Ohr HaChaim Yahrzeit II

[Tal Moshe Zwecker]

From http://heichalhanegina.blogspot.com/2006/07/ohr-hachaim-and-songs-of-shlomo.html

 

Today is the 15th of Tamuz, and the yahrzeit of Rabbi Chaim ibn [ben] Atar, known as the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh. Rabbi Chaim ben Atar was a Torah commentator, Kabbalist, and Talmudist. His sefer Ohr HaChaim is a famous commentary on the Torah, which merited to be included together with the commentaries of the Rishonim like Rashi, ibn Ezra, and the Ramban, in the Mikraos Gedolos.
Rav Chaim came into prominence in the mid-eighteenth century, at around the same time as the Baal Shem Tov and the Chassidic movement. The Baal Shem found a kindred soul in the Ohr HaChaim, in terms of their outlook and method – like “two prophets who prophesied in the same style.” When the Baal Shem Tov received a copy of the sefer Ohr HaChaim, he cherished it, and recommended it to all of his talmidim. Indeed, in addition to the Sephardim, Chassidim of all the various groups learn it regularly [see also below].

*

So close is the Ohr HaChaim's train of thought to those of Chassidim, that a Rav with whom I am privileged to learn the sefer Ohr HaChaim refers to him as the "Galicianer from Morocco."
*

Rav Chaim's dream was to go to Eretz Yisrael. After receiving spiritual signs approving his desire, he went on his way. He stopped over in Livorno (Italy), where he raised large sums of money for publishing his books and establishing a yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael. With thirty followers he arrived in Eretz Yisrael, four days before Rosh Hashana 5502 (1742) and settled in Acco. Rav Chaim and his students spent Yom Kippur in the cave of Eliyahu HaNavi [Elijah the Prophet] on Mount Carmel (Haifa), where they all felt a great sense of holiness and witnessed seeing a great light at the spot where according to tradition Eliyahu used to pray. The holiday of Purim was spent in Tzfas and Meron, where a great deal of time was spent studying the holy Zohar. They later moved to live in Peki'in for a few months. On the 15th of Elul 5402 (1742), Rav Chaim finally arrived in Jerusalem with his group. He immediately established a yeshiva called Knesset Yisrael and a second secretive yeshiva for the study of Kabbalah. One of his new students was Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai (the Chida), who at that time was only 18 years old.
*

Rav Chaim and his students were constantly going on many journeys around the Land of Israel visiting gravesites of the tzaddikim. They used the opportunity to pray for the welfare of Jews all over the world, the success of their yeshiva and its financial supporters.

*
A Note in the Wall
A story is told of the “Ohr HaChaim”, Rabbi Chaim ben Atar (1696-1743), who had a beloved disciple who was very poor. The rabbi wrote a note on parchment and told his student to place it between the stones of the Western Wall. On his way to the Wall, a great wind blew his hat off his head. However, he refused to fetch it, for fear of dropping the parchment. Then the wind blew off his kippa. Having no choice but to fetch it, as he stretched for the kippa, the wind blew the note from his hand. When he told the rabbi what happened, the Ohr HaChaim took it as a sign of Heavenly decree and decided not to write another note. Later, a rolled parchment was found blowing through the streets of Jerusalem, addressing the Divine Presence on behalf of a poor Torah scholar, and signed Chaim ben Atar (Ta’amei HaMinhagim, p. 270).
*

[In] the kvittel (personal petition) that the Ohr HaChaim had sent to be placed in the cracks of the Kosel (the Western Wall), he addresses the Shechina with the words of Shlomo HaMelech: “My sister, my beloved, my dove, my perfect one” (Shir HaShirim 5:2).
*

The most famous of Rabbi Chaim's works is Ohr HaChaim, a commentary on the Torah. In this work he employs the four methods of exegesis: pshat - explaining the simple meaning; drash -homiletic interpretation; remez - allusion; and sod - the Kabbalistic esoteric approach. This book was enthusiastically accepted by Sephardic and Ashkenazic rabbis alike. His book Chefetz Hashem was his first book, it was a commentary on tractates Shabbos, Horayos and Chullin. His second book was Pri Toar, a commentary on Yoreh De'ah (one of the sections of Shulchan Aruch). Rishon Letzion was a book he wrote when living in Jerusalem. It is a commentary on Prophets and Writings (Nach) and a few tractates of the Talmud.
*

