Sar Shalom Sharabi ( he, שר שלום מזרחי דידיע שרעבי), also known as the Rashash, the Shemesh or Ribbi Shalom Mizraḥi deyedi`a Sharabi (1720–1777), was a
Yemenite Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
,
Halachist
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical comman ...
,
Chazzan and
Kabbalist. In later life, he became the
Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...
of
Bet El Yeshiva in the
Old City Old City often refers to old town, the historic or original core of a city or town.
Old City may refer to several places:
Historical cities or regions of cities
''(by country)''
*Old City (Baku), Azerbaijan
* Old City (Dhaka), Bangladesh, also ca ...
of
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. His daughter married Rabbi Hayyim Abraham Gagin of Jerusalem, making him the great-great-grandfather of
Shem Tob Gaguine
Shemtob Gaguin(e) (5 September 1884 – 30 July 1953) was a British Sephardic rabbi and scion of a famous Moroccan rabbinical dynasty which emigrated to Palestine from Spain at the time of the Inquisition.
Biography
He was the great-grands ...
, the "Keter Shem Tob." His son was
Yitzhak Mizrahi Sharabi
Rabbi Yitzhak Mizrachi Sharabi (, d.1803 in Jerusalem), also known as Hezekiahu Isaac Mizrahi Sharabi, was the second Rosh Yeshiva of Beit El yeshiva
The Beit El Yeshiva ( he, ישיבת בית אל) is a Religious Zionist Yeshiva situated i ...
and his grandson was Chief Rabbi
Chaim Abraham Gagin
Chaim Abraham Gagin (1787–1848) was Chief Rabbi of Ottoman Palestine from 1842 to 1848.
He was the grandson of the Jerusalem Kabbalist Shalom Sharabi
Sar Shalom Sharabi ( he, שר שלום מזרחי דידיע שרעבי), also known as ...
.
Biography
Sar Shalom Sharabi was born in
Jewish Sharab,
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast an ...
. He moved to the
Land of Israel, then under
Ottoman rule, in fulfilment of a vow. On his way he stayed in India, Baghdad and Damascus. In Damascus, he was involved in a dispute of
Halacha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical comm ...
over the minimum olive size
kezayit of matzah that one should eat at the Pesach
Seder.
In Israel, he made a strong impression on the local rabbinic sages, and is frequently mentioned in their books. At Bet El Yeshiva, he belonged to a group of 12 ''mekubalim'' along with
Hida,
Torat Hakham, Rabbi Yom-Tov Algazi and other sages of Sephardic and Yemenite congregations. He remained at Bet El Yeshiva until his death, eventually becoming
Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...
. He himself was a devotee of the teachings of Rabbi
Isaac Luria
Isaac ben Solomon Luria Ashkenazi (1534 Fine 2003, p24/ref> – July 25, 1572) ( he, יִצְחָק בן שלמה לוּרְיָא אשכנזי ''Yitzhak Ben Sh'lomo Lurya Ashkenazi''), commonly known in Jewish religious circles as "Ha'ARI" (mea ...
, and a principal innovator within Lurianic
Kabbalah
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "receiver"). The de ...
.
Popular tradition links his departure from Yemen with a miracle that occurred after a rich Muslim woman tried to seduce him. In Bet El, he worked as a servant and hid his learning from others; when his knowledge of Kabbalah was accidentally discovered, he became a member of the kabbalistic circle. According to legend, the prophet
Elijah
Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh/ YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) was, according to the Books ...
appeared to him, and he is understood by the major Kabbalists as being himself the
Gilgul of the
Arizal. His grandson,
Solomon Moses Hai Gagin Sharabi, wrote a poem of praise on his mastery of the ''Etz Hayyim'' and ''Shemonah She'arim'' of
Hayyim Vital
Hayyim ben Joseph Vital ( he, רָבִּי חַיִּים בֶּן יוֹסֵף וִיטָאל; Safed, October 23, 1542 (Julian calendar) and October 11, 1542 (Gregorian Calendar) – Damascus, 23 April 1620) was a rabbi in Safed and the foremo ...
. Members of Bet El continue to
prostrate
Prostrate may refer to:-
*Prostration, a position of submission in religion etc.
*Prone position, a face-down orientation of the body
*Prostrate shrub
A prostrate shrub is a woody plant, most of the branches of which lie upon or just above the ...
themselves on his grave on the
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( he, הַר הַזֵּיתִים, Har ha-Zeitim; ar, جبل الزيتون, Jabal az-Zaytūn; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jerus ...
on the anniversary of his death.
Sharabi is credited with the miracle that opened the
Kotel to Jews.
[Rossoff, Dovid. (2004). Where Heaven touches Earth: Jewish Life in Jerusalem from Medieval Times to the Present. Jerusalem: Guardian Press. pp. 156-158. Revised Edition. .]
Writings
He was one of the earlier commentators on the works of the
Ari, a major source of Kabbalah. His
Siddur
A siddur ( he, סִדּוּר ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.'
Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, ' ...
was known as the "Siddur Ha-Kavvanot," and is the main ''siddur'' used today by Kabbalists for prayer, meditation and Yeshiva study. It is a ''siddur'' with extensive Kabbalistic meditations by way of commentary.
His writings include "Emet va-Shalom", "Rehovot Hanahar", "Derech Shalom" and "Nahar Shalom", in which he answers 70 questions of the Hahamim of Tunis, who were among the leading
Sephardic authorities in the 18th century. He also commented on the ''
minhag
''Minhag'' ( he, מנהג "custom", classical pl. מנהגות, modern pl. , ''minhagim'') is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. A related concept, '' Nusach'' (), refers to the traditional order and form of the prayers.
Et ...
im'' (customs) of the
Yemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews or Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ''Yehudei Teman''; ar, اليهود اليمنيون) are those Jews who live, or once lived, in Yemen, and their descendants maintaining their customs. Between June 1949 and September 1950, the ...
and compiled them in volumes known as "Minhagei Rashash", an exclusive edition of the ''
Shulchan Aruch
The ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּך , literally: "Set Table"), sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed (today in I ...
'', where he gives his interpretations of the ''halachot'', as well as noting the particular customs of the
Shami Yemenite community. These volumes are still actively used by this community to reach Halachic decisions regarding holidays, marriage and Shabbat services.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharabi, Shalom
1720 births
1777 deaths
18th-century rabbis in Jerusalem
Yemenite Orthodox rabbis
Rosh yeshivas
Kabbalists
Hazzans
Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives
Isaac Luria