19 Iyar · Yahrzeit
Rabbi Shmuel Elbaz - founder of the Abuhatzeira dynasty
Rabbi Shmuel Elbaz - founder of the Abuhatzeira dynasty, which includes Abir Yaakov and Baba Sali.
Yahrzeit - 19 Iyar
Resting place - Jobar, near Damascus
He was a chavruta of Rabbi Chaim Vital and is mentioned by Rabbeinu Chida in "Shem HaGedolim" as a great tzadik. He was born in Eretz Yisrael, but lived for a time in Syria.
"Abu Hatzeira" – Master of the Mat (Arabic)
In the generation of the holy Arizal, the greatest of his students - Rabbeinu Chaim Vital - lived in Damascus. One of his study partners - his "chavruta" - was the holy Gaon and Kabbalist Rabbi Shmuel Elbaz. Once he needed to visit the Jewish community of Turkey, and at that time the fastest and easiest way to do so was by sea.
Rabbi Shmuel arrived at the port and found a ship that was sailing to Turkey. He asked the ship's captain to take him aboard to the shores of Turkey, but the captain refused to take a passenger without money. Then Rabbi Shmuel took a book and a mat out of his bag, spread the mat on the shore next to the gangway, and began to study.
Seeing this, the captain assumed the Jew was about to beg for the fare - but he never once lifted his eyes from the book. Some of those boarding asked the captain about the strange Jew who had found such an unsuitable place to study, and he told them with a smirk about the "poor Jew" who wanted a free ride to Turkey among "the faithful."
To the surprise of everyone watching from the ship's deck, when the gangway was raised, the "yahud" ("little Jew" in Arabic) did not jump or beg to be taken aboard. He simply stood up, took his mat in his hands, and, waiting for the ship to set sail, laid the mat on the water and sat down on top of it. Not only did the mat not sink with a gurgle - it began to float alongside the ship. The passengers called the captain. Seeing this miracle, he understood that he was dealing with a Jewish tzadik - and all the Arabs knew their power. The captain began calling Rabbi Shmuel to come aboard, but he paid him no attention whatsoever. So they sailed all the way to the shores of Turkey. At the port, before the astonished eyes of sailors, dockworkers, and passersby, Rabbi Shmuel floated to shore on his mat, stood up, took the mat, shook the water off it, and calmly walked off toward the Jewish quarter.
When this story became known among the Turkish Jews (the captain apparently came to ask forgiveness and told the tale), Rabbi Shmuel Elbaz began to be called "Master of the Mat" - in Arabic, "Abu Hatzeira."
This nickname later became the family name for his descendants. Rabbi Shmuel Elbaz is buried in Jobar, near Damascus.
Rabbi Shmuel's great-grandson, the famous Gaon and Kabbalist Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira, known as the Mighty One - "Abir Yaakov" - was known throughout the world for his wisdom, holiness, and miracles. He was born in Tafilalt (in northeastern Morocco). Another illustrious descendant of Rabbi Elbaz is Baba Sali.
May the merit of the tzadik protect the Am Yisrael!
(translated from "Pituchei Chotam")