17 Nisan · Yahrzeit

Rabbi Meir Abuchatzira - Baba Meir

Rabbi Meir ben Yisrael Abuchatzira of Ashdod - son of Baba Sali Yahrzeit - 17 Nissan Burial place - Ashdod The famous Baba Meir was born in Tafilalt, Morocco, in 1917 (5677) to Rabbi Yisrael Abuchatzira - Baba Sali and his wife, Frecha. At the age of 25, he was ordained as a rabbi and appointed head of the rabbinical court of Midelt and director of the city's "Tomchei Temimim" yeshiva. In 1951 (5711), he succeeded his father as head of the rabbinical court of Erfoud. In 1965 (5725), he traveled to the Holy Land and settled in Ashdod. Many visitors flocked to his home to ask for blessings, and were saved through his prayers. His court was one of the largest and most visited in the entire country. In 1973 (5733), at the request of his students and admirers, he began "saving the souls of little children," encouraging parents to enroll them in Chabad schools and kindergartens. At that time, the Israelite Alliance had taken over the education of the Jewish children of Morocco. He left this world on Chol HaMoed Pesach in 1983 (5743), when he had just turned 66. He was known as the Holy One - able to see from one end of the earth to the other, thanks to his meticulous practice of "Shmirat Einayim" (guarding of the eyes). "I prayed for this child" (a story told by his son, Rabbi Yekutiel) For nearly 14 years, his father, Baba Sali, had no children. When the couple was finally expecting a child, his renowned teacher, Rabbi Moshe Turjeman, noticed that his student was troubled and asked him, "What is bothering you?" The tzadik replied that he feared his wife might miscarry, as had already happened several times before. His master immediately reassured him: "Do not worry, this child will live and will spread Torah throughout the world." As the birth of the child approached, a great tzadik appeared to Baba Sali in a dream and told him that the child would be a great scholar in Israel. So he decided to name his son after the tzadik who had appeared to him in the dream, although he did not know his name. Baba Sali turned to his teacher for guidance, and Rabbi Moshe Turjeman told him: "It is Rabbi Meir, so we will name the child Meir, and later he will be called Baba Meir." When Baba Sali first visited Israel, upon his return to Morocco, members of his family asked him about the rabbis in the Holy Land... He replied that they were all great tzadikim, wise and learned men of truth, endowed with superior intellect, but that there was no one like his son, Rabbi Meir. Baba Meir and Children One time, when Rabbi Meir returned home for the Pesach Seder, everything was ready and the whole family was waiting for the Seder to begin, when suddenly one of his little daughters began to cry. The Rav took her to a room to calm her down. He stayed with her for over an hour and a half until she calmed down, and only then did the Rav return with her to begin the Seder. "Shmirat Einayim" Once, Baba Meir went to the airport to meet his father, Baba Sali, who was returning to Israel from abroad. He did not look at the announcement boards, yet he knew that the flight was delayed. Naturally, the Rav was on alert. But even after years of practice, he surrounded himself with students as much as possible in order to keep improving himself and not be distracted by extraneous things. By guarding his eyes, he developed a gift of vision that extended without limit to the ends of the earth. Once he was consulted about a little Jewish girl who had been kidnapped by non-Jews: he described her whereabouts in detail and pointed out the exact place where the child was being held. Tikkun Chatzot One of Baba Meir's sons, Rabbi Elazar Abuchatzira, once said that his father was extremely scrupulous about reciting Tikkun Chatzot, and did so with ashes on his forehead. When he was forced to travel, his wife would prepare a small bag of ashes specifically for this purpose. The Rav carried it in his pocket like a wallet. When he needed to use the restroom, he would take it out of his pocket, explaining that it symbolized the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and that it therefore had to be treated with the same holiness. Fear of Heaven In all his visits to Israel, Rabbi Meir visited the Kotel only once, overwhelmed by his fear of the sanctity of the Wall. He prepared for two full days just to look at it from a distance. Upon reaching the Kotel, his face radiated fear of Heaven. All his life, the Rav longed to witness the Final Redemption, and in his last days he spoke of nothing else. And indeed, in an almost supernatural way, he left this world in the month of Nissan, the month of Redemption... Baba Meir, may his merit protect us, left this world on the 17th of Nissan, 5743 (1983). His grave is on Har HaZeitim, next to the grave of the Or HaChaim HaKadosh. May the merit of the tzadik protect Am Yisrael! (https://www.torah-box.net/jewish-ethics-and-learning/our-sages/yahrzeit-of-rabbi-meir-abihssira-his-life_1526.html)

Pilgrimage site: Grave: Meir ben Baruch