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Сила Теилим

15 Cheshvan · Yahrzeit

Rabbi Chaim Pinto HaKatan of Casablanca

Rabbi Chaim Pinto HaKatan of Casablanca, also known as Rabbi Chaim Pinto (the younger) - grandson of Rabbi Chaim Pinto HaGadol (the elder), was born in Essaouira in 5625 (1855) and passed away on 15 Cheshvan (October 20, 1937). Yahrzeit - 15 Cheshvan Burial place - Cimetière juif Rue Abderrahmane El Mkhanet Medina Casablanca In addition to being the grandson of Rabbi Chaim Pinto HaGadol (who is buried in Mogador), he was also the son of Rabbi Yehuda Pinto. The house where he lived in Casablanca, located at 36 Commandant Provost, became a place of pilgrimage for Jews who come there to light candles. The Handkerchief He would collect money for the poor, and when the collection was finished, he would wash the handkerchief he used for gathering it. Once he was asked why he did this, and he replied that there is nothing dirtier in the world than money: "I wash my handkerchief to cleanse it of this dirt!" He truly lived on the money that people gave him, but he always said: "Money is dirty!" He had another pious habit. Every day he would visit the home of a poor person and ask: "What did you cook to eat today? I would like to try what you have made!" We know very well what a poor person eats: vegetables, a piece of bread (or perhaps a bit more bread with tea and a vegetable salad), and that's all. The holy Rabbi Pinto, may he rest in peace, would sit with them, eat their bread, bring them joy, and bless them before leaving. He did not like to eat at the tables of the wealthy. He said that the Shechinah and blessing rest upon the table of the poor more than upon the table of the rich. He said that fear of G-d is acquired precisely through poverty and want, not through abundance. The Gift of Prophecy Rabbi Chaim Pinto was known for his humility and his gift of prophecy, as the following stories attest: One day, a cousin came to a Jewish woman and said: "Aziza, you must come to our house!" She came and saw that Rabbi Chaim Pinto was there. He greeted her five times. The woman answered him: "May G-d bless you," and he told her: "You will give birth! You will have a child in two days. You will bring into the world a girl who will become wealthy!" He told her: "Thanks to my father and grandfather, you will have a girl! You already have a son. You will also have a daughter, and you will recover easily after the birth. You will give birth without pain, and afterward you will have a beautiful naming ceremony!" He also said: "After you give birth to a girl, you will give birth to a boy, but please do not name him after your father!" The woman named her son after her deceased father, against Rabbi Pinto's words. A year later, the son died. Melaveh Malka Before Rabbi Chaim's move from Mogador to Casablanca, the townspeople would customarily come to his home on Saturday evening for Melaveh Malka. After the Saturday night prayer, he would take up his violin and begin singing the verses of his holy ancestor - Rabbi Israel Najara. It happened several times that he lost himself and, without even noticing, played until dawn. Afterward he would say to his listeners: "I am tired, and you must be too. Go to sleep, because you need to get up for the morning prayer!" They would answer him: "Day has already come. It is time to pray!" The rabbis of the town sought an explanation for the following mystery: sometimes certain verses that Rabbi Chaim Pinto sang would cause him to tremble, and all his listeners would experience this feeling as well. The tzadik gave no explanation for what was happening, and when people once began to insist that he explain, he replied: "If you ask me again, I will have to stop our gatherings at my house on Saturday evenings!" After that, no one asked him about these matters again. They understood the greatness of the Holy One. HaKatan Once Rabbi Chaim Pinto HaKatan received a letter from a wealthy man living in Rabat, who asked him to find a young man who was honest and learned in Torah, to be a groom for his daughter. Rabbi Chaim Pinto thought about who the right young man in the town might be - honest and educated. Several days passed, and he still had not decided on a candidate. Then one night he could not sleep, and so he went out with his servant in the middle of the night into the Mellah [the enclosed Jewish quarter of the city], and there he saw people leaving the synagogue. He went in and saw a young man sitting there, studying the tractate Yevamot (Talmud) with great diligence. The holy tzadik said to his servant: "Let us leave the synagogue so as not to disturb him. If he sees us, he will stop studying, and we will be responsible for this interruption in the study of Torah!" They walked through the Mellah and met a Jew who invited them to his home for coffee. The tzadik agreed, and they entered his house. After some time, they went back to the synagogue to see what had become of the young man. When they entered, they saw him lying on the floor, sleeping the sleep of the righteous. The holy one said to his servant: "This young man is fulfilling the words of the Tana [sage of the Mishnah]: 'Sleep on the ground.'" Do not disturb him. Tomorrow morning bring him to me! The next day he asked the young man: "Do you have nowhere to sleep?" He answered: "I am an orphan, and my friends at the yeshiva bring me food. I came from another town." He asked him how old he was, and he answered: "Twenty-six years old." Rabbi Chaim told him: "You should get married!" The young man replied: "I cannot even provide for my own needs. How can I marry?" The tzadik gave him money to buy new clothes and sent him to Rabat, where the wealthy man gave him his daughter in marriage. The couple had sons and daughters, and the young man continued his studies. May the merit of the tzadik protect Am Yisrael! (From the website https://hevratpinto.org)
Pilgrimage site: Grave: Chaim Pinto HaKatan