4 Elul · Yahrzeit
Rabbi Meir Simcha HaKohen of Dvinsk - the Ramash
Rabbi Meir Simcha HaKohen of Dvinsk - the Ramash (1843—1926) was one of the most unique Torah giants of the 20th century.
Yahrzeit - 4 Elul
Resting place - Daugavpils, Latvia
Rabbi Meir Simcha was born in Butrimonys, Lithuania, to Shimshon Kalonymus, a local wealthy merchant. According to family tradition, his later success in Torah study was attributed to two blessings his parents received from local rabbis before his birth.
He was educated at home and managed to avoid the regular roundups of Jewish boys that took place as a result of the Cantonist decrees, which had been in effect since 1827.
He was so proficient in the Jerusalem Talmud that when Rabbi Shlomo Friedlander claimed in 1906 to have discovered a missing tractate of the Talmud, he was able to immediately identify it as a forgery.
Later, Rav Meir Simcha moved to Dvinsk, where the Rogatchover Rebbe was living at the time. The Rogatchover was a chassidic leader, while Rabbi Meir Simcha was a "Litvak," but this did not stop them from joining forces and turning Dvinsk into a major center of Torah study, to which crowds of Jews flocked from all corners of Eastern Europe for decades.
Rabbi Meir Simcha served as the rabbi of Dvinsk for almost 40 years and was beloved by his congregants. He often helped couples reconcile. Once a couple came to him to discuss their problem, and after a long pause, singing and dancing broke out. Rabbi Meir Simcha's secretary looked inside and saw a strange sight: the Rav dancing with the couple to help them reconcile.
During World War I, when many Jews fled Dvinsk, he said that if only nine Jews remained, he would be the tenth, and that every bomb has its own address.
He was respected by all segments of the population, and Reb Chaim Nachman Bialik called him a "walking encyclopedia."
In 1906 he was offered the position of rabbi of Jerusalem, but he was persuaded by his congregants to remain in Dvinsk. Twenty prominent figures of Dvinsk wrote to Jerusalem the following: "We, of the Russian city of Dvinsk, protest in response to the news that the sons of Jerusalem wish to take away our master, our teacher... they will destroy not only us, but the entire community for which he is teacher and guardian, for all congregants who seek G-d."
Rabbi Meir Simcha was a staunch supporter of the revival of the State of Eretz Yisrael and enthusiastically welcomed the Balfour Declaration.
He believed that in order for a Rav to be a true leader of his community, he needed to be fluent in the language of the country.
He is known for two works: "Or Sameach" - a brilliant commentary on the Rambam's Mishneh Torah, and "Meshech Chochmah" - a profound commentary on the Torah.
In addition to the aforementioned works, he also wrote responsa on the Talmud.
May the merit of the tzadik protect Am Yisrael!