Chacham Yitzchak Abuchatzeira zt"l
הרב יצחק בן מסעוד אבוחצירא זצ"ל
Adar 25 , 5730
Chacham Yitzchak Abuchatzeira zt"l
Rav Yitzchok, or Baba Chaki, served as chief Rav of Ramla and Lod.
Born in Risani, Morocco, to Rav Massud, he was the grandson of the Abir Yaakov and brother of Rav Dovid and the Baba Sali.
In 1920, he and the Baba Sali escaped to Bodniv when Rav Dovid was murdered and the government issued decrees against the Jews.
In 1936, he moved to Arpud, where he lived under the French, ministering as Rav of the Jewish community.
In 1945, at the age of fifty, he left Morocco and moved to Algeria.
When the state of Israel was established, he and his family moved to Eretz Yisrael. When the Rishon LeTzion, Rav Tzion Chai Uzziel, heard of his arrival, he met with him, honoring him with the traditional turban of chief Rav, and appointed him as chief Rav of Ramla and Lod.
He served in this capacity beside the Ashkenazi chief Rav Yisrael Gelzer, for some twenty years, until, on the twenty-fifth of Adar II (April 2, 1970), he was killed in a car crash. Some twenty thousand participated in his levaya (funeral).
His son, Rav Avrohom, was the Baba Sali’s son-in-law and also served as chief Rav of Ramla and Yavneh.
Every year, the Baba Chaki would celebrate the Hilula of his grandfather, the Abir Yaakov, with a special occasion in his home. One year, he called over a close friend and gave him the honored privilege of standing by the door and pouring each guest that came in a l’chaim from a two-liter tin can of Arak. “Please fill each guest’s cup,” the Baba Chaki asked his good friend.
The amazing thing was that the man stood at the door for some four hours and poured hundreds of cups of Arak for hundreds of guests, and the tin canister never seemed to empty! At the end of the Hilula celebration, the Baba Chaki gave his friend the canister as a present, saying, “Here, take this as a gift and you will never lack for Arak – ever!”
And so it was, that for some two years this canister poured Arak and they never lacked – until one day someone else borrowed it and the miracle ceased.
Rav Yitzchok, the Baba Chaki, welcomed everyone with a shining countenance and a smile. He was renowned for his hachnossas orchim. Once, one of his guests was loud, rude and violent. The man called Rav Yitzchok insulting names in front of everyone and even slapped him on the cheek. The other guests and family had a hard time holding back and asked Rav Yitzchok how he tolerated such outrageous behavior.
“Rav Yosef Shlush had a sign above his door that read: Baruch HaBa Chutz Mikfuy Tova – ‘Welcome to all, except the ungrateful’. However, my version reads: ‘Even the ungrateful are welcome’! Not only did he attack me for no reason, he is so ungrateful for I am the one who got him his job and have done him many favors! Now I say to you, if he cannot recognize a favor and even acts this ungratefully, surely he is sick and we should have mercy on him!”
(Ma’aseh Nissim, pages 237–240)