Grave
Or HaChaim
Yahrzeit (Hillula)
- 15 Tammuz — Rabbi Chaim ben Attar - Or HaChaim
Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar - Or HaChaim
Before Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar - the "Or HaChaim" - became known to the world and people understood that he was a tzadik, the following story happened to him.
In those days there lived a king who was well versed in astrology. One day, gazing at the stars, the ruler saw that at the moment of his birth the position of the stars was identical to that of another person - a very wealthy and wise Jew. Through the stars the king learned that this Jew possessed an enormous military force, and that he lived in a country under the king's own rule!
Doubt crept into the astrologer-king's heart: "The Jews have no country, no ministers, no leader! They are all poor and scattered across the world. What can this mean?"
To find this mysterious man, the king decided to divide the entire world into several parts by lot. It turned out that the Jew the stars spoke of lived in the east.
Setting out on his journey, the king appointed his 70-year-old priest - his most trusted minister - as his regent on the throne. Disguising himself in simple clothing, the stargazing ruler took provisions with him and set off to the east. Stopping for the night at an inn, the king again cast lots to determine in which city this mysterious Jew lived.
Arriving in the city, the king used lots to find the street where the man lived, and went there. To the ruler's astonishment, it turned out that the street in question was in the Jewish quarter, in its poorest corner, where most of the residents were crowded into basements in dire poverty. Despite all his efforts, the king found it hard to believe he had found the right place: "Perhaps I made a mistake?" the king thought, and returned to the inn.
That night he again studied the night sky, and again saw that the wealthiest and wisest Jew truly lived on that impoverished street. Casting lots, the ruler discovered that the man he sought must live in one of the basements.
The next day, toward evening, the disguised king went there and knocked on the door. An elderly woman opened it. The king asked her: "Where is your husband?" The woman answered that her husband was at the synagogue and would return within an hour.
Exactly an hour later the king knocked on the door again. Opening it, Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar said to his guest: "Welcome, my sovereign!" The king pretended to be surprised and said: "What made you think I am a king?!"
Rabbi Chaim answered him: "Yes, my sovereign, I know that you are a king, and this is no mistake." Hearing the Jew call him king twice, the ruler sensed that he was standing before a prophet, or a man possessing a spirit of holiness. It seemed all the stranger to the king that this holy man lived in such poverty: in his tiny room, instead of chairs there were stones stacked one atop another, covered with mats. In the middle of the room stood an old table, and an oil lamp hung on the wall. There was nothing else in the room...
"I wish to reveal a secret to you," the ruler said to the Jew.
"Please, go ahead!" he replied.
"How do you know that I am a king?"
Let his majesty first reveal his secret to me - and I will reveal mine to him.
"I read very strange things about you in the stars," said the king.
"You saw it all correctly. I am wealthier than your majesty, and I have an enormous army and loyal guards, but they are all spiritual beings. If my lord the king wishes, I will gladly show him," said the mysterious Jew.
Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar gave the king a small mirror and asked him to look into it.
When the king looked into the mirror, he suddenly cried out: "Woe! Woe is me! My wife is in danger!"
"Do not worry, my sovereign! Take your pistol and shoot the mirror twice," Rabbi Chaim advised.
The king shot the mirror and saw in its shards his trusted minister falling to the ground, dead.
"Is that your regent?" the rabbi asked, feigning surprise.
"Yes, it is him... Could all this be an illusion? A dream? Magic?" the king wondered.
"No, my sovereign, this is neither a dream, nor an illusion, nor sorcery. If you go home, you will see it all with your own eyes. But wait a moment and look into the broken mirror to see how the story continues."
Looking into one of the shards, the king saw that the palace was in great turmoil; the ministers and guards were scrambling to find the killer, but witnesses all insisted that they had seen only two deadly bullets fired by someone through the window...
It was decided to bury the king's regent in a secret place to conceal all the unclear details, and to blame the murder on the Jews...
When the king looked away from the mirror, the rabbi advised: "Let his majesty go home, and I will come in a few days."
The king sensed that Rabbi Chaim was a holy man capable of performing miracles. He decided to act according to the rabbi's word.
When the ruler arrived at his palace, he immediately asked: "Where is my minister?"
The courtiers told the king that the elderly priest had gone to the Jewish quarter and had not returned from there. This hint was enough for the palace to begin slandering the Jewish people.