The Songs of Shlomo
In the above-mentioned Rishon LeTzion, Rav Chaim asks why Shlomo HaMelech begins “Shir HaShirim asher l’Shlomo – the Song of Songs of Shlomo.” It appears that the verse should read, “Shir asher l’Shlomo,” or “Shirim asher l’Shlomo.”
His answer is that Shlomo HaMelech wrote this for the time when the Jewish People would be in exile. He used a mashal, a parable, of Hashem as the king, and the Jewish People as the queen. The king had banished the queen, and the neighbors thought that he was finished with her – that he would never see her again, and she was gone from the thoughts of his heart and mind. However, a prince [who was a child of the king and queen] visited his father, and discovered that he still loved the queen. And upon visiting his mother, he found that she still loved the king. He then authored a song about the king’s love for the queen, and another song about the queen’s love for the king, based on this knowledge.
Thus, “Shir HaShirim” can be explained to mean a Song composed of Songs - two songs. One, that of Hashem’s love for Knesses Yisrael [the Jewish People], and the other, that which the Jewish People sings to her beloved, G-d.
*

The Baal Shem Tov and the Ohr HaChaim
The founder of the Chassidic movement, The Baal Shem Tov, maintained that if he could join forces with Rabbi Chaim, together they could bring Moshiach [the Messiah]. The Baal Shem Tov made several failed attempts to reach the Holy Land. In fact the Baal Shem Tov believed that Rav Chaim was the Moshiach of that generation. On the day that Rav Chaim came to Jerusalem, The Baal Shem Tov told his students: "Today Moshiach ben Yosef entered Yerushalayim".

*

Rav Chaim departed the world at the time of Mincha of Shabbos Parshas Pinchas. At that exact moment the Baal Shem Tov was eating the third meal of Shabbos and uttered: "The western candle has been extinguished." After Shabbos he explained: "The tzaddik in the west, Rav Chaim ben Atar left the world. The proof for that is: there is one secret about the washing of the hands (netilat yadayim) which is revealed to only one person in each generation. This secret was known to Rav Chaim. When I washed my hands for the third meal, that secret was revealed to me, and that was my sign that the "western candle' was extinguished."
*

Rabbi Chaim ben Atar was 47 when he departed the world. He was buried outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, on Har HaZeisim [the Mount of Olives]. Before the Six-Day War in 1967, the Jordanians had control over the cemetery where Rav Chaim was buried, where they destroyed many tombstones and paved a new road. When the tractor touched the gravesite of Rav Chaim, it turned upside down and the driver was killed. They tried a second time, and again the tractor turned upside down and the driver was killed. Someone tried to use a hammer, it turned on himself and he was killed too. The gravesite was left intact.

To this day, hundreds if not thousands visit his Kever on his yahrzeit.

*

Zechuso yagein Aleinu, v'al kol Yisrael - May Rabbi Chaim ibn Atar's merit protect us all!

 

Another story from:

 

http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=451-41

 

Rabbi Chaim Ibn Attar - known as the "Ohr HaChaim" - was a leading 18th century sage and kabbalist who lived in Morocco. There, he earned his livelihood as a silversmith. However, he always made Torah study his primary occupation, and his craft secondary. He would sit engrossed in Torah study, until his last coin was spent, and only then did he engage in worldly matters. But as long as he had money, he would not work.

Two emissaries from the court of the King of Morocco once came to him with a certain amount of gold. "The King has heard that you are the foremost expert in your craft," they said. "Therefore, he sent us to commission you to fashion a piece of the finest jewelry in honor of his daughter's wedding. You will be paid a princely sum. However, you must complete the work in ten days."

At that time, our master, Rabbi Chaim, still had enough money to cover his daily expenses. So, he refused the royal commission, explaining that he was not available for work at this time.

