Today 27th of Tevet , Jan 5 in Jewish History

Today is the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch. Rabbi Hirsch was born in Hamburg, Germany on June 20, 1808 to his father who though a merchant, devoted much of his time to Torah studies. Rabbi Shinshon Raphael Hirsch was the intellectual founder of the "Torah im Derech Eretz school" of contemporary Orthodox Judaism.

In 1830 Rabbi Hirsch was elected chief rabbi of the principalityof Oldenburg. During this period he wrote his "Nineteen Letters on Judaism" (Neunzehn Briefe über Judenthum) which were published, under the pseudonym of "Ben Usiel" at Altona in 1836. This work made a profound impression in German Jewish circles because it was something new — a brilliant, intellectual presentation of Orthodox Judaism in classic German.

During the final years of his life, Rabbi Hirsch put his efforts in the founding of the "Freie Vereinigung für die Interessen des Orthodoxen Judentums", an association of independent Jewish communities. During the 30 years after his death this organisation would be used as a model for the formation of the international orthodox Agudat Yisrael movement.

From reports of his family members, it seems likely that Hirsch contracted malaria while in Emden, which continued to plague him during the rest of life with febrile episodes.
Rabbi Hirsch died in 1888, on the 27th of Tevet in Frankfurt am Main and is buried there.

Today 26th of Tevet , Jan. 4 in Jewish History

On the 26th of Tevet the Jews of Sicily required to wear a special badge. The badge consisted of a piece of red material, not smaller than the largest royal seal, men were required to wear it under the chin, and women on the breast.

In Sicily, the external decoration of synagogues was prohibited by Frederick III. on Oct. 12, 1366; in consequence of this law old synagogues that had already been decorated were pulled down.

Sicily is a large island in the Mediterranean Sea, southwest of Italy, to which it. The earliest trace of Jews in Sicily dates from the end of the 16th century, when at the request of the Sicilian Jews, the Roman community complained to the pope of the cruelty of the Christians toward the Jews of the island. Thereupon Gregory the Great ordered the restitution of stolen property or its full monetary value, and strictly prohibited baptism by force. Nothing further was heard of Sicilian Jews until the 11th century. Frederick II. endeavored to save the Jews in Sicily from persecution during the Crusades by the decrees of 1210 and 1224, in which he placed the Jews under ecclesiastical jurisdiction and ordered that no difference be made between their treatment and that of others.

Kosher Corner

A warning that some Israeli produce sold in the U.S. is not under certification and may be problematic, was issued by the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc). The cRc warning noted: 'It has come to our attention that produce from Israel, in particular, sweet peppers, is once again being sold in stores. The produce that is exported to the United States usually does not have any hashgacha. Since we must assume that the product does not have any hashgacha (unless you know otherwise) and we are now in a Shmittah (sabbatical for fields in Israel) year, the produce can not be used at all. All produce should be marked with the country of origin, so be careful when making your purchase that they are Kosher.'

Today 25th of Tevet , Jan. 3 in Jewish History

Today is the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Moses Levi Ehrenreich chief rabbi of Rome (born in Brody, Galicia, 1818; died in Rome 25th of Tevet, 1899). Through his efforts and under his direction, the Collegio Rabbinico Italiano was reopened in 1887.

Rabbi Ehrenreich was also instrumental in translating part of the Bible (Hosea, Micah, Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah) into Italian.

How about a Siyum HaShas in One Day?!

Siyum HaShas is known woldwide as the major event organized by the Agudas Yisroel upon the completion of the 2,711 pages of the Babylonian Talmud. Participants in this program study the Talmud for seven full years, doing one page a day.

So upon hearing of a program to finish the entire Talmud in one day, it sounded something unreal and "undoable", but this is how the program works as explained by Rabbi Heinkin, Founder and President of Chevrah Lomdei Misnah.

Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah provides all Yahrzeit and Jewish Mourner's services, such as Kaddish, Yizkor, Tehillim/Psalms and Talmud services. Their latest addition of services is very unique and is nonequivalent to any other program. Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah has recruited a large group of Torah Scholars who are ready at any time to complete a portion of the talmud that was initially assigned to them. When someone contacts Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah for the event of a Yahrzeit, the scholars sit down and complete their portion, enabling the completion of Shas on the day of the yahrzeit.

Scholars are finished with their portion at 3:00pm, which enables the son of the deceased or any other relative or friend to do a Siyum at the gathering made in the memory of the deceased.

The greatest part of this program is that it was all done on the day of the Yahrtzeit which is a great benefit for the soul of the deceased.

So completing the entire Shas in one day is possible? Yes it is, in fact it's completed in a half a day period, since the scholars are done by 3:00pm.

