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Сила Теилим

6 Tammuz · Yahrzeit

Rabbi Chaim De La Rosa - "Torat Chacham"

Rabbi Chaim De La Rosa (1786) - 3rd Rosh Yeshiva of the kabbalistic Yeshiva "Beit El" - author of "Torat Chacham" Yahrzeit - 6 Tammuz Resting place - Har HaZeitim, Jerusalem He was born in Jerusalem into the De La Rosa family, descendants of those expelled from Cordoba, Spain. In his youth he began studying at the kabbalistic Yeshiva "Beit El" under the guidance of Rabbi Gedaliah Hayon. He was a close disciple of the great Rashash, and together with Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Algazi, Rabbi Yom Tov Algazi, Rabbi Raphael Galiko and others, he signed the "Covenant of Connection" with the Rashash (later joined also by Rabbeinu Chida). During a famine in Jerusalem he left for Salonika for about two years. He also visited Aleppo several times and sat on the beit din there. The kabbalists of Jerusalem regarded him with great admiration and said of him: "From him everything proceeds so wondrously, and no matter is harmed by him; there is none like him, who has so revealed the understanding of the depth of the mind of our teacher Rabbi Rashash." "A holy crown, a diadem upon the head of every man, subtle waves - from the mouths of elders we have heard of his glory and his greatness, and his power in the Heavens... A great man among giants, deep waters, revealing depths"... In 1563, Rashash - Rabbi Sar Shalom Sharabi, believing that the time of the Geulah (the final redemption of the Jewish people) was drawing near, chose two of his closest disciples: Rabbeinu Chida and Rabbi Chaim De La Rosa, to join him in prayer to sway the decision of the Heavenly Court toward the Geulah. They fasted for three consecutive days, performing various kabbalistic procedures, and then, ascending to the roof of the Yeshiva, immersed themselves in prayerful meditation. Through hidden kabbalistic kavanot they succeeded in making contact with the Heavenly Court. It was revealed to them that although the time of the Geulah had not yet arrived and the people of Israel were not ready for it, their joint prayer could nevertheless bring about a premature revelation of Mashiach, with catastrophic consequences for the entire universe. To prevent this, the three tzadikim needed to part immediately - by the demand of the Heavenly Court, one of them had to leave the Holy Land, where prayers hold special power. The lot fell upon Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai. (Vezeh Sha'ar HaShamayim, p. 163) He passed away in Tammuz 1566 and was buried in the Sephardic section of Har HaZeitim, next to the graves of Rashash and the Rishon LeTzion Rabbi Avraham Ashkenazi. Before his death, he asked his students to perform over him the four beit din prayers after his passing, in accordance with the custom of the kabbalists. His students did not dare to do so out of respect for him, and they conducted his funeral without fulfilling his request. In the middle of the funeral, a group of Arabs attacked them and seized the rabbi's body. The students hid until the Arabs left, and when they returned to the body, they saw that the Arabs had dismembered it and burned it, throwing it down with contempt and pelting it with stones. According to the storyteller, the students mourned such a passing for their holy rabbi, until he came in a dream to one of the students and told him that he was happy that his will had been fulfilled. In his name, Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Morgenstern founded the Beit Midrash "Torat HaChaim" in Jerusalem, where Kabbalah is practiced according to Rabbi Chaim De La Rosa.   Sipurei Tzadikim There was a great Chacham named Rabbi Tzvi Berenfeld, who was a kodesh kodashim - his grave is located near Rabbeinu Chida (about a 2-minute walk away); he has the simplest of graves - he was a very holy and very humble man, and he had a Magid-kavua (a permanent angelic messenger) that would come to him, and this is how Rabbi Tzvi wrote his book. The Magid told Rabbi Tzvi that there was a great Tzadik in Heaven whose Hillula no one celebrates. Rabbi Tzvi asked, who is this Tzadik? The Magid answered: "A great Chacham - Rabbi Chaim De La Rosa; go up to Har HaZeitim and find his grave." Rabbi Tzvi went up to Rabbi Chaim's grave on 6 Tammuz - found the place forgotten by all and performed a Tikun (he was a great Chacham, so great that he merited being taught by the Magid, yet he was so humble that he was unknown either in his lifetime or after his death). After the Tikun, he suddenly saw there a man resembling an Arab, who said: "Ashreicha shezachita lehotzi mikivram neshamot nishkachot" - (Fortunate are you, who managed to draw out from their graves forgotten souls, whom no one has come to for years), referring to so great a soul as Rabbi Chaim De La Rosa, and he also said that whenever there is a gzeirah (a harsh decree against the people), Rabbi Chaim De La Rosa averts these decrees and prays for the people.   Segula for the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Chaim De La Rosa On the Hillula of Rabbi Chaim De La Rosa, it is customary to eat halva with sesame or any sweets with sesame (sum-sum), because Rabbi Chaim De La Rosa owned a sesame factory where halva was made. But after he, together with Rashash and Rabbeinu Chida, tried to bring Mashiach, he became impoverished. Sesame with honey or sesame halva on the Tzadik's Yahrzeit will bring sweetness into your life, sweetening judgments in the merit of the Tzadik, the Foundation of the World. The Baal Shem Tov said of the Tzadikim that they are like sesame seeds - small (humble, unnoticeable), but their Torah is as sweet as halva. May the merit of the Tzadik protect Am Yisrael! (https://www.yeshiva.org.il/wiki/index.php/%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%99_%D7%97%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D_%D7%93%D7%99_%D7%9C%D7%94_%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%96%D7%94)