8 Kislev
- Baruch ben Neriah, scribe of the prophet Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) had written a scroll of Lamentations that Yirmiyahu had dictated. It was incinerated on this date by King Yehoyakim. Some have the custom to fast on this day.
9 Kislev
- The ninth day of the ninth month. There is a tradition that the ninth hour of this day is an auspicious time.
10 Kislev
- Yahrzeit of Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer. Rosh Yeshiva of the Slutsk yeshiva in prewar Europe. Among his students there was Rav Moshe Feinstein. After WWI he became the head of the Etz Chaim yeshiva in Jerusalem. Authored Even HaAzal on the writings of the Rambam. Fatherin-Law of Rav Aharon Kotler.
11 Kislev
- Yahrzeit of Rav Simcha of Dasvi who died in 1785. He is best known for his glosses found in the back of standard editions of the Talmud.
12 Kislev
- November 30 has been established as the day to commemorate the Jewish refugees from Arab lands who were expelled after the founding of the State of Israel.
- Yahrzeit of Rav Shlomo Luria, better known by the acronym Maharsha"l. His magnus opus is his editorial comments on the Talmud in which he corrected many publishing errors. His Yam Shel Shlomo is an important Halachic work on the Talmud.
13 Kislev
Kislev 1
- There is a missing day this year, the 30th of Cheshvan. In a standard year Cheshvan has only 29 days, occasionally, it has 30. In years that Cheshvan has 30 days, the 30th day of Cheshvan is called the first day of Rosh Chodesh Kislev. Therefore a boy who is born today will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on the 30th of Cheshvan, 5791 as that will be the first day of Rosh Chodesh Kislev that year. A girl born today will have her Bas Mitzvah on the first of Kislev in 5790 as that year Cheshvan will also have 29 days.
Kislev 2
- Today is Purim of Casablanca. It is the day in which German forces were driven out of Casablanca in 1943. A Megillas Hitler was written to be read to commemorate the event.
- Yahrzeit of Rav Aharon Kotler, one of the primary architects of the rebuilding of Torah in the United States after the decimation of European Jewry. He founded the famed Lakewood Yeshiva, today possibly the largest Yeshiva in the world, and was responsible for beginning numerous other Yeshivos and organizations.
- Yahrzeit of Rav Mordechai Goldstein, Rosh Yeshiva of Diaspora Yeshiva and a pioneer in outreach efforts.
Kislev 3
- Anniversary of the miracle that occurred to the Pnei Yehoshua, which lead to his writing his Sefer which is required reading for any serious Talmud student. There was a gunpowder explosion near his home which destroyed his home and killed his wife and young daughter. Buried under the rubble he vowed that if he survived he would dedicate his life to teaching Torah and publishing his insights.
Kislev 5
- Yahrzeit of Rav Shmuel Eidels, better known as the Maharsh"a. His insights, regretfully divided between Halachic and Aggadic, are published in the back of all standard editions of the Talmud. He was called Eidels after his mother-in-law who provided the financial support for his Yeshiva.
- In 1687 Christian students with government backing attacked the Jewish Ghetto in Posen and battled for three days. On this date they were finally repulsed.
- Yahrzeit of Rav Baurch Ber Leibovitz. One of the foremost students of Rav Chaim Soloveitzcik, and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Kaminetz. Died of natural causes shortly after the outbreak of WWII.
Kislev 6
- Just as we celebrate Shavuos 50 days after Pesach, so, too, this date should have been the post Sukkos holiday, 50 days later. However, the Talmud tells us, that God had mercy and did not want to require people to have to travel back to Jerusalem at the beginning of the winter season and, therefore, Shmini Atzeres is the day after Sukkos and not 50 days later.
- Yahrzeit of Rav Michel Ber Weissmandel, one of the true heroes of the Holocaust. He was responsible for saving thousands of lives through his efforts and subsequently was instrumental in rebuilding the Nitra farming community in the United States.
Kislev 7
- Megillas Taanis says that this date was a holiday as the hated Herod died on this day. Herod was responsible for murdering many of the greatest Torah sages of his time.
- Yahrzeit of Rav Dovid Zintzheim, head of Napoleon's Sanhedrin.
Cheshvan 23
- Megillas Taanis says that this was a day of celebration because a foreign occupying army had built a house of ill repute in the Sanctuary. When the Hasmoneans were victorious they destroyed the building and found a storehouse of precious jewels. The jewels were subsequently hidden until the arrival of Eliyahu to determine if they are ritually pure or impure.
Cheshvan 24
- Anniversary of the sinking of the Patria, a ship full of refugees from the Holocaust, which was sunk in the Haifa Harbor.
Cheshvan 25
- Megillas Taanis tell that when the first exiles returned to Israel they tried to settle an area that was inhabited by Cuthities and were prevented from doing so. They then went to a place called YamBusti and built a walled town. After which other communities began to spring up nearby.
- Third anniversary of the Har Nof massacre.
Cheshvan 27
- Ethiopian Jews have a custom to commemorate 50 days after Yom Kippur the day on which Ezra and Nechemia had made a covenant with the nation. It is a day of fasting and self-reckoning similar to Yom Kippur.
- Yahrzeit of Rav Menachem Kasher, author of a number of encyclopedic works, most notably Torah Sheleima.
Cheshvah 28
- Yahrzeit of Rabbeinu Yonah of Gerona. He was a prolific writer on Jewish law and ethics. His Talmudic commentaries on Berachos and Baba Basra are required reading for any serious student of those Mesechtos, as her his commentary on Pirkei Avos and Shaarei Teshuva.
Cheshvan 29
- Yahrzeit of Rav Yitzchok Isaac Chaver. He was known as the פה שלישי להגרא, the third in line in the transmission of the teachings of the Gaon of Vilna. His Kabbalistic works were very influential on me when I initially began exploring Kabbala. He wrote super-commentaries on many of the writings of the GRA.
- Ninth anniversary of the Mumbai massacre.
Cheshvan 16
- Yahrzeit of Rav Leizer Shach. Fiery personality who led the Ponovezh Yeshiva for many years. At the same time he was a very caring person who went out of the way to help the unfortunate. Was orphaned during the First World War.
Cheshvan 17
- The Deluge of Noach begins
- Hebrew anniversary of the Balfour Declaration
Cheshvan 18
- The Rebbe of Boston leads his Chassidim to Chevron to commemorate the purchase of the Meoras Hamachpela in the week's Torah portion.
- Yahrzeit of the Radvz who passed away in 1575. I have often felt that he is under-appreciated as one of the great Torah scholars of history. Besides his works on Halacha and Kabbala, as well as some Talmudic insights that we have for him, his greatest contribution may have been as one of the teachers of both the Ariza"l and Rav Betzalel Ashkenazi who each placed an indelible stamp on Judaism until today.
Cheshvan 22
- Yahrzeit of the author of the Chelkas Mechokek, one of two primary commentators on Even HoEzer, the portion of Shulchan Aruch which deals with marital law.
