Abdallah Somech

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Hakham Abdallah (Obadiah) Somech (1813-1889) was an important Rosh yeshiva and Posek of Iraqi Jewry. He was born in Baghdad to Rabbi Abraham Somech, himself a descendant of Nissim Gaon; he was the eldest of eight brothers and eight sisters. He studied under Rabbi Yaakov Harofeh. Hakham Abdallah was head of the Yeshiva Midrash Abu Menashe (established in 1840 by Heskel Menashe Zebaida); the yeshiva was later expanded and renamed Midrash Beit Zilkha and remained in operation until 1951; see History of the Jews in Iraq: Modern times (1922-). As Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Somech was teacher of several Sephardi sages including his brother in law, Rabbi Yosef Chaim ("the Ben Ish Chai"), and Rabbi Yaakov Chaim Sofer ("the Kaf HaChaim"). He issued a great number of rulings, particularly in matters of Shechita (ritual slaughter) and Treifot - these rulings have been published in the work Zivchei Tzedek. Hakham Abdallah died on 13 September 1889 during a cholera epidemic.