Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Hillel (; born August 29, 1945) is the head of the

Kabbalistic Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal (). Jewi ...

Yeshiva ''Ahavat Shalom'' in Jerusalem. He has been described as a prolific author and publisher of sefarim. The majority of his works are about Kabbalah. His students include Rabbis and Shimshon Dovid Pincus.

Biography

He was born in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

, India to Moshe Hillel (grandson of Rabbi Avraham Hillel who served as a rabbi in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

). He lived in England, studied at the Gateshead Yeshiva, and later immigrated to Israel and studied at the Ponevezh Yeshiva in

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...

, where he became a '' Talmid Muvhak'' of Rav Shach. He married Ziona, daughter of Rabbi Yitzhak Ohana, who was the chief rabbi of

Kiryat Shmona Kiryat Shmona () is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel on the western slopes of the Hula Valley near the Lebanon, Lebanese border. In it had a population of . Located near the Blue Line (withdrawal line), Israel ...

. After marrying, he studied at the Dayan and Rabbinical Training Institute established by

Rishon Lezion Rishon LeZion ( , "First to Zion") is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. Founded in 1882 by Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who were ...

, Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim, and at the Harry Fishel Institute. Among other things, he learned the basics of Kabbalah from Rabbi Mordechai Attia (the grandfather). Among the organizations he created are: * A yeshiva named ''Ahavat Shalom'' in the early 1970s, at which he began his daily classes in Kabbalah. Ahavat Shalom is the third biggest Yeshivah in the world, after Lakewood's and Mir. * Used his English-speaking background to facilitate his

Kiruv Orthodox Jewish outreach, often referred to as ''Kiruv'' or ''Qiruv'' ( "bringing close"), is the collective work or movement of Orthodox Judaism that reaches out to non-Orthodox or non-observant Jews to encourage belief in God and life accor ...

work. * Founded a girl's seminary, Bnos Elisheva, in 2002.

Personal

He has 19 children. Prior to marrying, he was an artist, hence the title of ''Kol Hazman's'' biography: From Artist/Painter to Genius Kabbalist."

Works

Many of the titles that use the word Yam ( or י"ם) refer to Hillel's initials, Yud Mem (for Yaakov Moshe). Similarly, HaYam adds the letter ''Hay'' (ה), for Hillel. His books are: * (5754) VaYaShav HaYam - She'elot U'Teshuvot (3 volume set; volume 3: 5772) - Volume 1 is about practical yet technical aspects of writing Torah scrolls and

Tefillin Tefillin (Modern Hebrew language, Israeli Hebrew: / ; Ashkenazim, Ashkenazic pronunciation: ; Modern Israeli Hebrew, Modern Hebrew pronunciation: ), or phylacteries, are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls o ...

. ** (5772) VaYaShav HaYam (Volume 3) - She'elot U'Teshuvot - Practical aspects, foundational issues,

Shulchan Aruch The ''Shulhan Arukh'' ( ),, often called "the Code of Jewish Law", is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Rabbinic Judaism. It was authored in the city of Safed in what is now Israel by Joseph Karo in 1563 and published in ...

(Code of Jewish Law) * (5760) HaVayn BeChochma (understand with wisdom) - (3 volumes) Articles and Notes on Kabbalah Theory and Intention of the Rash * (5765) Aid HaGaL HaZeh - about

Lag BaOmer Lag BaOmer (, ''LaG Bāʿōmer''), also Lag B'Omer or Lag LaOmer, is a Judaism, Jewish religious holiday celebrated on the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer, which occurs on the 18th day of the Hebrew calendar, Hebrew month of Iyar. Accordin ...

and ''Rashbi'' (Rabbi Shimon bar YoChai) * (5768) Aspaklariya DeNahara - Annotation on the Preface of the River Streets of the Rash. Contains two commentaries: one called "''Nahara uPashta''" and the other named "''MayAmKay HaYam''." * (5771) GeVurot Ha-Ari - Answers and Articles on resolving

halachic ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments ('' mitz ...

and Kabalistic disputes * (5772) GaLay HaYam - about the morning prayers in the synagogue (and praying with devotion) * (5772) Sefat HaYam () - a seven volume set: ** Sefat HaYam: Rosh HaShanah,Sukkot & Shavuot ** Sefat HaYam: Sefirat HaOmer ** Sefat HaYam:

Seuda A ''seudat mitzvah'' (, "commanded meal"), in Judaism, is an obligatory festive meal, usually referring to the celebratory meal following the fulfillment of a ''mitzvah'' (commandment), such as a ''bar mitzvah'', ''bat mitzvah'', a wedding, a ''b ...

