Yahrtzeit of Rabbi David ibn Abi Zimra (1480-1573), known by the acronym of his name, Radbaz. He served as the Chief Rabbi of Egypt and later moved to Israel. He taught Jewish mysticism to the Arizal (Isaac Luria) who went on to become the founder of modern Kabbalah. The Radbaz issued many important decisions in Jewish law, including the assertion that the Ethiopian community was certainly Jewish -- a decision that gained practical application in the 20th century with the airlift of Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
Written by Rabbi Shraga Simmons Selected ideas from "Day by Day in Jewish History," by Abraham P. Bloch (Ktav.com) Dates follow the traditional Jewish calendar (and not the Gregorian calendar, which is at times 150 years different than Jewish computations).
November 19, 2008 / 21 Cheshvan 5769Torah Reading: Chayei Sarah