Rav Yisrael Abuchatzeira zt"l
הרב ישראל בן מסעוד אבוחצירא זצ"ל
Shevat 4 , 5744
Rav Yisrael Abuchatzeira zt"l
Born on Rosh Hashanah of 5650/1889 in Tafilalet, Morocco, to the llustrious Abuchatzera family. From a young age he was renowned as a sage, miracle maker and master kabbalist. In 1964 he moved to the Holy Land, eventually settling in the southern development town he made famous, Netivot. He passed away in 1984 on the 4th of Shevat. His graveside in Netivot has become a holy site visited by thousands annually.
The young Rav Yisrael observed how his father, Rav Masoud, would lock himself in an attic for hours, deep in study of both the revealed and hidden Torah. His brother Rav Dovid, 24 years his senior, never slept in a bed; rather, he would doze off a bit at the table, over his sefer.
Unlike most children his age, the young Rav Yisrael never longed for toys or sweets. All he wanted was a new siddur. He learned to daven with great devotion.
After his bar mitzvah, he went on to master Shas with many Rishonim and became expert in such areas as shechitah, milah and safrus.
Most of Moroccan Jewry began emigrating to Eretz Yisrael after 1948. Rav Yisrael’s brother Rav Yitzchak founded a kehillah in Ramle, and urged Rav Yisrael to share the challenge of reorienting Moroccan Jewry to their new environment.
In Elul 5711/1951, Rav Yisrael boarded a ship for Eretz Yisrael, which arrived on Erev Rosh Hashanah at the Haifa port.
Rav Yisrael went to Yerushalayim, where he intended to settle. He was deeply pained by the spiritual condition of Yerushalayim at that time. After much thought, he decided to leave Eretz Yisrael.
At first, he went to France. In 5713/1953 he decided to return to Tafilalet, which had a then-stable government.
Rav Yisrael lived near his son, Rav Meir, who served as the regional Rabbi and Dayan. In 5723/1963 Rav Yisrael turned 73, the age when both his father and grandfather were niftar. That year Rav Yisrael did not travel, so that if he was niftar he could be buried alongside them in Tafilalet, in accordance with Chazal’s teaching that when a man reaches the life span of his father, he should prepare himself for death.
But the year passed and Rav Yisrael was healthy and vigorous. In 5724/1964 he moved back to Eretz Yisrael and settled in Netivot, a small city in the Negev with a largely Moroccan-Jewish population.
From the moment Rav Yisrael arrived in Netivot, it became a magnet for people in need of a tzaddik’s wise counsel.
The Baba Sali had a profound impact on Netivot and its surrounding settlements. Many residents of these towns changed their lifestyle and began to observe mitzvos.
Stories of Rav Yisrael Abuchatzeira zt"l
Rav Dovid Chai Abuchatzeira of Nahariyah used to relate how his father-in-law was often the designated driver for the Baba Sali in Morocco. Once, the Baba Sali traveled to Casablanca to officiate at a seudas mitzva and, as was his custom, he distributed lechaim from a stiff drink called Machiyah. When the seuda concluded, he asked my father-in-law to drive him back that day to Tefillalat. When they asked the Baba Sali what the hurry was that he could not wait to travel the next day, he explained that he had to get back, since he was having guests. “How do you know you are having guests?” his relatives asked, to which he smiled and responded, “I know.”
Finally, they explained that his driver had had one too many lechaims (he couldn’t refuse a lechaim given to him by the Tzaddik) and he was in an inebriated state of “Gilufin and Joy!” and not in any fit condition to drive him back. To this he replied, “No need to worry – sit him in the driver seat, turn on the engine and I will do the rest.” Accustomed to the Baba Sali’s miraculous ways and seeing that the Tzaddik was adamant and that he somehow thought he could get back in such a way, they did as he bade them.
