7 Iyar 5379
Harav Shlomo Ephraim was born in the city of Luntschitz, Poland to his father, Rav Aharon. As a youth, he learned under Harav Shlomo Luria, the Maharshal. At first he served as Rav in several towns, including Yaroslav, and while there, he authored his first sefer, Ir Gibborim. In addition to his tremendous brilliance in Torah, he was known for his extraordinary drashos. In 5364, he was chosen to serve as the darshan in Prague, and after the Maharal left Prague in 5369, he was chosen to serve there as Rosh Yeshivah and Av Bais Din, together with the Shelah Hakadosh. Many talmidim learned from him, including the author of the Tosafos Yom Tov and the author of the Vavei Ha’amudim.
He authored many works on drush and mussar, among them Rivevos Ephraim, Amudei Sheish, Sifsei Da’as, but was famed mostly for his sefer Kli Yakar al HaTorah. In his introduction to this sefer, he relates that in 5361, he fell terribly ill, and as a result the name Shlomo was added to his name, and he promised that if Hashem would cure him, he would write this sefer. To his final day, he was like a wellspring of chiddushei Torah, and he continued to be mechadesh constantly. He was summoned to the Yeshivah Shel Ma’alah on 7 Iyar 5379, and he was laid to rest in the old cemetery in Prague.
