Following the Jewish nation's crossing of the Jordan into the land of Canaan (see entry for "Nissan 10"), and in preparation for the bringing of the Passover Offering, all the men were circumcised under the guidance of Joshua.
Due to the weather conditions in the desert which were not conducive for the healing of wounds, throughout the forty year desert sojourn only the Tribe of Levi circumcised their sons.
11 Nissan marks the passing of Nachmanides ("Ramban", Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, 1194-1270) -- Torah scholar, Kabbalist, philosopher, physician and Jewish leader -- in 1270.
Rabbi Isaiah Halevi Horowitz was a noted kabbalist, famous as the "Sheloh Hakodosh" (the saintly Sheloh) the acronym of his magnum opus, Shnei Luchot Habrit.
He held Rabbinical positions in various communities in Europe, before emigrating to Israel. He passed away in Tiberius at the age of 70.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, was born on this date in 1902.
Links:
TheRebbe.org
A Timeline biography
54 Years, 54 Ideas
Contemporary Chassidic Stories of the
Rebbe
More on the Rebbe
To emphasize the vital role of education in society, the United States annually marks "Education and Sharing Day U.S.A."
Established in 1978 by a joint Congressional resolution, Education Day U.S.A. focuses on the very foundation of meaningful education: instructing our youth in the ways of morality and ethics, and teaching them an appreciation for divine inviolable values.
The Presidents designate annually Education and Sharing Day U.S.A. on the anniversary of the birth of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, who dedicated his life to the cause of education.
Links:
Education and Sharing Day U.S.A Homepage
A blueprint for meaningful education
The Rebbe's talks on the importance of education
A brief history
Yearly
commemoration of "Education and Sharing Day U.S.A."
In today's "Nasi" reading (see "Nasi of the Day" in Nissan 1), we read of the gift bought by the nasi of the tribe of Asher, Pagiel ben Achran, for the inauguration of the Mishkan.
A Torah scroll is a high-precision document.
Journey deep inside the mysteries of this scroll and you will discover an amazing network of words and letters similar to the neuro-network of a human being.
Each letter of the scroll is a world of its own, surrounded by its own white space, without any other letter touching it.
Each letter is of equal value. Even if one of them is missing, flawed, or incomplete, the scroll is not a Torah scroll.
Alter a single letter and the meaning of a word is changed,
whereby a sentence is inverted,
whereby a story is distorted
—indeed, every other letter of the Torah scroll will be somehow profoundly affected.
The Jewish people, too, are a Torah scroll.
We are all connected in every mitzvah we do, every nugget of Torah we learn, every meaningful task of life we fulfill.
That is why every Jew, especially a Jewish child, must have a letter written for them in a Torah scroll. Our lives are all mysteriously entangled, our destinies inextricably chained together.
You are a letter in that scroll. Everything depends on you. Get your letter here.