Table of Contents
đź“… Today in Jewish History
đź“… Year 2048 – The Turning Over of Sodom and Amora
According to tradition, the destruction of Sodom and Amora (סדום ועמורה) took place on the 16th of Nissan, immediately following the first night of Pesach.
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đź“… Year 2196-2332 – Levi son of Yacob and Leah is born and dies
Levi was born and passed away on the same day, 137 years later; the Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, beginning of Shemot) expounds that one who is truly a Levi merits that most of his days are spent in holiness.
đź“… Year 2208 – Shimon and Levi in Shechem
Shimon and Levi entered the city of Shechem and killed every male, taking vengeance for the abduction of their sister Dinah (Genesis 34)
đź“… Year 2489 – The Cessation of the Manna
According to Sefer Yehoshua (5:10–12), on the 16th of Nissan, immediately after Bnei Yisrael brought the Korban Pesach upon entering the Land of Israel, the manna ceased to fall. For forty years in the wilderness, the manna descended מן השמים as a daily, miraculous sustenance. Upon eating from the produce of the Land, this Divine provision came to an end, marking a major transition in Jewish history.
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đź“… Year 2560 – Naomi and Ruth the Moabite
On 16 Nissan Naomi and her daughter‑in‑law Ruth returned from the fields of Moab to Bethlehem; Midrashic sources note that they traveled on Yom Tov, reasoning that for the sake of a mitzvah—
returning to the Land of Judah and conversion—festival rest could be set aside.
đź“… Year 2922 – Execution of the Descendants of Shaul
In the year 4822 (תתקכ״ב), by directive of King David, two sons of King Shaul and five of his grandsons were executed, as recorded in II Samuel 21:1–14; the Jerusalem Talmud (Kiddushin 4:1) and Bamidbar Rabbah (8:4) discuss the event in the context of communal atonement
đź“… Year 3200 – King Chizkiyahu and the Intercalation of the Year Â
On 30 Adar, King Chizkiyahu intercalated the year by designating Nissan as Adar II, extending Adar to thirty days due to ritual impurity (Sanhedrin 12); the Jerusalem Talmud (Pesachim, end of ch. 9) relates that a skull of Arnon the Jebusite was found beneath the altar, though the Sages did not agree with Chizkiyahu’s ruling, since Nissan should not be delayed, as it is already fit to begin (Berachot 10) The priests and Levites came to inform King Chizkiyahu that they had completed the purification of the House of Hashem, beginning on Rosh Chodesh; ultimately, the delay was due to the removal of Chaldean idols engraved in the Temple (Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 1:2); offerings were then brought with song and music (II Chronicles 29:17) King Chizkiyahu sent letters from Dan to Be’er Sheva, urging the people to come to Jerusalem to observe Pesach Sheni; although some mocked the messengers, many nevertheless ascended to Jerusalem from various tribes (II Chronicles 30)
đź“… Year 3405 – Achashverosh’s Sleepless Night
That same night, the sleep of King Achashverosh was disturbed, and the Book of Remembrances was read before him; as a result, Haman—who had intended to request permission to hang Mordechai—was instead commanded to parade Mordechai through the streets of the city (Esther 6) Even after being publicly honored, Mordechai returned to the king’s gate, to sackcloth and fasting; some suggest the fast may not yet have been completed if Haman had been hanged before midday (commentary of the Yaavetz) It was proclaimed before Mordechai: “Thus shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor” (Esther 6:9)
đź“… Year 3405 – Execution of Haman  Â
Haman son of Hammedata was hanged. See “Today in halacha”
[1] Taken from Luach Itim Labina
📅 Today’s Yahrzeits
🕯️ Today’s Yahrzeits – 16th Nissan[1]
🕯️Levi Ben Yaakov
🕯️Rabbi Reuven ben Hoeshke HaKohen Katz of Prague — author of Yalkut Reuveni
🕯️ Rabbi Aryeh Tzvi Frumer — author of Eretz Tzvi, Rav of Koziegłowy
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👤Their Background[2]
🕯️ Rabbi Reuven ben Hoeshke HaKohen Katz of Prague — author of Yalkut Reuveni
Rabbi Reuven ben Hoeshke HaKohen Katz (also referred to as Abraham Reuven in some early sources) was a prominent 17th‑century kabbalist and preacher in Prague, and the author of Yalkut Reuveni, a wide‑ranging compendium of kabbalistic and midrashic teachings on the Torah. Yalkut Reuveni was first printed in Prague in 1660 and quickly gained prominence for its extensive citations from the Zohar, early kabbalistic works, and midrashim, often preserving traditions not found elsewhere. In his introduction, the author explains the title Reuveni as an acronym for “Mysteries of Torah and Kabbalah set forth in pleasant writing.”
