Shalom Sharabi

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Sar Shalom Sharabi (the Rashash). Also known as Ribbi Shalom Mizraḥi deyedi`a Sharabi. (Hebrew: שלום שרעבי) (Shar'ab, Yemen 1720 - Jerusalem 1777/1837? (10 shevat 5537)) was a Yemenite Jewish Rabbi who was a master of Kabbalah, as well as Torah and Talmud. He is primarily known as a Kabbalist, but his rulings on Halakha (Jewish law) were and still are considered to have high authority, particularly among Yemenite Jews, but to some extent among Jews world wide.

1 Life
2 His Works
3 Legacy
4 Notes

[edit] Life

He was a Talmid Hakham (master scholar of the corpus of Torah and Talmud) and Mekubal (kabbalist), and was considered the leading authority among all the mekubbalim of his generation. Moreover, he was the head of the Jerusalem mekubbalim who were the leaders of the original Bet El Yeshiva (sometimes known as "Yeshivat ha-Mekubbalim") located in the Old City of Jerusalem.

As a young man he made aliyah to Eretz Israel (the Land of Israel), at that time under Ottoman rule, because of a vow (neder) he made to God. On his way he stayed in India, Baghdad and Damascus. In Israel he made a strong impression on the local rabbinic sages, and is frequently mentioned in their books. Within the Bet El Yeshiva there was formed a group of 12 chosen "mekubalim of Bet-El", corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel. This group specialized in Kabbalah and piety, and in addition to the Rashash himself included the Hida, Rabbi Yom-Tov Algazi and other sages of Sephardic and Yemenite congregations. He remained at Bet El Yeshiva until his death, eventually becoming Rosh Yeshiva.

[edit] His Works

He was the first commentator on the works of the Ari, a major source of Kabbalah. His Siddur was known as the "Siddur HaKavanot," and is still used by Kabbalists today for prayer, meditation and Yeshiva study. It is a Siddur with extensive Kabbalistic meditations by way of commentary, and has been used in abbreviated form in some Hasidic Siddurim (see Nusach Ari). In this form his teachings have spread throughout the Ashkenazi world by way of the Hasidic movements such as Chabad.

In addition to his great wisdom he was known for his moral values, human qualities and Ruach Ha-Kodesh (holy/Divine inspiration), and was an inspiration for the growing renewal of Jewish youth in Jerusalem.

His writings are among the most important sources of the Kabbalah. They include "Emet va-Shalom", "Rehovot Hanahar" and "Nahar Shalom", in which the Rashash answers 70 questions of the Hahamim of Tunis, who were among the leading Sephardic authorities in the 19th century. He also commented on the minhagim (customs) of the Yemenite Jews and compiled them in volumes known as "Minhagei Rashash", an exclusive edition of the Shulchan Aruch, where he gives his interpretations of the halachot contained within it, as well as noting the particular customs of the Shami Yemenite community. At the present day these volumes are used by that community as one of many halachic sources to determine Halachic decisions regarding holidays and other technicalities, such as marriage and Shabbat services.

[edit] Legacy

He is revered by all budding Kabbalists and Students in all major world Yeshivas, including those in Jerusalem, Israel. He is also greatly admired as a major sage in the Mizrahi and Sephardi worlds. The recently-departed 20th century kabbalist, Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri, considered by some to have been even greater than the Rashash, was a great admirer of the Rashash, and was noted for praying to HaShem using 'Rashash intentions'. His leading descendant, Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi, until his passing away in 5744 (1984), was also a great promoter and follower of his teachings, especially in Jerusalem, where he headed Yeshivat Nar Shalom. In addition, Yosef Qafih, leader of the Dor Daim sect was also influenced by his teachings, although the sect's teachings were contrary to those of the great sage himself.

He has several important descendants, who resemble him both in his piety and in his kabbalistic mystique, in both the State of Israel and the diaspora. They include, in the nineteenth century, Rabbi Eliyahu Mani, and today, Yisrael Yeshayahu Shar'abi (5th Speaker of the Knesset), Boaz Sharabi (famous Israeli singer), Yoel Sharabi [[1]], Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi, Dan Sharabi (Chairman of the Dan Bus Corporation) and Elliot (Eli) Sharabi.