The great Posek and Mekubal, Hacham Ovadia Hedaya זצ"ל, author of the seminal Teshuvot “Yaskil Avdi” and other renowned works, straddled the worlds of Halacha and Kabbala – Nigle and Nistar – in the tradition of his ancestors and the outstanding Hachamim of Am Yisra’el. Born in Aleppo in 1889 to his father, Hacham Shalom and his mother, Rabbanit Sara, great-granddaughter of the … [Read more...]
The Radiant Sun: Ribbi Shalom Messas זצ”ל
Golden Roots One of the great luminaries of Moroccan Jewry in recent times was the revered Rav of Yerushalyim, Ribbi Shalom Messas זצ"ל. Ribbi Shalom was born in 1909 to his father Ribbi Mimoun and mother Rahel in Meknes, a city steeped in scholarship and Yir’at Shamayim, that has produced outstanding Hachamim for many generations. Ribbi Mimoun was the author of Otzrot … [Read more...]
The Dayan of Yerushalayim: Hacham Yosef Yedid Halevy זצ”ל
A BIT OF HISTORY / דברי הימים One of the giants in Torah and community leadership in the dawn of the 20th century was Hacham Yosef Yedid Halevy זצוק"ל. Hacham Yedid was born in Aleppo in 1867 to his father, Hacham Mordechai – a humble schoolteacher – who taught children the Alef Bet. Hacham Mordechai ע"ה knew all of Tanach and its Arabic translation by heart, and was a master … [Read more...]