The story behind the surname Abuhatzeira—the most famous dynasty of Mekubalim
During the lifetime of the holy Arizal, the greatest of his disciples, Rabbeinu Chaim Vital, lived in Damascus. One of his study partners—his chavruta—was the holy Gaon and Kabbalist Rabbi Shmuel Elbaz. Once, he needed to visit the Jewish community of Turkey, which at that time was quickest and easiest to reach by sea.
Rabbi Shmuel arrived at the port and found a ship sailing to Turkey. He asked the ship's captain to take him aboard to the shores of Turkey, but the captain refused to accept a passenger without payment. Rabbi Shmuel then took a book and a mat from his bag, spread the mat on the shore beside the gangplank, and began studying.
Seeing this, the captain decided that the Jew was about to beg for money to pay for the journey—but the man did not take his eyes off the book even once. Some of those boarding asked the captain about the strange Jew who had chosen such an unsuitable place to study, and the captain mockingly told them about the “poor Jew” who had decided to cross to Turkey “for free” in the company of the “true believers.” To everyone's astonishment, when the gangplank was raised, the “yahud” (“little Jew” in Arabic) did not jump up and beg to be taken aboard. He simply stood, picked up his mat, and, waiting until the ship had departed, placed the mat on the water and sat on it. The mat not only failed to sink with a gurgle—it began sailing alongside the ship. The ship's passengers called the captain. Seeing this miracle, he understood that he was dealing with a righteous Jew—for all the Arabs knew of their power. The captain began calling Rabbi Shmuel aboard, but he paid no attention to him. Thus they sailed to the shores of Turkey. At the port, before the astonished eyes of the sailors, dockworkers, and other onlookers, Rabbi Shmuel sailed to shore on his mat, stood up, and picked it up. After shaking the water from it, he calmly walked toward the Jewish quarter.
When this story became known among the Jews of Turkey, Rabbi Shmuel Elbaz came to be called “Master of the Mat”—in Arabic, “Abu Hatsira.” In time, this nickname became the surname of his descendants.
Rabbi Shmuel Elbaz is buried in Jubar, near Damascus.
His great-grandson was the renowned Gaon and Kabbalist Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira, known as the Mighty One—“Abir Yaakov.” It is noteworthy that in the Sephardic Selichot, in the prayer “Aneinu,” we recall Yaakov Avinu for 40 days with these words: “Aneinu, Elohei Avraham, Aneinu. Aneinu, u-Fahad Yitzchak, Aneinu. Aneinu, Abir Yaakov, Aneinu.”
The dynasty was subsequently carried on by a succession of Mekubalim: Machsud Abuhatzeira, Baba Dudu (Rabbi David Abuhatzeira, who was killed in Morocco), his brother Baba Haki, Baba Sali, Baruch Abuhatzeira, Rabbi Yechiel Abuhatzeira, Rabbi David Abuhatzeira, and others.
(translated from “Pituchei Chotam”)
