Rabbi Yitzchak Gavra

Rabbi Yitzchak Gavra was born in the village of Aswad, northwest of Sana'a, the capital of Yemen. For 16 generations in a row, his family's ancestors had been the rabbis of the village. Yahrzeit - 21 Tammuz Burial place - Moshav Agur (from the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv road, turn onto Route 38 towards Beit Shemesh, and after the 'האלה' junction - follow the sign to Agur). In his youth he studied Torah with his father and grandfather. He was orphaned at a young age, and his brother Rabbi Avraham took his father's place. His brother, Rabbi Avraham, passed away in 1777 and was buried in Yemen. After the passing of his father and brother, leadership passed to Rabbi Yitzchak, who taught Torah to rabbis and was the 17th rabbi in his family line; he also served as a mohel. He was known to be a great Torah scholar with a phenomenal memory, knowing by heart the six orders of the Mishnah and the Rambam's Mishneh Torah. He knew all of Tehillim by heart and would recite the entire Sefer Tehillim 26 times a week in addition to his regular study schedule. Rabbi Yitzchak moved to the Land of Israel with his congregants, and after a long journey they settled in the abandoned Arab village of Agur, where conditions at the time were very harsh, the area being desolate and remote. Together with his sons Rabbi David (who later became the rabbi of Yavne) and Rabbi Yahya, he built a mikveh in the new settlement, which received the approval of the Chief Rabbis, Rabbi Herzog and Rabbi Uziel. Before his passing on 21 Tammuz 5717, Rabbi Yitzchak instructed that he be buried in the courtyard of his home. According to the account, he predicted that it would rain on the day of his passing and that his wife would pass away 90 days after him - and so it happened. He left behind three sons; his son Rabbi David served as rabbi of the Gederot Regional Council. The Tzadik's Resting Place As mentioned, he asked to be buried in the courtyard of his home, even though no plot had been designated for burial there. According to the account, border police personnel who came to clear the grave site were unable to complete the task and were injured. After his passing, due to the difficult political situation, the population left the village and the grave was abandoned. In 2017 the village was resettled by immigrants from Kurdistan, but the residents of the moshav were unaware that the grave existed. Since the grave was located behind the houses and had no headstone, only a row of stones surrounded the tzion - over which grass had grown, concealing its existence. One night, an elderly woman who lived in a house near a carob tree - an innocent, G-d-fearing woman - had a dream in which the image of the tzadik appeared to her: "My name is Rabbi Yitzchak Gavra, and I am buried beneath the carob tree, near your house. Do not be afraid; please stay and watch over my grave, and here is a sign for you: a certain woman you know, who has been married for several years and has not yet been able to have children, will give birth to three children." He also said to her, "Why do my sons not come to visit me?" The old woman awoke shaken, and immediately went to the carob tree and began cutting the grass beneath it, until she found the grave, marked by a row of large stones. She cleared the site thoroughly and raised the stones so that the burial place could be seen. After that she began lighting candles there and prayed there a great deal. It was a miracle that the oil candle she lit burned continuously from one Shabbat to the next. Since then, word has spread about the Genizat HaTzadik - that nearby lies the grave of a great tzadik - and many have come to visit the grave and have found salvation from their troubles and difficulties. Villagers tell that once, goats were tied up beneath the carob tree, which was seen as disrespect for the sanctity of the site, and the punishment followed immediately - some of the goats fell ill, and others suddenly died. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Jews have come to visit the Tzadik's resting place and have received answers to their prayers and deliverance. Eyewitnesses relate that the greatest miracles are connected with finding one's match (shidduch). May the merit of the tzadik protect Am Yisrael!     (https://kav.meorot.net/14593/)