Kabbalist Rabbi Sasson Mordechai Sanduk – HaRasam

Kabbalist Rabbi Sasson Mordechai Sanduk – HaRasam Yahrzeit - 6 Tevet Burial place - Iraq   He was the uncle of the grandmother of the Ben Ish Chai. According to the tradition of the Kabbalists, he had revelations from Eliyahu HaNavi, the three Patriarchs, and Ezra HaSofer. He was born in 1717 in the city of Baghdad (Iraq) into one of the most prominent families in Iraq. From childhood he diligently studied Torah. At the age of 15, he accompanied a great Kabbalist (Rabbi Simcha), who had come from the Land of Israel to Iraq to visit the grave of Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak, who served as the High Priest in the Second Temple and was buried near Baghdad. After the Kabbalist completed his visit, he blessed him to become a great leader and sage, and from then on he became like an overflowing wellspring. He served as a ritual slaughterer, a scribe of Torah scrolls, tefillin, and mezuzot, a mohel, was responsible for the burial and purification of the deceased, and served as a Torah reader, preacher, and cantor in the Great Synagogue of Baghdad, and composed more than 100 piyutim, some of which were included in siddurim. Once, during a long drought, he approached the Aron Kodesh in the synagogue and began to recite the piyut "Medakher Avdehon Kudmahon" [Your servant shall be remembered before You], and immediately a miracle occurred - rain began to fall. From then on, he made it his practice to recite this piyut during "Tefilat HaGeshem" on Shemini Atzeret and during "Tefilat HaTal" on Pesach, and also made it his practice to recite, before the Torah reading on the morning of Yom Kippur, a piyut he composed himself, "The Time of Affirmation Approaches," about the death of Aaron's two sons. On the 16th of Kislev 1776, his mother passed away, and that same year his son (Rabbi Moshe) also passed away. In the month of Adar of the year 5770, he, together with the sages and dignitaries of Baghdad, signed a ban on playing cards. In the year 5772, he was appointed responsible for ketubot and kiddushin. All wedding ceremonies in Baghdad were under his supervision, and anyone who performed a wedding without his consent was subject to severe punishment. He was gifted with special talents and loved art. He wrote the entire verse "A land of wheat and barley..." (Devarim 8:8) on a single grain of wheat, made a model of the Tabernacle and its vessels out of wood and lead, and drew on thick white cotton fabric a map of the division of the land and a plan of the Third Temple, as described in the Book of Yechezkel. He wrote a commentary on the 313 commandments according to Kabbalah and on the book "Etz Chaim" (by Rabbi Chaim Vital), composed a prayer book with kavanot (intentions), an order of Sefirat HaOmer according to Kabbalah, and "Kol Todah," which includes an extensive confession and a version of the "Al Chet" recitation according to the Seder of 1599. However, in a fire that broke out in the house of his grandson (Rabbi Shimon ben Moshe), most of his manuscripts were burned. He became famous as a Baal HaMofet (miracle worker) and an expert in writing amulets; even Muslims admired and respected him. After he cured the son of one of the ministers in Baghdad, whose illness all the doctors had given up on and could not find a cure for, the minister gave him a very expensive shirt with a Persian pattern, because of which he received the nickname "Hakim Sasson Ajamai." According to another opinion, he received this nickname because he had a Persian wet nurse. He lost three sons in succession: his son Rabbi Aharon died on the 22nd of Cheshvan; a year later, on the 19th of Cheshvan, his son Rabbi Meir died; and on the 16th of Adar his son Rabbi Shmuel died. Rabbi Sasson Mordechai was highly skilled in kameot (amulets). Once he placed amulets on the four sides of the city so that mazikim (harmful spirits) would not enter the city and there would be no machloket (strife). Stories of the Tzadikim Once, when Rabbi Sasson went to the barber, the barber saw an old man with a long white beard standing with him. Afterward, the barber asked him who this was with him. The tzadik told him that if he had seen him, he could tell him - it was Eliyahu HaNavi - but he must not tell anyone about this; if he told anyone, the tzadik would die that very day. The barber remembered and tried not to tell anyone, but one day, when he was drunk, he went and told an acquaintance. The next day, Rabbi Sasson departed from this world. Rabbi Sasson's grandmother was also a great tzadeket; if she saw someone sinning, she would immediately observe a fast (taanit).   Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak, the High Priest Once a great Rav - Rabbi Simcha - performed a kfitzat haderech (miraculous shortening of the way) to Babylon, in order to ask about the "tafkid" (role) of the Kohanim Gedolim in the Beit HaMikdash during the Second Temple period. And when he arrived in Babylon, he asked children playing in the street where the grave of Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak, the High Priest, was. One of the children playing was the young Rabbi Sasson Mordechai, and he said that he knew and would lead him there, while the other boys were afraid. Then Rabbi Simcha told young Sasson to stand aside and not go inside until he came out of the grave of Yehoshua the High Priest, who was to answer his questions. And when Rabbi Simcha went inside and Yehoshua the High Priest came out to him and answered his questions, young Sasson Mordechai then went inside, saw the Kohen, and fainted. And when Rabbi Simcha revived him, he told him that since he had seen Yehoshua the High Priest, he would become a very distinguished Rav in the land. He then performed kfitzat haderech once more and returned to Eretz Yisrael.   Segula with Tehillim 145 Rav Sasson Mordechai gave a segula to recite, from the Dinim, Tehillim 145. He wrote about this in one of his books, that this Tehillim corresponds to the 5 Gevurot as opposed to (kenegged) the 5 Chasadim and the 5 Malchuyot.   Segula for Rosh Chodesh Nisan for Parnasa and for All Salvations The grandmother of Rabbi Sasson's 7th-generation descendant - Serach - passed down a custom (minhag) that has been transmitted from generation to generation in their family, and it is also cited by the Ben Ish Chai. Rosh Chodesh Nisan is the beginning of all the months of the year. The custom on Rosh Chodesh Nisan is to take 12 coins (white ones - representing chesed), place them in a glass vessel with olive oil (it can be mixed half with water), and light a candle in honor of Rosh Chodesh (le-Kvod Rosh Chodesh) with the coins inside. Then, on each following Rosh Chodesh (Iyar, Sivan, etc.), take one coin and put it into a purse/wallet. And this is "bedukah u-menusah" - a tried and tested segula for parnasa and all kinds of salvation.     (Rav Avraham Mordechai Yitzchaki (shlita) - 7th generation descendant of Rabbi Sasson Mordechai)