Yehuda Leon Patilon (Lamed-Vav Tzadikim)

Rabbi Yehuda Leon Patilon (1905-1974) – "The Holy Artist" – a Hidden Tzadik from the circle of craftsmen. Yahrzeit – 15 Cheshvan Burial place – Jerusalem, Beit Chaim, Sanhedria He was one of the 36 hidden righteous ones (Lamed-Vav Tzadikim) from the circle of Kabbalist craftsmen (in the year 1960) in Israel, who studied the hidden Torah together. They were known by names based on their trade: "The Shoemaker" – Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Rabikov 22 тишрея йорцайт илула рабби моше яаков "The Janitor" – Rabbi Yosef Voltuch 20 ияра йорцайт рабби йосеф волтух дво "The Tiler" – Rabbi Avraham Fish 13 элула йорцайт рабби йехиэль авраам фи "The Milkman" – Chalban – Rabbi Chaim Avishalom Cohen Perachia 12 ава йорцайт илула хальбан   Rabbi Yehuda Leon Patilon was born in Thessaloniki, Greece (1905-1974). He studied under his grandfather, who was one of the greatest Kabbalists in Thessaloniki, and on every matter he turned to Hashem, blessed be He, like a son turning to his father. He made aliyah to Eretz Yisrael and lived in the Shabazi neighborhood of Tel Aviv-Yafo. He earned his living as a painter, but he never painted the female form. Because of his difficult financial situation he did not marry, and only at the age of 40, after receiving the blessing of the Kabbalist rabbi Hillel Simchon, did he marry a young woman named Victoria from the Nissan family. Weary of all worldly pleasures and content with little, he served G-d joyfully and was one of the hidden tzadikim. He prayed before the stars came out, recited the Shema, and went to bed, and then right at midnight he would wake up to tearfully recite Tikkun Chatzot, study Mishnayot and the Zohar, immerse in the mikveh, and say the morning prayer. He prayed simply, constantly shedding tears, ate very little, and worked a few hours a day to support his household, while his wife helped him sell his paintings, though their livelihood remained meager. He was awarded a large cash prize for his paintings, but he refused to travel to Paris to collect it. He always saw the Name of Hashem before his eyes, took great care to guard his eyes – "Shmirat Einayim" – and believed that every Jew must guard three things: the Brit, modesty, and speech. Through his diligent study of Torah, he knew the entire book of Tehillim, Mishnayot, and the Zohar by heart. He was known as a "Baal Mofet" (miracle worker) and as one to whom angels revealed the future. Souls that had departed this world would come to him so that he could give them Tikkunim (rectifications), and he understood the language of animals, through which souls would ask him for healing. He loved every Jew, speaking with everyone who came to receive his blessing and advice, and he gave away to charity the money he received from those who came to him. Once, while sitting at home, he saw an angel sitting beside the grave of Benayahu ben Yehoyada, wearing a hat, khaki-colored trousers, and holding a book of kavanot (intentions) in his hand, and he then asked two of his students to take him to that place so that he could see it up close. Twice a year he organized a trip with his companions to the Hillula of the Rashbi in Meron, and from the moment of his arrival in Meron he would distribute charity to everyone. After suffering a stroke, part of his body became paralyzed, but he refused to go to a hospital so that no nurse would touch him, and he assured his wife, who devotedly cared for him, that she would be with him in Heaven. When he was hospitalized, he said that three weeks after the festival of Sukkot he would depart this world, and exactly three weeks from the first day of Sukkot in the year 5705, he returned his soul to the Creator. His paintings were realistic – the figures that often appear in his landscapes carry a somewhat mysterious quality (for example, when a painting depicts a man carrying baskets, this usually alludes to his close friend, the hidden tzadik "the Janitor" – Rabbi Yosef Voltuch, who is often depicted carrying baskets during journeys to holy sites in the Galilee). The magazine "Mishpacha" often publishes amazing stories about his knowledge of Kabbalah and his encounters with Eliyahu HaNavi, told by people who found salvation thanks to "the Holy Artist." May the merit of the Tzadik protect Am Yisrael!