The Ohr ha-Chaim Synagogue ( he, בית הכנסת אור החיים) is situated on
Ohr ha-Chaim Street in the
Jewish Quarter of the
Old City of Jerusalem. It is located on the top floor of a building which also houses the
Ari Synagogue and Old Yishuv Court Museum. It is named after Rabbi
Chaim ibn Attar
Chaim ibn Attar or Ḥayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar ( ar, حاييم بن موشي بن عطار, he, חיים בן משה בן עטר; b. - 7 July 1743) also known as the Or ha-Ḥayyim after his popular commentary on the Torah, was a Talmudist ...
's
magnum opus
A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
, the ''
Ohr ha-Chaim'', a popular commentary on the
Pentateuch
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...
.
Arriving in Jerusalem from
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
in 1742, Rabbi Attar established a study hall in this building together with a women's section. In a room at the back of the men's section is where, according to tradition, Rabbi Attar would study with
Eliyahu Ha-Navi. A number of years ago, a
mikveh was uncovered near the stairs which lead to the women's section, confirming a long-standing tradition of its existence.
Though the synagogue was founded by a
kabbalist of
Sephardic descent, the synagogue eventually came to serve the
Ashkenazic
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
community, headed by Rabbi Shlomo Rosenthal. When the Jewish Quarter fell to the
Arab Legion
The Arab Legion () was the police force, then regular army of the Emirate of Transjordan, a British protectorate, in the early part of the 20th century, and then of independent Jordan, with a final Arabization of its command taking place in 1 ...
in 1948, during the
Arab-Israeli War
The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...
, the synagogue was closed. It was reopened and refurbished after Israel captured the Old City in 1967.
See also
*
Oldest synagogues in the world
Historic synagogues include synagogues that date back to ancient times and synagogues that represent the earliest Jewish presence in cities around the world. Some synagogues were destroyed and rebuilt several times on the same site. Others we ...
External links
Jewish Quarter Jerusalem: Ohr HaChaim Synagogue
{{coord, 31, 46, 30.58, N, 35, 13, 48.69, E, display=title
Synagogues in Jerusalem