Yahrzeit/Hillula of Rabbi Chaim Abulafia

Rabbi Chaim ben Yaakov Abulafia - was born in Hevron in 1660. Yahrzeit - 6 Nissan; Resting place - Tiberias; He was an authoritative rabbi. He was the grandfather of Rabbi Chaim ben David Abulafia and the grandson of Isaac Nissim ben Gamil. In his youth, the Jewish community of Hevron sent him on a mission to Turkey, where his knowledge and wisdom enabled him to become chief rabbi of Smyrna (Izmir). Furthermore, upon his return to the Holy Land, he was appointed chief rabbi of Tzfat, and later of Tiberias. He was a friend and study partner of two of the greatest sages of his generation: the author of the Pri Chadash and the author of the Or HaChaim HaKadosh. He himself wrote several important Torah works, in particular "Etz Chaim", "Mikrei Kodesh", "Yosef Lecha", "Shevuot Yaakov", "Yachei Yaakov", as well as a commentary on the laws of Passover and the festivals. Rabbi Chaim Abulafia devoted himself to the spiritual revival of the Jewish community of Tiberias by building yeshivot and synagogues, and he also dedicated himself to the development of the city itself. Rabbi Chaim, whose name became synonymous with the word chesed (kindness), was responsible for reviving the famous Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes fund, a communal fund that helped the poor residents of the city. He sent emissaries to the diaspora and called on Jews around the world to come to the aid of their brethren in Tiberias. Miracle Worker At that time, the Jewish community of the Holy Land was weak, and the roads of the country were full of dangers. An Arab sheikh, who had rebelled against the central authority, advanced on Tiberias and took control of the city and its surroundings. He wanted to develop the region under his control and knew that he could achieve this only with the help of the Jewish community. He hoped that Jews would settle in Tiberias, create jobs, and give the city meaningful status. The sheikh sought to strengthen his power and political standing against the pasha (a high-ranking official) who ruled in Damascus. He therefore wrote letters to the leaders of the Jewish communities of Turkey, urging them to encourage their brethren to settle in Tiberias. He promised to grant them protection and rights. Rabbi Chaim Abulafia, who at that time was chief rabbi of Izmir in Turkey, decided to return to the Holy Land with his family and many of his students. But before that, he collected funds to strengthen the community of Tiberias. On the day when Rabbi Chaim was collecting money for Tiberias, he was encountered by the Sultan - who was drawn by a pillar of fire above the head of the Tzadik. The Sultan ordered that Rabbi Chaim Abulafia be brought before him, and then showed him such honor that the Sultan's advisors were astonished. "If you had seen the pillar of fire above his head, you too would have honored him," he replied. The Sultan was not content merely to honor Rabbi Chaim Abulafia. When he learned that the great rabbi was collecting funds for his holy cause, he gave him a large sum of money. As soon as Rabbi Chaim Abulafia arrived in Tiberias, he set about restoring the synagogue located on the very spot where the Arizal used to pray. The community grew and developed with each new wave of immigrants from abroad. Thus, Rabbi Chaim, having built a magnificent synagogue, went on to establish shops, public markets, and local industry. It is no wonder that the author of the "Or HaChaim," on the day he immigrated to the Holy Land, decided to settle in Tiberias, even before arriving in Jerusalem. The rabbi of the city tried to persuade him to stay and build a yeshiva there, but the Or HaChaim replied that he could not do so until he received a letter from his friends in Italy. So the chief rabbi of Tiberias sent letters to the leaders of the Jewish communities of Italy. However, before the reply arrived, it happened that the pasha of Damascus decided to suppress the rebellion of the Arab sheikh, and so he sent significant military forces to Tiberias with the firm intention of reconquering it. For 85 days, the assault troops attempted to subject the city to such massive bombardment that Rabbi Chaim's friends begged him to flee. But he stubbornly refused, confident that Tiberias would not suffer from this attack. With remarkable calm, he promised that with G-d's help nothing bad would happen. And indeed, the shells aimed at Tiberias miraculously missed their targets and fell into the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret). A rumor quickly spread among the assault troops that the failure of the bombardment was the result of Rabbi Chaim's prayers. They felt that they could do nothing against Rabbi Chaim, and so they decided to rebel against their commander and break camp. This happened on 4 Kislev, and in honor of this miracle (comparable to Purim), Rabbi Chaim Abulafia decreed that every year, 4 Kislev would be a holiday for the Jewish community of Tiberias. Several months later, the pasha of Damascus attempted another attack. This time his troops stormed the city from all sides, including from the Kinneret. The frightened residents of the city gathered in the synagogue, but Rabbi Chaim told them: "Do not be afraid. Remember that today is Friday, the eve of Shabbat. Tomorrow we read the portion of Shoftim, and in its Haftarah it is said: 'Who are you that you should fear mortal men?'" The next day, on Shabbat, Rabbi Chaim once again encouraged his fellow townsmen, repeating the same prophetic verse. On Sunday, an emissary arrived in Tiberias from Akko and reported that the day before, the pasha of Damascus had fallen seriously ill and died that very day. Thus, all danger was finally removed, and the residents of Tiberias decided that the 7th of Elul itself would be a holiday, just like Purim. From this it is easy to understand that Rabbi Chaim was never without Divine protection, which ensured his success in all his undertakings.   Sipurei Tzadikim Of particular significance to this subject is the following story, which took place long before Rabbi Chaim Abulafia settled in Tiberias to become its chief rabbi. Before Rabbi Chaim settled in Tiberias, he once traveled to Tzfat on a pilgrimage to pray at the Kivrei Tzadikim. On the way back, he passed through Tiberias, then a small town with a meager population, mostly Bedouins. Rabbi Chaim sent his shamash (attendant) into the town to buy him something to eat. However, a group of non-Jewish youths attacked the shamash there, pelted him with stones, and then beat him severely. Eventually they left, but the poor shamash, who spoke only Turkish, Hebrew, and Spanish, did not know what to do. He happened to notice a passerby, who saw the shamash and came to his aid. This man spoke a little Turkish, and the shamash managed to explain to him what had happened. From the conversation, the man understood that the leader of the youths was the son of the sheikh of Tiberias. So this man suggested that the shamash come with him to the sheikh, and assured him that the sheikh would not remain indifferent to this incident and would undoubtedly punish his son for publicly dishonoring his father through such conduct. The shamash agreed and followed the man to the sheikh, where he explained everything. And indeed, the sheikh became enraged and decided to punish his son as he deserved: "Even 100 blows of a club on his back would not be enough to forgive such misconduct!" Upon hearing from the shamash that he served the great rabbi and tzadik Chaim Abulafia, the sheikh then asked whether he could meet him. So Rabbi Chaim came to the sheikh, who received him with great honor. He was impressed both by the rabbi and by his shamash, and admitted to Rabbi Chaim: "The punishment I swore to inflict upon my son is clearly too severe. Please advise me of another punishment, but in such a way that I do not break my oath." Rabbi Chaim replied: "Since you did not specify actual blows, I suggest that you simply lay 100 clubs upon his back without striking him with them. In this way, you will not break your oath, and this will be enough to dissuade your son from repeating his offensive behavior." Upon hearing such wise counsel, the sheikh grew very fond of Rabbi Chaim Abulafia, and when the time came, he generously helped him rebuild the Jewish community in Tiberias. May the merit of the Tzadik protect Am Yisrael!