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The modernization and rapid changes that defined the second half of the nineteenth century called for bold Jewish leadership and passionate visionaries. It was in this tumultuous era, that the young Refael Aharon was born to his parents, Hacham David Ben Shimon זצ”ל and Rachel ע”ה, in Morocco’s capital, Rabat. When he was only six years old, his parents settled in Yerushalayim where Hacham David, known as the “Tzuf Devash”, served as Av Bet Din of the Adat HaMa’aravim.
Raising a Giant
The young boy grew and excelled in his Torah studies, under the dedicated tutelage of his father and Hacham Shalom Bohbot זצ”ל. In his writings, Ribbi Refael Aharon relates that his father spared no effort to teach his son the depths of the Talmud and Halacha, as well as the practical Halachot of Safrut, Milah, Shehita and more. [The custom of the Ben Shimon family was to perform Brit Milah’s at no charge, many times paying for the cost of the meal and providing support to the poor families they encountered. Eventually, Ribbi Refael Aharon was forced to discontinue this pious practice to allow the other Mohalim to have a Parnassah.]
Ribbi Refael Aharon married Esther – of the esteemed Ben Walid family – and, at a very young age, was appointed Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat “Magen David” in Yerushalayim, and administrator of his father’s Bet Din. The Yeshiva boasted an extensive collection of Sefarim which kept Ribbi Refael Aharon busy from the morning to the night as he immersed himself diligently in Torat Hashem.
In 1888, as the material conditions in Yerushalayim deteriorated, he was sent on a mission to Morocco, where he established the “Dovev Sifte Yeshenim” society, to care for the many unpublished manuscripts of the great sages of Morocco that he had found on his trip.
Descending to Egypt
As Ribbi Refael Aharon was preparing for his long-awaited return to Yerushalayim, he was approached by a delegation from Cairo, headed by Hacham Yom Tov Yisrael זצ”ל, the Rav of Cairo, along with other community dignitaries. They implored Ribbi Refael Aharon to succeed Hacham Yisrael and accept upon himself the chief rabbinate of Cairo; a thriving, global center of commerce, then under the Ottoman Empire. The Jewish community in Cairo (and Egypt as a whole) was from the oldest Jewish communities, and boasted tremendous Hachamim, including Rav Se’adia Ga’on, the Rambam, Ribbi David Ben Zimra, Rav Betzalel Ashkenazi and Ribbi Avraham HaLevi, to name just a few.
It now needed a leader who would help them navigate the many trials that the times presented. Ribbi Refael Aharon rejected the offer and insisted on returning to Yerushalayim. But the community of Cairo was not ready to give up, and they beseeched Ribbi Refael Aharon time and again until he finally agreed to accept the position.
Leading the Flock
In this role, which Ribbi Refael Aharon filled with devotion for thirty years (1891-1921), he stood firmly against challenges to Halacha and Jewish tradition, assimilation and anti-Semitism. As per an ancient Takana in the Egyptian Jewish community, the responsibility for all the community’s needs, including marriages, divorces, Kashrut supervision etc., fell on the shoulders of the chief Dayan, which could have frustrated Ribbi Refael Aharon. Nevertheless, he had endless love and patience for his community, as he writes in one of his diaries:
“…I merit to shepherd the flock in this joyful city of Mitzrayim, may G-d protect it, whose members have a straight heart, its citizens wholesome in their ways, the fear of G-d is their treausure, they are kind to the poor and merciful over the needy, love Tzeddakah and respect Torah and its scholars…”
With this love, Ribbi Refael Aharon was able to influence even the far-flung members of his community to return to the proper path and observe the Mitzvot. He instituted many important Takanot to protect Jewish marriage and the Jewish family, and fought relentlessly to ensure that the laws of family purity were kept throughout Egypt. He was also sensitive to the entire community’s needs, ensuring that the Shohatim and other establishments were sensitive to the Minhagim of both the Sephardic majority and the Ashkenazim.
Between Yisrael and the Nations
Ribbi Refael Aharon’s knowledge of French, Arabic, Italian and Spanish helped him forge close relationships with various diplomats who proved to be very helpful in settling Jewish immigrants from Syria and other nearby countries.
During World War 1, he was very concerned that the national newspaper – Al-Akdam – was constantly inciting hatred against the Jews. He sent a fierce letter to Princess Alexandra, who owned the paper, to which she responded by firing the paper’s editor and apologizing for the slight of this “respected and blessed nation”. He received some of the highest awards and accolades from the Egyptian government and Ottoman Empire.
A Saint and a Scholar
Throughout his life, Ribbi Refael Aharon authored many important Sefarim, including: Nehar Mitzrayim (on the Minhagim of Mitzrayim), Mikve Tahara (on the laws of Mikva’ot), Bat Na’avat HaMardut (on the laws of Moredet), Tuv Mitzrayim (about the Hachamim of Mitzrayim), and Sha’ar HaMifkad, his magnum opus (on Shulhan Aruch, and Minhage Yerushalayim). His crystal-clear writing, research of Minhagim and Halacha as well as in-depth analysis have earned him an important place among the Poskim.
Many Hachamim admired his Keddusha and piety, as well. The revered Rosh Yeshiva of Porat Yosef, Hacham Ezra Atiya זצ”ל (who spent quite some time with Ribbi Refael Aharon in Egypt during World War 1) said that he has witnessed how the words of Ribbi Refael Aharon were fulfilled many times.
In 1921, Ribbi Refael Aharon felt it was time to return to Eretz Yisrael (despite his strong desire to live in Yerushalayim, he was unable to do so due to various reasons, and he settled in Tel Aviv). The Cairo community installed his younger brother (who was also his son-in-law), Ribbi Massoud Ben Shimon זצ”ל, as their chief rabbi. Unfortunately, Ribbi Massoud passed away suddenly at the young age of fifty-four, and Ribbi Refael Aharon was forever broken. In 1929, on the tenth of Heshvan, Ribbi Refael Aharon Ben Shimon, the pious and devoted leader of his people, author and scholar, passed away and was accompanied by thousands to his final resting place on Har HaZetim.