The two messengers were astonished by his refusal. And being vicious haters of the Jewish people, they were overjoyed to realize that now they had an excellent opportunity to denounce Rabbi Chaim. They returned to the palace and told the King that the Jewish silversmith had rebelled willfully and disdained the royal commission, and thus had dishonored the crown.

The king was also shocked, but declared that he would give the Jew one more chance, since his skills were unique. He told the messengers to go again and threaten the rabbi with dire punishments if he would not cooperate and accept the work.

But once again, Rabbi Chaim refused the work, insisting that he could not violate his principles and turn away from Torah study when he was not in need of money, not even for the king.

The two emissaries gleefully reported back to the king Rabbi Chaim's second refusal. Upon hearing, the King immediately commanded that Rabbi Chaim be cast into a den of lions, this being the punishment for treason.

When the police came to arrest Rabbi Chaim, he asked for permission to bring along a volume of Psalms and his talit and tefilin. They laughed at him and exclaimed, "Do you think you are going to a hotel? You are on your way to be killed in a lions' den!" However, the Jewish sage paid no heed to their words, and packed his bag. Unsuspecting, his wife asked him, "Where are you going?" He answered simply, "I shall return soon."

They took their prisoner straight to the lions' den and threw him in. When the lion keeper heard, he strolled over to the cage, wondering if he would be in time to see the fierce beasts tear the Jew apart.

He was amazed by what his eyes beheld. There sat Rabbi Chaim, wearing his talit and tefilin, reciting Psalms in a loud voice, while in front of him crouched the three lions in a semi-circle, like students before their teacher, listening attentively to his words.

Overcome with fear, the lion keeper ran to inform the King. But the king refused to believe him and said he would come to see for himself.

When the King, accompanied by his royal entourage, arrived at the lions' den and saw this awesome sight, he became furious. He accused the keeper of having fed the lions instead of starving them for this occasion, as he had ordered.

The keeper replied that he had indeed fulfilled the king's instructions, but the king refused to believe him. He told the keeper to take a long pole and stick it through the bars to poke the lions to stir them up, because obviously they were lethargic from overeating.

The keeper did so, and almost lost his arm when the first lion he touched quickly leapt at him with teeth bared, snarling ferociously,

The king could no longer deny the evidence of his own eyes. He proclaimed before everyone, "Now I know that there is a G-d of Israel!" He commanded that Rabbi Chaim be retrieved from the pit, and when he emerged he asked him for an explanation of the miracle.

Rabbi Chaim answered, "I refrained from my work because of my immersion in the holy Torah; therefore the Torah protected and saved me!"

The King asked his forgiveness, and sent him home in peace and with great honor and many valuable gifts. When he arrived home, his wife innocently asked him how things had gone. He replied, "Alright, Baruch Hashem, but it is time to move to the Land of Israel. There aren't the proper conditions to study Torah properly here."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor's note:
There are several versions of this story extant in Hebrew. A nice English rendition can be found in "The Vision of Eden" by Rabbi David Sears. Thank you to Yosef <cha...@netvision.net.il> for the submission. My version is adapted and expanded from it with details from other Hebrew sources.

Biographical note:
Rabbi Chaim (ben Moshe) Ibn Atar (1696 - 15 Tammuz 1743) is best known as the author of one of the most important and popular commentaries on the Torah: the Ohr HaChaim. He established a major yeshiva in Israel, after moving there from Morocco. Chassidic tradition is that the main reason the Baal Shem Tov twice tried so hard (and failed) to get to the Holy Land was that he said if he could join the Ohr HaChaim there, together they could bring Moshiach. He is buried outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.

http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=newstory

Kol Tuv,
R' Tal Moshe Zwecker
Director Machon Be'er Mayim Chaim
Chassidic Classics in the English Language
www.chassidusonline.com
chassid...@gmail.com
Phone: 972-2-992-1218 / Cell: 972-54-842-4725
VoIP: 516-320-6022
eFax: 1-832-213-3135
join the mailing list to keep updated about new projects here:
http://groups.google.com/group/beermayimchaim
Noam Elimelech, Kedushas Levi, Pirkei Avos more!
Discuss Chassidus
http://groups.google.com/group/torahchassidusdiscussion