15 Elul 5780

Today, 262 years ago, in the year 1758, Rabbi Akiva Eger I, passed away in Pressburg.

The community of Pressburg (Bratislava/Pozsony, Slovakia) found themselves faced with an awkward situation. Their Rav, Rabbi Moshe Charif, was too old and fragile to deal with all the issues of the community at hand. Therefore they decided to appoint a new young Rav, to take over this burden for him. R’ Akiva Eger I, was chosen. He was the grandfather of the famous R’ Akiva Eger II from Poznań. 

At a point, the new young Rav was asked to give a Drasha, at which the old Rav felt that he was stepping over his boundaries, and he took offense. On 3 Elul the old rav, R’ Moshe Charif, was niftar, and the young Rav held a eulogy, but stopped in the middle, claiming that the old rav calls him to the heavenly Beis Din. He tried again, but couldn’t finish. On 15 Elul, the new young rav, R’ Akiva Eger I, was niftar.

Source: His biography by Isaac Dov Feld, Yesh Manchilin, page 426