Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Chof Sivan

20 Sivan is observed as a fast day by certain communities, due to the hundreds of thousands of Jews killed al kiddush Hashem in the Gezeiras Tach V'Tat (years 5408-5409, 1648-1649), the Chelminitzki massacres. There are special selichos said and Vayichal is read. These can be found in some siddurim, such as Siddur Tefila Yeshara, the Berdichiver Siddur.

The massacres of started in Nemirov, Ukraine, on 20 Sivan when they slaughtered the entire Jewish community, including the Rov, a great tzadik named Reb Yechiel Michel ben Reb Elazar HY"D, author of Shivrei Luchos. The Berdichiver Siddur says that is why this date was picked as a fast day and points out that 20 Sivan never falls out on Shabbos. After, the massacres spread out to other parts. This happened during the life of the Shach, Tosefos Yom Tov and many other great tzadikim. There were many other great tzadikim killed during the massacres, including Reb Shimshon Ostropolier (3 Av). Yesod Veshoresh Ha'avodah says one should think about the terrible torture and suffering these people went through and all the Torah that was not learnt because they were killed.

Hashem Yinkom Domom


It is the first yahrzeit of the fourth Modzitzer Rebbe, R' Yisroel Dan ben R' Shmuel Eliyahu Taub, author of Nachlas Dan. See
Heichal HaNegina for more.

Also the yahrzeit of:
R' Elazar Flecklesh, author of Teshuva Me'Ahava

R' Chaim Mordechai Labaton (1869) Lived in Eretz Yisroel, he was the author of Nechach Hashulchan

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is from the Breslov Customs Pdf of Rabbi Sear's Breslov Center. It was customary throughout the Ukraine and Russia to recite selichos on the twentieth of
Sivan, including in the Breslover community. This commemoration of the 6,000 martyrs of
the Nemirov massacre of 1648 persisted in Eretz Yisrael and chutz la-aretz until recent years,
when it began to fall into neglect. However, Reb Noson mentions it in Likkutei Halakhos.
(See Likkutei Halakhos, Shluchin 5:36; Chovel Be-chavero 3:7, 9. The selichos for Khof Sivan are
printed in the Siddur Tefillah Yesharah-Berditchev and elsewhere.)
*
Reb Avraham Sternhartz used to fast on Khof Sivan.
(Rabbi Avraham Shimon Burshteyn, in the name of Rabbi Moshe Burshteyn)