Rabbi Shalom Sharabi - the Rashash

10 Shevat - Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shalom ben Yitzchak Sharabi - the Rashash Yahrzeit - 10 Shevat Resting place - הר הזיתים, Jerusalem He was born in the city of Sharab, in Yemen. The premature death of his father prevented the boy from remaining in the Talmud Torah, since the little orphan became the sole support of his family. Shalom became a traveling merchant, selling his wares door to door. Only in the evenings could he study Torah. He often stayed in the Beit Midrash until morning, his desire to learn Torah was insatiable. Despite his achievements in Torah, he felt something was missing. It was then that he discovered the esoteric realm of Torah - Kabbalah and its secrets - as they had been developed by the sages of Yemen. He immersed himself in the study of the upper worlds and the secrets of Torah, and excelled in this area as well. But young Rabbi Shalom persistently continued to earn his living, trading as before. Once, on a business trip, Shalom found himself in a dangerous situation, and he vowed that if G-d saved him, he would move to the Holy Land. Indeed, G-d came to his aid, and he left his family and friends, setting out on a journey through the Middle East. Along the way he stopped in India, Baghdad, and Damascus. There he made a strong impression on the local rabbis. Shalom's joy knew no bounds when he finally arrived at the yeshiva of kabbalists "Beit El" in Jerusalem, headed by the well-known kabbalist Rabbi Gedaliah Chayon. His soul longed to join the other students of the inner dimensions of Torah, but he did not wish to reveal himself, and he presented himself as a simple Jew, working as the shamash (attendant) of the study hall. This was a wonderful opportunity to learn while remaining unnoticed. He was constantly in the Talmud Torah, and no one paid attention to Shalom, who kept his eyes and ears open for every word. In this way he gradually increased his knowledge until he surpassed everyone else. But his greatness remained a secret known only to him. The Learned Shamash Once, a question arose in the yeshiva that no one could answer. For several days the kabbalists pored over weighty volumes, but could not find a satisfactory explanation. Rabbi Gedaliah became almost obsessed with the problem and was greatly troubled by his inability to solve it. Rabbi Shalom listened to their discussions and knew the answer. But, not wishing to reveal himself, he remained silent. After several days had passed, it seemed as though a dark cloud hung over the study hall. One day Shalom approached Rabbi Gedaliah, who was weeping over an open volume, begging G-d to enlighten his mind. Shalom wrote the answer on a small slip of paper and left it between the pages of Rabbi Gedaliah's book. The next morning the Beit Midrash was in shock. The problem that had seemed so complex had been solved in a clear and logical manner. Everyone was curious as to where the brilliant explanation had come from, but this remained a great mystery. This repeated itself several times. Whenever a difficult question was raised in the evening, its answer was found in Rabbi Gedaliah's book the following morning. A thorough investigation was carried out, but the head of the yeshiva could not determine where the answers came from. The riddle was solved quite unexpectedly, when Rabbi Gedaliah's young daughter Chana revealed that she had noticed the Yemenite shamash leafing through the pages of one of her father's books. She had seen him do this several times. The next time a difficult question was raised in the hall and no one knew the solution, the rabbi pretended to leave for home, but instead hid himself in a closet. To his astonishment, he saw the shamash leafing through the holy volumes and hiding a slip of paper between the pages of his prayer book. The next morning the head of the yeshiva insisted that Rabbi Shalom Sharabi sit at his right hand, and he revealed the great secret to everyone. Later he appointed him as his heir and successor, despite his young age (he was only 27), and Chana, the daughter of Rabbi Gedaliah Chayon, became his wife. Thus the greatness of Rabbi Shalom Sharabi was revealed to all in Jerusalem, and many spoke of his wisdom. For 30 years he served as Rosh Yeshiva of "Beit El," until