From Tzfas in the north to Netivot and Beer Sheva in the south, it’s a new generation of family rabbanim

Photos: Yaakov Cohen, David Cohen, Flash90

It all began with a straw mat. The famous story – passed down through the generations among the Jews of Northern Africa – goes back about four hundred years to the Holy City of Jerusalem, where lived the mekubal Rav Shmuel Elbaz zy”a, a talmid of the Arizal’s disciple Rav Chaim Vital. Rav Shmuel was a lofty soul who worked tirelessly to help the poor of the city. Throughout his life, the tzaddik sat on a simple straw mat as he learned Torah and engaged in spiritual contemplations. At one point, Rav Shmuel was sent abroad to raise money for the poor of Jerusalem, but when he arrived at the Jaffa Port, he was told that he didn’t have enough money to pay for passage, and the captain refused to allow him to board. With no other choice, Rav Shmuel unfolded his mat, placed it on the choppy waters and calmly sat down on it. He raised his eyes to Shamayim, offered up a prayer, and the mat began sailing on the Mediterranean Sea, soon overtaking the ship as the captain and astonished passengers looked on.

The captain called to Rav Shmuel, asking forgiveness and offering him to board the ship for free. But Rav Shmuel refused -- if it was already necessary to alter nature on his behalf, why should he have to associate with drunken gentile sailors? He would remain on his mat, with no spiritual distractions, until he reached his destination.

Afterward, the Jews of the time gave him the name “Abu-chatzira” – father of the mat.

Over the years, Rav Shmuel’s descendants left Eretz Yisrael due to persecution against the local Jews. According to family history, they sought a place where they could immerse themselves in Torah learning without harassment, settling in the Tafilalt district of eastern Morocco. One of Rav Shmuel's progeny, Rav Moshe (Masoud), became rav of the city, and Rav Moshe's son Yaakov -- known as the holy "Abir Yaakov” -- succeeded his father as rav of Tafilalt. The Abir Yaakov, considered the patriarch of the Abuchatzeira dynasty, was buried in Damanhour, Egypt, after he fell ill en route trying to reach Eretz Yisrael, but his descendants remained in Morocco, where they established Torah around the country.

His son Rav Moshe (Masoud) became rav of Tafilalt, and Rav Moshe’s children – Rav Yitzchak (known as the Baba Chaki, who became rav of Ramle), Rav Yisrael (the Baba Sali, who eventually settled in Netivot), and Rav David (who succeeded his father as rav of Tafilalt, where he was horrifically murdered in a pogrom in the city in the 1920s, where a decree was enacted to kill all Jews who didn’t flee) – essentially moved the dynasty back to Eretz Yisrael where it all started.

Throughout the years, many miracle stories have been attributed to the tzaddikim of the Abuchatzeira family, and especially to the Baba Sali, whose acts of bending nature often revolved around a bottle of Arak – poured free like water -- at the hilulas of tzaddikim or at seudos marking other special days.

During my childhood, I was riveted by stories from my grandfather, Rav Nissim Amsalem ztz”l, a brother-in-law of the Baba Sali. My grandfather was a neighbor of the Abuchatzeira family after they fled to the town of Bodniv, and witnessed countless miracles. He learned bechavrusa each day with the Baba Sali and his son Rav Meir a”h – a hidden tzaddik who predeceased his father.

The generations move on, but the Abuchatzeira family continues to lead the Sephardic Torah world -- third and fourth generation progeny who live among us today, leading various communities around Eretz Yisrael and beyond.

Yet we’re not here to re-introduce you to the more famous personalities of the family – the Baba Sali’s son Rav Baruch, or the sons of Rav Meir -- Rav David Chai Abuchatzeira of Nahariya and his brothers Rav Yekutiel and Rav Raphael of Ashdod, and Rav Elazar a”h (murdered in his beis medrash in 2011), or the sons of the Baba Chaki who are famed for their power of brachah.

Indeed, the branches of the family have spread; and while they still receive the public for advice and brachos, they’ve moved away from the miracle stories and prefer to spend their days in the beis medrash, teaching Torah to a new generation.