They sat my father-in-law down, started the car’s engine and watched in wonder as it drove itself home! When they arrived in Tefillalat by sunrise, they had to take my father-in-law and put him in bed, since he had no idea where he was – and the Baba Sali arrived safe and sound! (Shemuos Tovos)
When a certain Rav in Eretz Yisrael sought a higher position, he approached the Baba Sali for his blessings. He explained that he did not seek more honor or glory but he thought (mistakenly) that his higher position would give him greater respect and authority among the chiloni (secular) authorities, leaders, politicians and Knesset members and that they would listen more readily to his ideas and he might be able to influence them to greater mitzva observance and Torah study.
Though his aspirations were pure and his motives were good, the Baba Sali tried to dissuade him from this mistaken path. He explained that back in Morocco, the Rabbonim had real power and authority, they had the police force backing them, and they had the power to fine, jail and punish offenders and even whip criminals and rebels who disregarded their rulings. “But here in Eretz Yisrael, no one will listen to you. Even a child can disregard any pesak you issue,” explained the Tzaddik, to no avail.
“Admor, my mind is made up. I did not come to ask if I should do this, just for your blessings.”
The Baba Sali sadly murmured a blessing for hatzlocha and the Rav was overjoyed! Later, the Baba Sali turned to his son and explained, “Tonight is the 3rd of Cheshvan, the Yahrzeit of the holy Rizhiner, whose lineage goes back to Malchus Bais Dovid, and therefore the workings of power and authority are revealed to me. I see that this Rav will indeed achieve his heart’s desire; he will be elected to the higher post, but not only will his rulings be ignored, the head judge and chief justice of the Supreme Court will rescind and overrule his pesak –he will be ridiculed, suffer embarrassment and pain, and eventually be disgraced. Now, however, let us conduct the Yahrzeit seudas hillula for the Tzaddik with joy.”
And so it was that the Baba Sali was right. The Rav did indeed achieve his dream, which within several short months turned into a nightmare. The chief judge of the Supreme Court overturned his pesak, the newspapers and radio all publicized his disgrace and he suffered shame, pain and humiliation, because as the Baba Sali had warned him, the position of the Rabbanut in Eretz Yisrael was not to be sought after, for it would not give him the authority he had imagined. (Sabba Kadisha, Sidna Baba Sali, Vol. 2 p. 39)
The mikve, dug deep into the ground, received its water supply from a natural spring beneath it. Once during the beginning of summer, in Tammuz, the spring dried up and the water disappeared from the mikve. How could the town be without a mikve through the summer? There would be no rain until autumn!
In their despair, the heads of the community enlisted the aid of Rav Yisrael Abuchatzeira. The Baba Sali (as he was popularly known) told them to dig a new mikve according to the superior specifications that he outlined for them.
The village workmen prepared the new mikve according to Baba Sali’s instructions and soon it stood, all ready for use. But without water, no one would be able to immerse in it.
Pure rainwater was needed to fill the mikve. But in Morocco, rain only fell in the autumn and winter. Where would they find rainwater in Tammuz?
Again, the townspeople came to Baba Sali. “We have completed the construction of the new mikve,” they reported, “but we still have no water to fill it. What shall we do now?”
Baba Sali went to inspect the new mikve. He looked thoughtfully at the bright blue sky and said, “Master of the world, You commanded us to be pure and holy and we wish to follow Your teachings. We have done everything in our power. We built this mikve as best we could. It is now up to You, Hashem, to help us, for Your sake.”
This short tefilla was hardly out of his mouth before the skies clouded over and rain poured out of the sky. Enough rain fell to fill up the mikve with the required amount of water so that it could be used!
Baba Sali returned to his room to continue learning. In the process, he discovered that the drainpipe leading to the mikve had not been built according to the standards of the strictest opinions in the matter. Baba Sali, who always tried to do things to the maximum and in the strictest possible manner, was displeased that it did not meet the specifications of all of the sages. Although the mikve was kosher, he felt it lacked perfection.
He went back to the mikve and told the workmen to drain out all the water and to rebuild the drainpipe so that it would meet the most stringent requirements, according to all the authorities.
When they heard that the Baba Sali had gone to visit the mikve again, the Rabbonim of the town came to see what was amiss. They were surprised to hear that he had demanded that all the precious, miraculous rainwater be drained.
