Yahrzeit/Hillula of Rabbi Eliyahu Mani - Hevron

Chacham Rabbi Eliyahu Salman Mani was born in Baghdad (Iraq), but after receiving a bracha (blessing) from the great kabbalist Rabbi Yosef Chaim ben Eliyahu, he moved to Eretz Yisrael, where he settled in Hevron and led the Jewish community.

It is known that the Ben Ish Chai corresponded with the Chacham and clarified many halachot of Eretz Yisrael through Rabbi Eliyahu Mani during his time working in the Kabbalists' Yeshiva "Beit El."

In Hevron, Rabbi Eliyahu was respected not only by Jews, but also by the Arab residents, who called him "sheikh." After Rabbi Eliyahu passed from this world, he was buried in the Jewish cemetery, but Arabs stole his body and reburied it in a Muslim cemetery. It was not easy for the Jewish community to achieve the return of Rabbi Eliyahu's body and to also post a guard by his grave.

Honoring the Rashash

Rabbi Eliyahu wrote in the Hakdama to one of his books: "Today, the 27th of Shevat 5616, I took upon myself never to ask any questions about the Sefer 'Nahar Shalom' [by the grandson of the Rashash - Rabbi Shalom Sharabi] - because of a certain incident that occurred."

The following story is told in "Sefer Pri Etz Chagan":

Rabbi Moshe Chaim (son of the Ben Ish Chai) had a custom of bringing esteemed Chachamim to his home for Seudah Shlishit every Shabbat.

Rabbi Moshe would then deliver a Dvar Torah before them. Rabbi Eliyahu Mani was a regular guest there. One Shabbat, Rabbi Eliyahu was delivering a Dvar Torah, and in the middle of his talk he spoke against the explanations of one of the great Mekubalim, Rabbi Shalom Sharabi. Rabbi Nissim Eni, a colleague of Rabbi Eliyahu and grandson of Rabbi Shalom Sharabi, was present at the Seudah Shlishit. The two disputed the interpretation of a complex kabbalistic matter that his grandfather, Rabbi Shalom Sharabi, had addressed. Having read the understanding of this matter by Naar Shalom Sharabi, Rabbi Eliyahu declared: "The Rashash did not mean this!"

Having finished his Dvar Torah, Rabbi Eliyahu felt terrible pain and was confined to bed for almost two days. He fell gravely ill, and the doctors could not help him. He began to weep and started reciting Vidui. By the third day he felt better and slowly began to recover. He called for his wife, Rabbanit Serach, and said: "You will bear a son, and we will name him Shalom, because the Mekubal Rabbi Shalom Sharabi appeared to me in a dream and rebuked me for speaking so sharply against his opinion. This was the cause of my illness."

He said to me: 'What right do you have to say that my grandson did not understand me! It is you who misunderstood my grandson's great words.'

Therefore he will not forgive me, and I will not survive this illness, unless I name my future son in his honor. I assured him that I would do so, and he forgave me."

His wife gave birth to a son, and they named him Shalom, in honor of the great Mekubal Rashash.

A Gift from the King of Egypt

When Rabbi Eliyahu Mani visited Cairo, he was invited to the home of a very wealthy man, the head of the Jewish community. It happened that the wealthy man was close to the king and had submitted a bid to supply all the military uniforms for his soldiers.

While Rabbi Eliyahu was in the wealthy Jew's home, the host was summoned by the King to a meeting of the royal council regarding the military uniforms for the soldiers. Before he set off for the palace, Rabbi Eliyahu told him to be very careful not to miss Mincha.

The man agreed. That same day, the wealthy man won the tender to supply the uniforms!

Then the time for Mincha came, and he left the council to find a private place to pray. When he returned from prayer, the King asked him where he had gone. The wealthy man replied: "I went to pray."

The King asked: "How is this day different from all other days?"

The wealthy man answered: "I have a Sage staying with me, and he told me that today I must be careful not to miss this prayer. So I followed his words."

The King said: "Please introduce me to him."

When Rabbi Eliyahu came before the King, the King honored him greatly. At that time, the King's daughter was very ill, and her father the King could not find a cure. The King asked the Chacham for help, and Rabbi Eliyahu politely replied: "I am not a doctor."

The relatives asked that Rabbi Eliyahu instead give her a bracha. Rabbi Eliyahu agreed, took a glass of water, and read several chapters of Tehillim over it. He gave the King's daughter the glass of water to drink. When she finished drinking the water, the color of her face changed, and she immediately recovered! The King gave Rabbi Eliyahu a large sum of money and gifts for the needy of the Hevron community and saw him off with great honor. (Sefer "Chachmei ha-Sefaradim be-Eretz Yisrael"

Kosher Observance

It is known that Rabbi Eliyahu Mani would only drink milk from a cow (having first set aside its milk) that was being led to shechita, in order to be sure that it had no damaged organs.

The same was true regarding eggs - he would only eat eggs from hens that were later to be slaughtered, so as to make sure that all of the hen's internal organs were in order.

Rabbi Eliyahu was once in Damascus, Syria, at a charity event. A wealthy man of the city, Mr. Parchi, insisted on inviting the Chacham to stay with him. Rabbi Eliyahu declined repeatedly, but Mr. Parchi kept insisting until he promised Rabbi Eliyahu that he would provide him with his own private quarters, so that he could study and pray in peace. Rabbi Eliyahu finally agreed on condition that no woman come near the place where he would be staying, because the noise of their shoe heels disturbed his learning. Mr. Parchi agreed, and he was honored and pleased by Rabbi Eliyahu's decision.

During the meal, Rabbi Eliyahu behaved as he always did while abroad, and ate only bread. However, Mr. Parchi, who had bought new pots, pans, plates and cups so there would not be even the slightest issur (transgression), would not allow Rabbi Eliyahu to eat only bread, and insisted that he eat from the fine food of the Seudah.

Rabbi Eliyahu, of course, refused.

Mr. Parchi would not give up, until he personally brought the shochet with his knife to show Rabbi Eliyahu that he truly had Yirat Shamayim, and demonstrated an actual shechita.

Rabbi Eliyahu finally agreed to eat from the fine dishes set before him, because of the wealthy man's insistence. Mr. Parchi and all the guests were very happy and began to serve Rabbi Eliyahu. As Rabbi Eliyahu was cutting the chicken, he noticed that one of the chicken's bones was broken, which raised a concern of safek treifa. Rabbi Eliyahu turned to Mr. Parchi to show him, and said: "I appreciate your immense respect for me, but you see, even Heaven wants me to keep to my chumrot (stringencies) and will not let me eat your food!"

(From the book "A Legacy of Leaders" - Sephardic Chachamim, translated by Silatehilim.com)