& Birkat HaNeHeNin ::::: Topics of the other four volumes include ''

ShoVaVim Shovavim () is a period of six to eight weeks each year, in which some Kabbalists teach one should focus on repenting for one's sins, particularly sexual sins. The term ''shovavim'' is a Hebrew acronym consisting of the initial letters of the pa ...

'',

Chanukah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. Han ...

and

Purim Purim (; , ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jews, Jewish people from Genocide, annihilation at the hands of an official of the Achaemenid Empire named Haman, as it is recounted in the Book of Esther (u ...

. * (5777) Ruach HaYam - assorted conversations and articles (22 chapters): ''Kiruv'', ''Peter Chamor'', laws dealing with a new Sefer Torah, the ''mitzvah'' of Torah study, preventing desecration of graves, proper inspection of Torah scrolls & Tefillin. ** ''Ruach HaYam - Hespedim'' (eulogies): a same-year publication of ''Divrei Hesped'' for Rav Shach, Rav Elyashiv, and 11 others. Also has 4 more chapters done in honor/in memory of. * (5778) Pe'At HaYam al Shaar HaKaVaNot - writings about Passover, the

counting of the Omer Counting of the Omer (, Sefirat HaOmer, sometimes abbreviated as Sefira) is a ritual in Judaism. It consists of a verbal counting of each of the 49 days between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot. The period of 49 days is known as the "omer p ...

, and Shavuot. * (57xx) PeTach Shaar HaShamayim & Binyan Ariel - about studying Kabbalah (who should, how, when) * (57xx/74) Shorshei HaYam at Etz Chaim (5 volumes) - teachings based on

Chaim Vital Hayyim ben Joseph Vital (; Safed, October 23, 1542 (Julian calendar) / October 11, 1542 (Gregorian Calendar) – Damascus, 23 April 1620) was a rabbi in Safed and the foremost disciple of Isaac Luria. He recorded much of his master's teachi ...

's ''Etz Chaim''.

English

* Faith and Folly: The Occult in Torah Perspective was originally published in Hebrew as ''Tamim Tiheyeh (). * Ascending Jacob's Ladder - a collection of essays on basic Jewish topics (Shabbat/Holidays, Prayers, Torah study), based on "Midrash, Mussar, and Kabbalah." * ''Roni Akarah'': A Guide for the Childless * (EDITOR) The Ben Ish Hai: The Life and Legacy of Rabbi Yosef Hayym * Ascending The Path (5 Vol.) on Mesillat Yesharim. It clarifies and defines the relevance of the Mesillat Yesharim to our daily lives and includes many new concepts and explanations to aid the reader's progress along the path of the just.

Manuscripts/editing

He also edited works, based on existing manuscripts, on various Halachic topics: * Bein ZroOs Olam () - regarding positioning of a bed * Oter Yisroel BeSifAra () - regarding Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam's Tefillin; whether they may both be worn simultaneously. * VaYaTzetz Tzitz () - Kabbalistic view on having the fringes of the "minor" Talis (Arba Kanfot/Talis Katan) should be visible. * Yismach Moshe () - regarding laws of mourning.

Publisher

Hillel oversees publication of works published by his yeshiva, including Rabbi

Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler (; 1892 – 31 December 1953) was an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and Jewish philosopher of the 20th century. He is best known for being the ''mashgiach ruchani'' ("spiritual counselor") of the ...

novellae In Roman law, a novel (, "new decree"; ) is a new decree or edict, in other words a new law. The term was used from the fourth century AD onwards and was specifically used for laws issued after the publishing of the ''Codex Theodosianus'' in 438 and ...

on the Talmud, with an introduction written by Hillel.

Controversy

In an article about Hillel's 3 volume set "''Kitvuni LeDorot''" alleged that large parts of the book were plagiarized from Avivi's book ''Binyan Ariel'', not to be confused with Hillel's book of the same name.

''Darchei'' link

As a

Sephardi Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

c sage, he has been visiting Yeshiva Darchei Torah (Far Rockaway)a large largely Ashkenaz Yeshiva that also has a sizeable number of Sephardi students since 2004.

Additional reading

The Boundaries of the Kabbalah: R. Yaakov Moshe Hillel and the Kabbalah in Jerusalem - Jonatan Meir

References

External links

* photo of Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Hillel (Hebrew Wikipedia) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hillel, Yaakov Moshe 20th-century rabbis in Jerusalem 21st-century rabbis in Jerusalem Haredi rabbis in Israel 1945 births Living people