his passing. His interpretation of the Kabbalah of the Arizal is considered one of the four well-known approaches (alongside those of the Ramchal, the Vilna Gaon, and the Baal Shem Tov). During the 30 years that the Rashash led the community, he also managed to protect the Jews of Jerusalem from their Muslim neighbors. Among Rabbi Shalom's students were Rabbeinu Chida, Rabbi Yom Tov Algazi, Rabbi Chaim De La Rosa, and Rabbi Gershon of Kitov (brother-in-law of the Baal Shem Tov). Rabbeinu Chida (Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai) describes the Rashash as a holy man who knew all the books of Kabbalah, which he had learned entirely by heart, and who used all the kavanot written by the Arizal. In studying Kabbalah, the Rashash taught only the Zohar, the writings of the Arizal, and those of his disciple Rabbi Chaim Vital. Rabbi Shalom Sharabi wrote a siddur known as "Siddur HaRashash," a kabbalistic prayer book based on the teachings of the Arizal HaKadosh. The introduction to this siddur is called "Rechovot HaNahar." This prayer book remains highly regarded in the kabbalistic world to this day. The Rashash is buried on Har HaZeitim (the Mount of Olives). Before his death he promised that whoever visited his grave and prayed there with a pure heart, his prayers would not go unanswered. How to Recite Kaddish Correctly According to Kabbalah It is known that when Jews in synagogues declare aloud during Kaddish: "Yehei Shmei Rabba..." - a decree of 70 years and many harsh judgments in the Heavenly Court are annulled. It is transmitted in the name of the Rashash that, according to the hidden teaching, one should continue reciting from the words "Yehei Shmei Rabba" up to the words: "be'alma" - so that the total comes to 28 words, which is only possible if, instead of "mikol birchata" (which would give only 27 words), one says "min kol birchata" (as it is written in Sephardic siddurim) - so that the total comes to 28 words.   Who Is Buried Next to the Rashash Before her death, a woman who had worked for many years as a cleaner at the "Beit El" yeshiva, Rabbanit Mot Simcha Sarah, asked her relatives to bury her on Har HaZeitim next to the Rashash. The family was astonished: "You were merely a cleaner in his yeshiva all these years - why are you asking for something impossible?" And then the woman told them that for many years, at night, the Rashash would bring two glasses of tea up to the attic, where he studied Torah with Eliyahu HaNavi. At dawn, before the yeshiva gathered for the first minyan, the woman would be asked by the Rashash to remove the glasses, so that no one would guess about the nightly sessions - and she kept this secret for many years. And as a reward, the Rashash promised her that she would be buried next to him. That is why she insisted on the fulfillment of her final wish. When the family objected again, saying she had only been his servant, the woman replied: "So what - the Rashash, too, was once a servant." Today her grave can be found to the left of the Rashash's resting place.     Segulot of the Rashash

Rabbeinu Shalom Sharabi - the Rashash (may his merit shield us) - in his famous siddur (the Siddur HaRashash) brings a segula connected to Serach bat Asher.

A segula from the great Rashash is worth a great deal - he shared them rarely, and indeed, according to the Mekubalim, he is a gilgul of the Arizal HaKadosh.

The Rashash teaches that in Parashat Pinchas (26:46) it is said:

- ושם בת אשר שרח - "veshem bat Asher Serach" - (and the name of Asher's daughter was Serach);

The Rashash says that this verse contains great secrets.

If one recites this verse 3 times forward and then 3 times backward during the prayer of "Kriat Shema Al HaMitah" (after the prayer "Ana BeKoach") - this is a great segula for preserving one's memory.

Segula Against the Evil Eye

Additionally, this verse is a very powerful segula against ayin hara (the evil eye) - ושם בת אשר שרח - "veshem bat Asher Sarach" - (and the name of Asher's daughter was Serach) - the initial letters of the three words באש - ward off ayin hara - one should recite this verse several times, focusing intently on these letters, and ask Hashem in one's own words to remove ayin hara from oneself.

(Translated based on the book "A Legacy of Leaders" by Yehuda Azulai)