🕯️ Today’s Yartzite 21st Elul
🕯️ 1764 – The Passing of Rabbi Yonasan Eybeschutz
In the year תקכ”ד (1764) passed away the gaon Rabbi Yonasan ben Rabbi Nosson Nota Eybeschutz זצ״ל in Hamburg.
Few rabbinic figures of the Acharonic period matched the brilliance and breadth of Rabbi Yonasan Eybeschutz. A prodigy from childhood, he became one of the foremost Torah authorities of eighteenth-century Europe and served as Rav in several major communities, culminating in the united rabbinate of Altona, Hamburg, and Wandsbek.
Among his famous works are:
- יערות דבש
- כרתי ופלתי
- אורים ותומים
- בני אהובה
- אהבת יהונתן
- Numerous responsa and novellae
His halachic genius, penetrating Talmudic analysis, powerful derashos, and profound kabbalistic knowledge earned him a place among the greatest Torah scholars of all generations. To this day, his works are studied in yeshivos and cited extensively by poskim.
🕯️ 1810 – The Passing of Rabbi Raphael Yitzchak Mayo
In the year תק”ע (1810) passed away the gaon Rabbi Raphael Yitzchak ben Rabbi Aharon Mayo זצ״ל, author of שרשי הים.
Rabbi Mayo was among the distinguished Sephardic sages of his time. His sefer Shorshei HaYam reflects broad mastery of Torah literature and earned respect among contemporary scholars.
His writings contributed to the rich tradition of Sephardic halachic scholarship that flourished throughout the Mediterranean Jewish communities.
🕯️ 1972 – The Passing of Rabbi Nissim Kaduri
In the year תשל”ב (1972) passed away the gaon Rabbi Nissim ben Rabbi Ezra Kaduri זצ״ל.
Author of:
- חובת הארץ
- מעשה נסים
Rabbi Kaduri was one of the respected sages of the Sephardic community, known for his devotion to Torah, teaching, and communal leadership. His writings combine practical guidance, halachic discussion, and ethical teachings.
He devoted his life to strengthening Torah observance and transmitting the traditions of earlier Sephardic generations.
🕯️ 2010 – The Passing of Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Zolotnik
In the year תש”ע (2010) passed away the gaon Rabbi Avraham Yaakov ben Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Zolotnik זצ״ל, Rosh Yeshivah of Etz Chaim in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Zolotnik was respected as a devoted educator, talmid chacham, and leader of one of Jerusalem’s historic Torah institutions. Through decades of teaching, he helped shape generations of students in Torah scholarship and yiras Shamayim.
A tragic event coincided with his funeral. During the hours of the hespedim and levayah, terrorists murdered residents of Beit Chaggai near the entrance to Kiryat Arba הי”ד, casting a shadow of grief over the day.
🕯️ Today in Chabad History 21st Elul
🕯️ 21 Elul, 5699 (1939) – The Frierdiker Rebbe Leaves Otwock for Warsaw
On Tuesday, 21 Elul 5699 (1939), just days after the outbreak of the Second World War, the Frierdiker Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, left Otwock, Poland, where he had lived for the previous four years.
As the German invasion of Poland intensified, the Rebbe hoped to return to Riga, Latvia. To do so, he first needed to travel to Warsaw. At approximately three o’clock in the afternoon, he departed Otwock accompanied by members of his family.
Many residents of Otwock gathered to bid farewell and receive the Rebbe’s blessing. Witnesses recalled the deep sadness visible on his face as he prepared to leave the city.
Before departing, the Rebbe addressed those assembled:
“Be well. Accept upon yourselves the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven. The King protects His servants, and the Jewish people are children of Hashem. He will protect you wherever you are, and He will protect us wherever we may be.”
The Rebbe himself wept bitterly as he left.
🕯️ The Journey Under Bombardment
While traveling toward Warsaw, German aircraft began bombing the roads and vehicles below. Passengers in the convoy abandoned their cars and sought shelter along the roadside.
The Frierdiker Rebbe, however, encouraged his family not to be afraid, declaring:
“There is nothing to fear. Father is working for us now.”
The Rebbe was referring to his father, the Rebbe Rashab, invoking his merit and protection during those terrifying hours.
🕯️ Trapped in Wartime Warsaw
Upon reaching Warsaw, it became apparent that the war had made travel to Riga impossible. Instead of continuing his journey, the Rebbe found himself trapped in the Polish capital amid the opening stages of the war.
He remained there until 2 Teves 5700, when through a remarkable series of events he succeeded in escaping from Poland and reaching Riga.
The experiences of those harrowing months in Warsaw were later described by the Frierdiker Rebbe himself and are preserved in the opening sections of Sefer HaSichos 5700, providing a vivid firsthand account of the outbreak of the war.
🕯️ 21 Elul, 5700 (1940) – Chanukas HaBayis at 770 Eastern Parkway
One year later, on 21 Elul 5700 (1940), the Frierdiker Rebbe celebrated the formal Chanukas HaBayis of his new headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.
The gathering opened with the delivery of a maamar beginning:
“Al Sheloshah Devarim HaOlam Omed”
“Upon three things the world stands…”
After the maamar, the Rebbe continued with a farbrengen and delivered a number of sichos connected with the spiritual significance of the new center of Chabad in America.
The contrast between these two anniversaries is striking. On 21 Elul 5699, the Rebbe was fleeing a Europe engulfed in war. One year later, on 21 Elul 5700, he was dedicating the building that would become the permanent center from which Chabad would rebuild, grow, and eventually spread throughout the world.
🕯️ Thus, 21 Elul marks both one of the darkest journeys in the Frierdiker Rebbe’s life and one of the great beginnings in modern Chabad history: the establishment of 770 Eastern Parkway as the new heart of Lubavitch.