June 26

History events
1523 — (13th of Tammuz, 5283) The first printed edition of the Sefer ha-Chinuch (ספר החינוך) appeared. ….. The printing of this comparatively obscure volume within seven decades of the invention of Gutenberg’s printing press demonstrates how quickly “the people of the book” took to the printing of books. Sefer ha-Chinuch was not the first book to be printed in Hebrew. That honor probably goes to Tractate Berakhot of the Babylonian Talmud which was printed by Joshua Solomon Soncino in 1483. . According to the Hillel Website, «Sefer HaChinuch is a unique work in many ways. It was published anonymously and scholars throughout the ages have not succeeded in unearthing the humble author. The book dates to 13th century Spain and is a comprehensive description of the 613 commandments, arranged according to their appearance in the Pentateuch. The description of each commandment includes (a) the concept of the Mitzvah and its Biblical source, (b) the philosophical underpinnings of the commandment, and (c) a brief summary of the laws governing its observance. An English translation of this important work is available
1901 — (9th of Tammuz, 5661) Bicentennial of the Bevis Marks Synagogue, the oldest in England. Sephardic Jews founded Bevis Marks in 1701. The congregation is known as the Spanish and Portuguese Jews’ Congregation
1906 — (3th of Tammuz, 5666) In Jerusalem, the Laemmel School a school established “for the secular education of Jewish children” by Fra Elise Herz of Vienna under the auspices of the poet Ludwig August Frankl “celebrated the semi-centenary of its foundation” today
1938 — (26th of Sivan, 5698) Five more bombs exploded today in the quarter between Jaffa and Tel Aviv wounding fifteen Arabs. Soon after the first bomb exploded in the morning a mob of Arabs raided a Jew’s shop and stabbed the proprietor
1940 — (20th of Sivan, 5700) A split takes place among the leaders of Etzel, also known as the Irgun. They cannot decide whether or not to cease attacks against the British for the duration of the war. Abraham Stern, believing that the timing was ripe to pressure the British by any means to allow full immigration sets up the LEHI (Lohamei Herut Yisrael) Freedom Fighters of Israel.
1941 — (1st of Tammuz, 5701) Hundreds of Jews from Kovno, Lithuania, were executed at the fortified Ninth Fort on the city’s outskirts.
1942 — (1th of Tammuz, 5701) For the first time British radio carried reports about the fate of the Polish Jews. It said that 700,000 Jews had been killed in Poland to date.
1951 — (22th of Sivan, 5711) The Jerusalem Post reported that contracts had been signed for the widening of the Kishon River outlet near Haifa, building of a bridge over it and the construction of a port and dry dock there
1956 — (17th of Tammuz, 5716) Under President Nasser, Egypt seized control of the Suez Canal
1961 — (12th of Tammuz, 5721) Operation Morale, “a clandestine effort headed by Mossad to facilitate the emigration of Jewish Moroccan children to Israel” began today when the first of five convoys left the North African country “under the guise of taking a supposed holiday to Switzerland
2012 — (6th of Tammuz, 5772) Fires raged in the forest around Jerusalem today, with the largest fire near the suburb of Motza. The Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway was closed to traffic as fire and rescue services scrambled to control the blaze

People
1541 — (23 Sivan 5301) Rabbi Jacob Pollack passed away. Born in Poland 1460, he was the first important Polish-Jewish Rabbinic scholar. ….. Prior to his time, the great Talmudic centers had been found in Germany. He helped establish the Talmudic method of study called «Pilpul». This complicated and often hair-splitting method of explanation was originated in southern Germany. It is called mental acrobatics by some, yet is also responsible for the development of the sharp Talmudic mind. Pollack served as a Rabbi in Cracow, moved to Eretz-Israel for a period of time and returned to live in Lublin where he passed away
1629 — (15th of Tammuz, 5389) Lipmann Heller forced to leave his post as rabbi at Prague. ….. Rabbi Yom Tov Lipmann Heller was born in 1579. He was the author of Tossafoth Yom Tov,a major commentary on the Mishna. While he was serving as a Rabbi in Prague, he was involved with the distribution of tax money. He was wrongfully accused by some of showing favoritism in his work. He ended up being taken to Vienna in chains. The Christian officials respected his integrity and released him. Considering that this took place during the Thirty Years War, it is surprising that Heller did not come to some barbarous end. He passed away in 1654
1775 — (28th of Sivan, 5535) Aryeh Löb ben Mordecai Ha-Levi Epstein (Ba’al ha-Pardes) passed away. ….. He was a Polish rabbi born in Grodno in 1708. At first he refused to become a rabbi, preferring to devote himself entirely to study, but in 1739 he was forced by poverty to accept the rabbinate of Brestovech, Lithuania, and in 1745 he became rabbi of Königsberg, where he remained until his death. He corresponded with Elijah, Gaon of Vilna, and with Jonathan Eybeschütz, with whom he sided in the quarrel about amulets (see Emden-Eybeschütz Controversy). He is the author of Or ha-Shanim, on the 613 commandments (Frankfort-on-the-Oder, 1754), Halakah Aḥaronah and Ḳunṭres ha-Ra’yot (ib. 1754; Königsberg, 1759), Sefer ha-Pardes, in three parts: (1) on the Shema and the observance of Sabbath, (2) sermons, (3) funeral orations (ib. 1759)
1821 — (26th of Sivan, 5581) Adolf Jellinek, Jewish scholar, born
1872 — (20th of Sivan, 5632) Nathaniel Isaacs, the English adventurer who co-founded Port Natal (modern day Durban) and who descried his life in Africa in Travels and Adventures in Eastern Africa passed away today and was subsequently buried at Canterbury
1875 — (23th of Sivan, 5635) Birthdate of Carl Jung, one of the founders of psychoanalysis
1996 — (9th of Tammuz, 5756) Staff Sgt. (Res.) Asher Berdugo, 22, of Kiryat Bialik; Sgt. Ashraf Shibli, 20, of Shibli; and Cpl. (Res.) Ya’acov Turgeman of Rishon Lezion were killed in an ambush along the Jordan River north of Jericho by terrorists who infiltrated from Jordan
2004 — (7th of Tammuz, 5764): Israel’s renowned composer and songwriter Naomi Shemer passed away at the age of 74. Shemer is known to many as the composer of the famous song “Y’rushalayim Shel Zahav» or in English, «Jerusalem of Gold.»