The king himself, hearing the courtiers' answers, remarked: "I have heard that this people is cruel, and
ungrateful, and that they love Christian blood. Bring them here at once, and I will judge them! Let representatives of every nation be brought here, along with one of the Jewish sages - we shall judge them according to the law."
The courtiers did not favor the Jews, and so the king's words pleased them greatly.
A day of judgment was set, and the Or HaChaim was invited as well.
When the appointed time came and the trial began, all those present began accusing the people and casting all manner of libels upon the Jews.
Then the king asked Rabbi Chaim: "What can you say in answer to these accusations? How dared you repay us evil for good?"
Rabbi Chaim straightened up and said: "Great sovereign! Know this: everything said here is false! Your minister did not die at human hands. This punishment was sent to him from Above! It happened when he entered the queen's chambers, attacked her, covered her mouth, and attempted to violate her. Our queen is a modest woman and a faithful wife. She wanted to scream to save herself but could not utter a sound, so she began to struggle with this villain. Suddenly two bullets were sent from Above, which killed your minister on the spot. The courtiers decided to bury him in secret from everyone, but I will tell you where to look for the body. And if the sovereign does not believe my words, let him send for the queen, and she will tell the whole truth!"
To this the king remarked: "It is not fitting for my wife to come here and speak of such a thing before a crowd. I will go to her myself!"
In anger the king rose from his throne, ordered the guards to let no one leave the courtroom, and went to his wife's chambers. Five minutes passed, and the king returned. His first act was to embrace and kiss the sage, saying to him: "Your words are true!"
He then ordered the execution of six nobles who had conspired with the priest, and the danger hanging over the Jewish community vanished.
(Ahavat HaChaim, Beha'alotcha)
Limud - the Or HaChaim's commentary on the weekly portion "Bo":
"Vehigadta levincha vechulei – tzarich ladaat lama lo amar 'veamarta,' ki teivat hagada matzinu lerabotenu zichronam livracha she'amru (Shabbat 'peh zayin'). She'itkaven ba'dvarim kashim kegidim. Od kasha omro 'beyom hahu' uvesamuch gamar omer ba'avur zeh vedarshu rabotenu zichronam livracha (be-Mechilta uve-Hagada): 'Besha'ah shemetza umaror vechulei…' vehu balaylah velo bayom, ve'im ken lo hayah lo lomar ela 'vehigadta levincha' leemor ba'avur zeh ve'ani yodea zman hahagada shehu balaylah. Od tzarich ladaat omro 'leemor' vehu kvar amar 'vehigadta.'"
"Veniru ki yachvin al derech omram zichronam livracha (Pesachim 'kuf tet zayin'): 'Matchil bignut umesayem beshevach,' yomar gnut avoteihem shel ha'avot ki lo hayah davar meshubach, vehu omro 'vehigadta' dvarim shelev ha'adam ne'ekash mehem, ve'achar kach mesayem beshevach, vehu omro 'leemor' amirot meshubachot mesamchim et halev umesa'adim oto, ve'amar 'beyom hahu' hodia bemetek lashon tzadik, ki halaylah hahu yom ikare vehu omro (Tehillim 'kuf lamed tet') 'velaylah keyom ya'ir,' velo chash shetit'e lomar yom mamash shegamar omer ba'avur zeh shehu bish'at matza vechulei ke'omram za'l. Ve'ulai ki samach 'beyom hahu' im 'vehigadta' ki gam nes zeh bichlal mitzvat hagada."
"Od yirtzeh be'omro 'leemor' lihyot she'amar 'vehigadta levincha' tinach im yesh lo ben im ein lo ben yihyeh patur talmud lomar 'leemor,' she'al kol panim tzarich lehagid, afilu beino levein atzmo, im ken lama amar 'levincha.' Ve'ulai shebe'emtza'ut ha'itur ani mevin ken velo belo itur. Ve'efshar od she'yirmoz be'omro 'vehigadta levincha' she'im yagid hahagada ha'amura be'inyan izakehu Ha-Shem she'yagid livno uchdei shelo tit'eh lomar davka, leze amar 'leemor.'"
(Yeshivat Yodei Bina, from the shiur of Rabbi Yisrael Yakobov, "The Power of the Tzadikim")
https://silatehilim.com/молитва-ор-а-хаим-а-кадош-за-шхину/
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