Reb Shlomo and Tevet
Reb Shlomo shared with us many insights about the month of Tevet. In addition to Hanukkah which is celebrated between 25 Kislev—2 Tevet and the fast day of 10 Tevet when the armies of the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. (On Tammuz 17, the city walls were breached, and on Av 9th of that year, the Holy Temple was destroyed.), the month is laden with many days that recall events in the history of the Jewish People
On Rosh Hodesh Tevet, Esther made Queen (and Esther was taken to King Achashwerosh, to his palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tevet, in the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won his favor and kindness more than all the virgins; he placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen in Vashti’s stead.” On the 8th of Tevet the Torah translated into Greek, and the 9th we celebrate the Yahrzeit of Ezra, who led the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel after the Babylonian exile (423-353 BCE), oversaw the building of the Second Temple, canonized the 24 books of the Bible and, as head of the “Great Assembly” legislated a series of laws and practices (including formalized prayer) which left a strong impact to Judaism until even this day. Ezra died on the 9th of Tevet of the Hebrew year 3448 (313 BCE, which is exactly 1000 years after the Torah was given on Mount Sinai). The death of Ezra marked the end of what is called the “Era of Prophesy.”
On the 18th of Tevet (469) The Exilarch (“Resh Galuta”) of Babylonian Jewry, Huna Mori bar Mor Zutra, was executed in Pumpeditha by order of the Persian emperor . Also killed on that day was Rav Mesharshia bar Pekod (the third Jewish leader who was arrested with them, Rab Amemor bar Mor Yenuka, was executed two months later). On the 20 Tevet Reb Moses ben Maimon,(Rambam -Maimonides) a famous Talmudist, Halachist, physician, philosopher and communal leader died in Egypt in 1204.
The month of Tevet also includes the Yahrzeits (anniversary of the death) of many great Rebbes who had a profound influence on the Torahs and Stories of Reb Shlomo.
On the 17th of Tevet we celebrate the Yahrzeits of Rec Aaron Zelig ben Joel Feivush of Ostrog, Russia, who authored of Toldot Aaron, (1754) and Rabbi Yaakov Wolf Krantz (1740-1804), the Maggid (itinerant preacher) of Dubna, who is particularly known for the parables (meshalim) he employed in his sermons and writings. On the 18 Tevet – (1841) – we commemorate the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Zvi Elimelech Shapiro of Dynov (1783-1841), author of the Chassidic work B’nei Yissachar. On the 24th of Tevet we celebrate the Yahrzeit of Reb Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), the founder of Chabad Chassidism and on the 27th of Tevet we recall the Death of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888), a Talmudist, scholar, philosopher, prolific author and Rabbi of Frankfurt am Main. He is noted for encouraging Orthodox Judaism to German Jewry, convincing thousands to the teachings of the Torah at a time when assimilation trends were very high for Jewish life in Western Europe.
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