His cousin, Rav Yichye Dehaan, turned to Baba Sali saying, “Wasn’t the mikve kosher according to most of the authorities? Why, then, did you order that all the water be drained? Where will we obtain fresh rainwater to fill it again, once the fault is corrected? Miracles don’t happen every day, after all!”
But the Baba Sali was adamant. He insisted that all the water be let out. The workers, of course, did as he said.
After the necessary corrections had been completed and the work had gained the Baba Sali’s approval, he went outside, spread his hands heavenward and prayed, “Master of the world, it is perfectly clear to You that I did not do anything for my own glory, nor for the glory of my father’s house. I only did what I did in order to increase purity among Your people.”
And again, the sky clouded over and blessed rains fell. The mikve filled and the town maintained its high standard of purity from that time on.
All those present were overawed by what they saw. They thanked Heaven for having been blessed with a leader who possessed such saintliness and power that even Hashem saw fit to fulfill his requests.
Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from Rabbeinu Yisrael Abuchatzeira by A. Y. Harel, a son-in-law of Baba Sali (English Rendition: Sheindel Weinbach)
Divrei Torah of Rav Yisrael Abuchatzeira zt"l
“and yaakov sent angels as messengers to esav his brother, to the land of seir, to the field of edom.” (bereishis 32:4)
The Torei Zahav asks (Vayishlach, pasuk 12): How can it be that a person like Yaakov Avinu, who used real angels as his messengers, was frightened of a rasha like Esav? He answers, based on the Zohar, that Esav was surely circumcised, like all the members of Avrohom Avinu’s household. When Yaakov said, “I fear him” (ki yarei anochi oso), he was referring to Esav’s circumcision. [The word oso (“him”) is related to the word os, referring to a bris, the sign of the covenant]. Yaakov was frightened that the wicked Esav possessed such a powerful sign of kedusha. Nevertheless, although Esav did have a bris, the Torei Zahav explains that he had blemished and ruined it through his many transgressions, so Yaakov had nothing to fear.
The Beis Yisroel gives a different answer to the same question. He cites the Alshich (Ki Seitzei 25:17), who asks why the Jews didn’t completely destroy Amalek in the same way that the Egyptians were all destroyed. The Alshich explains that, before we can be victorious in battle against another nation, we must first overcome that nation’s ministering angel. Only once the ministering angel is defeated can the nation be defeated, as well.
The verse regarding the Egyptians (Beshalach 14:3o) says, “They saw Mitzrayim dead on the seashore.” The Zohar explains that the word “Mitzrayim” refers to Egypt’s defeated ministering angel. However, the ministering angel of Amalek and Esav is the Angel of Death himself – a force so powerful that he can only be defeated in the future redemption.
Based on the Alshich’s explanation, we can now understand Yaakov’s fear when approaching Esav. Yaakov was afraid not of Esav himself, but rather of Esav’s ministering angel – the Angel of Death. (Beis Yisroel, Parshas Vayishlach, pp. 38-39)
Segulos of Rav Yisrael Abuchatzeira zt"l
When Rav Avrohom Elimelech of Karlin was in America visiting his Chassidim, he told them to form groups and study together the holy sefer, the Ohr HaChaim HaKodosh, each leil shishi (Thursday night). He explained that this is a segula to receive noam kedushas Shabbos – the pleasure and delight of the sanctity of Shabbos.
Afterward, when he returned to Eretz Yisrael, he confirmed that his Chassidim did indeed experience a greater, more pronounced delight and sweetness of kedushas Shabbos by learning the Ohr HaChaim HaKodosh as he had instructed them.
Another Tzaddik also used to say that one of the ikorim – the primary principles of Avodas Ho’Odom, serving Hashem on Shabbos Kodesh, is to study the sefer Ohr HaChaim HaKodosh. The reason he gave was that many Tzaddikim taught that the study of the Ohr HaChaim is beneficial to the soul, just like the study of the holy Zohar, and since Shabbos is called Yoma DeNishmosa – a day of the soul, studying the Ohr HaChaim is intimately bound up with the sanctity of Shabbos Kodesh. (Shivchei Ohr HaChaim)