Today 24th of Tevet , Jan. 2 in Jewish History

Today the 24th of Tevet is the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Lyady, the Baal HaTanya, founder of the Chabad Chasidus, 1812.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, also known as "The Alter Rebbe," "Baal HaTanya" was born in the White Russian town of Liozna on Elul 18, 5505 (1745) In 1764 he traveled to Mezeritch to study under the tutelage of the Baal Shem Tov's successor, Rabbi Dov Ber. Despite his youth, he was accepted into the inner circle of the great master's pupils.

His name Baal Hatanya, comes from the work that he authored, Tanya, a classic text of the chassidic tradition first published in 1796, and Shulchan Aruch HaRav, a code of Jewish law. His works have been reprinted many times and are available in all Judaica Stores.

The Chabad Chassidus today runs thousands of centers around the world called Chabad Houses, which serve as Jewish community centers, synagogues, and schools, providing outreach and educational activities for Jewish communities. The Chabad Headquarters is located in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Kosher Corner

The benefits of using Fish Oil as a nutritional supplement is well known. Fish Oil is beneficial for Cardiovascular Health, (Omega 3 fatty acids have also been proven to work wonders for your heart and the miles and miles of arteries and veins that make up your cardiovascular system. They help to lower cholesterol, tryglicerides, LDLs and blood pressure, while at the same time increasing good HDL cholesterol.) Fish Oil also prevents strokes and heart attacks. (When plaque builds up on arterial walls and then breaks loose, it causes clots. If a clot gets stuck in the brain, it causes a stroke and when it plugs an artery, it causes a heart attack. Research shows omega 3 fatty acids break up clots before they can cause any damage.)

Many Kosher Fish Oils are available today in the Kosher industry, and there is no need to consume questionable fish oil pills. The Kosher Fish Oil Pills are proven to be of the same quality as the non-kosher.

Today 23rd of Tevet , Jan. 1 in Jewish History

Today is the Yahrzeit of Nathan Straus, for whom the city of Netanya, founded in 1927 and the Jerusalem street, Rehov Straus (Chancellor Avenue during the British Mandate) were named after.

Nathan Straus (Jan. 31, 1848 – Jan. 11, 1931) was an American merchant and philanthropist who owned two of New York City's biggest department stores, R.H. Macy & Company and Abraham & Straus before giving away most of his fortune to the Zionist cause. In 1912 a trip to then Palestine was to shape the rest of his life. He ended up staying in Israel while his brother Isidor and Isidor's wife headed back to New York aboard the Titanic and perished when it sank.

Feeling he had been spared by divine intervention he then devoted two-thirds of his fortune on Palestine.

Nathan Straus died on Jan. 11, 1931 in New York City.

Kosher Corner

Kosher products are available more easily than many people think, in fact most cereals are certified kosher by leading American Kosher agencies such as OK and OU. For example, the famous Arrowhead Mills Cereals are certified Kosher by the OK. There are many other kosher health food products available on the market. Now it's much easier to eat healthy than ever before thanks to the popular demand for kosher food, and of course, thanks to the kosher certification agencies.

Today 22nd of Tevet , Dec. 31 in Jewish History

In 1798, mobs attempted to torch the Jewish ghetto of Rome, but rains put out the fire. Upon the occurrence of this miracle, the day was then designated as a holiday by Roman Jews.

The Roman (Jewish) Ghetto was located in the rione Sant'Angelo in the area surrounded by today's Via del Portico d'Ottavia, Lungotevere dei Cenci, Via del Progresso and Via di Santa Maria del Pianto close to the Tiber and the Theater of Marcellus in Rome, Italy.

This "ghetto" had two objectives— to protect Christians from too close an association with persons of a different religion, and to protect the Jews from mobs or hooligans. The ghetto was welcome to some Jews because it protected the small community from the drain which must follow from assimilation to the majority and enabled special religious customs to be observed without interference.

The Jews were also subjected to various restrictions and degradations, including having to attend compulsory Catholic sermons on Shabbat. During Rome's annual carnival, scantily-clad Jews were forced to race along the main street, while the crowd mocked them, threw trash, and reigned heavy blows. (The event often proved fatal.) Hygienic conditions inside the ghetto were terrible, and there was constant flooding from the nearby Tiber River. Outside the ghetto, Jews were required to wear identifying yellow clothing. When Napoleonic forces occupied Rome, the ghetto was legally abolished in 1808, and the city of Rome tore down the ghetto walls in 1888.

Today 21st of Tevet , Dec 30 in Jewish History

Today the 21st of Tevet is the birthday of Shimon (ca. 1567 B.C.E. – ca. 1447 B.C.E.), the son of Jacob our forefather and one of the twelve Jewish Tribes. Shimon is buried in the City of Matzada, which was given to the Tribe of Shimon. The tribe of Shimon never received its own land, however the families of Shimon dwelt within the land of the strongest tribe, the leadership tribe of Judah.