Rabbi Reuven descended from a distinguished rabbinic lineage: his maternal grandfather was Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Luntshitz, the renowned author of Kli Yakar. Beyond Yalkut Reuveni, he authored additional kabbalistic works, including Oneg Shabbat and Davar She‑bi‑Kedusha, which further reflect his engagement with the inner dimensions of Torah. He passed away on 17 Nissan 5433 (April 3, 1673). His writings exerted a lasting influence on both scholarly and devotional study of Kabbalah, and Yalkut Reuveni continued to be printed, excerpted, and studied widely in the generations that followed.
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🕯️ Rabbi Aryeh Tzvi Frumer — author of Eretz Tzvi, Rav of Koziegłowy
Rabbi Aryeh Tzvi Frumer (1884–1942/43), known as the Kozhiglover Rav, was one of the foremost Torah authorities of pre‑war Poland. A devoted disciple of the Sochatchover Rebbes, he served as rav of Koziegłowy and later as rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin, succeeding Rabbi Meir Shapiro. His responsa, published under the title Eretz Tzvi, remain a central work of twentieth‑century halachic literature, distinguished by depth, clarity, and fidelity to the Sochatchov tradition. During the German occupation he was confined in the Warsaw Ghetto, where he continued to serve as a spiritual leader under conditions of extreme deprivation. Contemporary wartime reports indicate that he was murdered during the period between Tishrei and Tevet 5703 (1942). His death was publicly mourned in Jerusalem, where Rabbi Ben‑Zion Hai Uziel, Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael, delivered a eulogy in the Great Synagogue of Yeshivat Porat Yosef upon receipt of the news. He perished sanctifying God’s Name and is remembered as one of the great rabbinic martyrs of the Holocaust.
[1] Taken from Luach Itim Labina
[2] Please not that these historical notes were prepared with the assistance of Copilot Pro, an AI Research Agent, and have not been independently verified.
Today in Halacha
Special meal in memory of Haman’s death:[1]
One is to enhance his meal on the 16th of Nissan in honor of the meal which Queen Esther made with Haman and Achashveirosh on the 16th of Nissan, which then led Haman to be hung.
The explanation: Esther and the Jewish people fasted on the 13th, 14th and 15th. Accordingly, she made the 1st meal by the 15th and the 2nd by the 16th and Haman was hung on the 16th by the second meal. [Pirkei Derebbe Eliezer 3 and Midrash Raba Esther, brought in Kaf Hachaim 490:1] Alternatively, the Jewish people fasted on the 14th, 15th, 16th, and the first meal took place on the 15th [and thus Esther only fasted two days] and the second meal took place on the 16th, and Haman was hung on the 16th. [Rashi Megillah 15a, brought in Machatzis Hashekel on M”A ibid and Kaf Hachaim ibid] Thus, according to both approaches, both the second meal and death of Haman occurred on the 16th, as rule the Poskim ibid. However, others hold that Haman was only hung on the 17th. [Yalkut Shimoni 1053; Mesores Hashas on Rashi in Megillah ibid that perhaps according to Rashi Haman was killed on the night after the 16th] According to the approach of the Yalkut Shimoni it is possible that the first meal took place on the 16th and the second meal on the 17th, or that it took place as explains Mesoros Hashas ibid, that Haman was hung that night. If one were to accept that the second emal took place on the 17th, then it would be understood how Mordechai was allowed to ride a horse on that day, as it was no longer Yom Tov.
[1] Admur 490:2; Magen Avraham 490:1 in name of Shlah
