Aharon ben Ab-Chisda ben Yaacob (

Samaritan Hebrew Samaritan Hebrew () is a reading tradition used liturgically by the Samaritans for reading the Ancient Hebrew language of the Samaritan Pentateuch, in contrast to Tiberian Hebrew among the Jews. For the Samaritans, Ancient Hebrew ceased to be a ...

: ''Åʿrron ban Ab-Isdåʿ ban Yā̊ːqob'', he, אהרון בן אב-חסדה ''’Ahárōn ben ’Āv-Ḥasdā (ben Ya‘áqōv)'') also transliterated as Aaron b. Abhisda b. Jacob (February 1, 1927 – April 19, 2013) was a Samaritan nurse and priest who in old age served as the

Samaritan High Priest The Samaritan High Priest is the high priest (''kohen gadol'') of the remaining Samaritan community in the Levant. According to Samaritan tradition, the office has existed continuously since the time of Aaron, the brother of Moses, and has been ...

(''Cohen Godal''). He was considered by

Samaritans Samaritans (; ; he, שומרונים, translit=Šōmrōnīm, lit=; ar, السامريون, translit=as-Sāmiriyyūn) are an ethnoreligious group who originate from the ancient Israelites. They are native to the Levant and adhere to Samarit ...

to be a direct descendant of

Aaron According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...

and the 132nd High Priest to hold the office of High Priest since the time of

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...

Life

Aharon was born in Nablus in 1927 and was educated by his father Ab-Chisda, a son of the High Priest Yaacob I ben Aaharon ben Shalma, learning from him the traditional poems, chants and prayers of the Samaritans. In early life, Aharon stood out as an exceptional singer and as a reader of the Torah and became an author and poet. To earn a living, for forty-five years he also worked as a nurse at the National Al-Watani Hospital in Nablus, a hospital specializing in

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

, where he was loyal and expert.''The Samaritan Update'',
XII (4) March–April 2013
p. 1 Aharon was a younger brother of the High Priest Yoseph ben Ab-Hisda ben Yaacov ben Aaharon. Before becoming high priest himself, he was a deputy high priest and well known in the small Samaritan community. He was married and had four sons and two daughters. As the eldest living member of the family of priests, on the death of

Elazar ben Tsedaka ben Yitzhaq Elazar ben Tsedaka ben Yitzhaq (Samaritan Hebrew: ''ʾElā̊ʿzår ban Ṣīdqåʿ ban Yēṣʿā̊q''; he, אלעזר בן צדקה בן יצחק; January 16, 1927 – February 3, 2010) was the Samaritan High Priest from 2004 until his dea ...

Aharon inherited the office of High Priest. In 2010, at the age of 83, he presided over the

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Ancient Egypt, Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar, He ...

ritual for the first time, wearing a green silk robe, secured with a broad cloth, and a

tallit A tallit ''talit'' in Modern Hebrew; ''tālēt'' in Sephardic Hebrew and Ladino language, Ladino; ''tallis'' in Ashkenazic Hebrew and Yiddish language, Yiddish. Mishnaic Hebrew, Mish. pl. טליות ''telayot''; Heb. pl. טליתות ''tallitot' ...

draped over his head. In their tradition, the Samaritans trace this attire back to Biblical times. Fewer than 750 of the faithful attended the rite. On April 19, 2013, Aharon died of heart failure while at home on

Mount Gerizim Mount Gerizim (; Samaritan Hebrew: ''ʾĀ̊rgā̊rīzēm''; Hebrew: ''Har Gərīzīm''; ar, جَبَل جَرِزِيم ''Jabal Jarizīm'' or جَبَلُ ٱلطُّورِ ''Jabal at-Ṭūr'') is one of two mountains in the immediate vicinit ...

, aged 86.

Role as High Priest

The Samaritan community has more than doubled during the 20th century, but is still small. Its priests, led by the High Priest, regulate the daily life of the community in a number of ways, ensuring its strict rules of religious observance are preserved, such as the full keeping of the

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

and other Levitical laws. They also serve as arbitrators and judges and set the calendar, or ''Ishban Kashta'', which translates from Arabic as "true calculation". One of the High Priest's main duties is to preside over the Passah (

) ritual.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yaacob, Aharon Ben Ab-Chisda Ben Samaritan high priests 2013 deaths 1927 births