rome when the Pope ordered the public burning of copies of the Talmud, its commentaries, and other Torah works.
Large numbers of sacred Jewish books were confiscated and destroyed. The burning was part of a broader campaign against Torah literature and Jewish learning in Italy.
This tragedy became one of the most infamous attacks on Jewish scholarship in European history. Although countless precious manuscripts and printed volumes were lost, Torah study continued, and new editions of the Talmud were eventually printed, ensuring the survival of the Torah she-beโal peh for future generations.
๐๏ธ Todayโs Yartzites โ 1st Tishreiy
๐ฏ๏ธ 887 โ The Passing of the Paytan Rabbi Shefatiah ben Amitai
In the year ืชืจืโื ืืืจืืืช ืืขืืื (887 CE) passed away the famed paytan Rabbi Shefatiah ben Amitai ืืฆโื.
Rabbi Shefatiah was one of the early Jewish poets of Italy and is credited with composing the selichah:
โืืฉืจืื ื ืืฉืข ืื'โ
as well as the well-known refrain:
โืืขื ืืจืืืืโ
His name and works are preserved in Megillas Achimaatz, one of the most important historical records of early Italian Jewry. Rabbi Shefatiah was also involved in preserving and arranging Torah manuscripts, including texts of the Talmud and its commentaries, during a period when Jewish scholarship faced significant challenges in Christian Europe.
๐ฏ๏ธ 1611 โ The Passing of Rabbi Menachem Chanoch Hendel
In the year ืฉืขโื (1611) passed away the gaon Rabbi Menachem Chanoch Hendel ben Rabbi Shemaryah ืืฆโื of Lvov.
Among his works is:
- ืืืืช ืื ืื
Rabbi Menachem Chanoch Hendel was recognized as a distinguished talmid chacham of Poland and Galicia, and his writings contributed to the growth of Torah scholarship in Eastern Europe.
๐ฏ๏ธ 1761 โ The Passing of Rabbi Yehudah Ayash
In the year ืชืงืโื (1761) passed away the gaon Rabbi Yehudah ben Rabbi Yitzchak Ayash ืืฆโื.
Author of:
ืืืช ืืืืื
Rabbi Yehudah Ayash was one of the leading Sephardic sages of North Africa. His responsa and halachic rulings became important sources for later Sephardic authorities and continue to be cited in Torah literature.
๐ฏ๏ธ 1879 โ The Passing of the Malbim
In the year ืชืจโื (1879) passed away the gaon Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Rabbi Yechiel Michel Weiser, known throughout the Jewish world as the Malbim, ืืฆโื, in Kiev.
The Malbim was one of the greatest Tanach commentators of modern times. His commentaries on:
- Chumash
- Neviโim
- Kesuvim
are renowned for demonstrating that every word and expression in Tanach has precise meaning and purpose.
In addition to his Torah scholarship, the Malbim stood firmly for traditional Judaism and devoted much of his life to strengthening Torah observance in the face of the challenges of the nineteenth century.
His writings remain among the most studied and influential commentaries on Tanach to this day.
๐ฏ๏ธ 1914 โ The Passing of the Ridbaz
In the year ืชืจืขโื (1914) passed away the gaon Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky, universally known as the Ridbaz (ืจืืืโื), ืืฆโื.
Born in 1845, the Ridbaz was one of the foremost Torah authorities of his generation. He served as Rav in several prominent communities, including Slutsk, later in Chicago, and in his final years in Tzfas.
The Ridbaz was renowned for his sharp brilliance, encyclopedic knowledge of Shas and Poskim, and uncompromising dedication to Torah. His writings include:
- Responsa Ridbaz
- A celebrated commentary on the Jerusalem Talmud
- Important commentaries on the Rambam
- Numerous halachic responsa and Torah essays
In America, he was among the earliest gedolim to attempt to strengthen Torah observance and rabbinic standards in a rapidly changing Jewish environment. Later, he settled in Eretz Yisrael, where he became one of the leading rabbinic figures of Tzfas.
The Ridbaz was especially known for his fierce defense of Torah principles and for his independent halachic reasoning. Even when his opinions differed from other leading authorities, he expressed them with clarity and conviction, always guided by what he understood to be the truth of Torah.
He passed away in Tzfas on Rosh Hashanah, ืชืจืขโื, and was buried there. His sefarim continue to be studied by talmidei chachamim and remain an important part of the halachic literature of the last generations.
๐๏ธ Today in Chabad History โ 1st Tishreiy
๐ฏ๏ธ Rosh Hashanah 5507 (1746) โ The Baal Shem Tovโs Ascent of the Soul and His Encounter with Moshiach
On Rosh Hashanah 5507 (1746), the Baal Shem Tov experienced one of the most famous and consequential spiritual ascents in Jewish history.
In his celebrated letter to his brother-in-law, Rabbi Gershon of Kitov, the Baal Shem Tov relates that on Rosh Hashanah he performed an aliyas neshamah (ascent of the soul) and ascended from level to level through the upper worlds.
He writes that he beheld wondrous revelations unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Because of the danger involved in ascending to such exalted spiritual realms, he asked his teacher to accompany him.
Eventually, he entered the Heichal of Moshiach, where he saw Moshiach studying Torah together with the Tannaim, the tzaddikim, and the Seven Shepherds of Israel.
The Baal Shem Tov observed an extraordinary joy in that heavenly chamber. At first, he feared that the celebration might somehow be connected with his own impending departure from this world. He was then informed that this was not the case, for he would continue to live and serve Hashem below.
The Baal Shem Tov then posed the famous question:
โืืืืชื ืงืืชื ืืจ?โ
โWhen will the Master come?โ
Moshiach answered:
โืืืฉืืคืืฆื ืืขืืื ืืชืื ืืืฆื.โ
โWhen your wellsprings will spread outward.โ
Moshiach explained that the Redemption would come when the teachings revealed by the Baal Shem Tov, the inner dimension of Torah and the path of Chassidus, would become widely known and spread throughout the world.
๐ฏ๏ธ This encounter became one of the foundational teachings of the Chassidic movement. Generations of Chassidim understood from it that the dissemination of the โwellspringsโ of Torah and Chassidus is a preparation for the coming of Moshiach and the final Redemption.