Solomon Eliezer Alfandari ( he, שלמה אליעזר אלפנדרי) ( 1826 – 22 Iyar 1930),
also known as the Saba Kadisha ("Holy Grandfather"), was a distinguished
rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
,
kabbalist and
rosh yeshiva in his native home of
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
, and later served as
Chief Rabbi of
Damascus,
Syria Vilayet, and
Safed,
Beirut Vilayet. He was known for his stringent interpretation of
halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
and his uncompromising dedication to
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses ...
.
Early life
The Saba Kadisha was born in
Ottoman Constantinople around 1826 (some say as early as 1820
[Sofer, D. ''Rav Shlomo Eliezer Alfandari''.](_blank)
) to a distinguished family of
Torah scholars. His father, Yaakov, was a
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
ic scholar; his grandfather, Rabbi
Ḥayyim ben Yaakov Alfandari, authored ''Maggid MiReishit'', and his great-grandfather, Rabbi
Yaakov ben Ḥayyim Alfandari, authored ''Mutzal MiEish''. His mother, Chana, also came from an illustrious family.
Biography
Constantinople
As a youth, Solomon Eliezer was noted for his sharp understanding of Torah subjects. Yet he refused to accept a rabbinical position or to wear the customary dress of the city's sages. He did agree to join the
Vaad
::For the ''Va'adat Ezrah Vehatzalah'', known as the ''Vaad'', see Aid and Rescue Committee
Vaad is a Hebrew term for a council. Often it refers to a council of rabbis, i.e., a rabbinical council. It is a diasporic phenomenon, having no precedent ...
Haruchani (Spiritual Council) of Constantinople, and accepted the position of
rosh yeshiva in a yeshiva which the city's Jews founded for him. In the latter post, he taught many outstanding scholars, including Rabbi
Chaim Hezekiah Medini
Chaim Hezekiah Medini (Jerusalem 1834 – Hebron, 1904), also known by the title of his chief halakhic work, ''Sdei Chemed'', was a rabbinical scholar during the nineteenth century.
Biography
His name was originally Hezekiah; Chaim, "life", was a ...
, later known as the Sdei Chemed.
While in Constantinople, his son died at an early age, which was followed by the death of Alfandari's wife. He never remarried.
Damascus
The Saba Kadisha decided to leave Constantinople to accept the position of
Chief Rabbi of Damascus, which he was appointed to by imperial decree in 1888. There he founded a yeshiva which trained dozens of students who served as rabbis and ''
dayanim'' in
Sephardic communities in the region.
Following his appointment (succeeding
Isaac ben Moses Abulafia), Alfandari ran into troubles with the community for his lack of ability to negotiate with local authorities, worsened by the fact that he did not know
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
or
Ottoman Turkish. He also became alienated from his religious supporters, leading to a rift between him and the Jewish community. The community alleged that he was too traditional, and that his views and education were incompatible with the modern order. After the
Young Turk Revolution
The Young Turk Revolution (July 1908) was a constitutionalist revolution in the Ottoman Empire. The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), an organization of the Young Turks movement, forced Sultan Abdul Hamid II to restore the Ottoman Consti ...
of 1908, the Jews of Damascus demanded that Alfandari be removed from his post, and he was subsequently dismissed by the
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
, the authority responsible for non-Muslim religious affairs.
Safed
At almost 90 years of age, he moved to Palestine, then also a part of
Ottoman Syria. At first he lived for several years in the city of
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
, but then accepted the invitation of the Torah leaders of
Safed, in the
Beirut Vilayet, to serve as their Chief Rabbi, a position he held until 1918.
Jerusalem
In his final years, Alfandari suffered many ailments, for which he sought medical treatment in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. Although he tried to travel incognito, many Torah leaders desired to meet him when they found out he was in their city. One of these ''
gedolim'' was Rabbi
Ezra Attiya
Ezra Attiya ( he, עזרא עטייה; ar, عزرا عطية; 31 January 1885 – 25 May 1970) was one of the greatest teachers of Torah in the Sephardic Jewish world during the 20th century. He was rosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Je ...
, who later became rosh yeshiva of
Porat Yosef Yeshiva
Porat Yosef Yeshiva ( he, ישיבת פורת יוסף) is a Sephardic yeshiva in Jerusalem, with locations in both the Old City and the Geula neighborhood. The name Porat Yosef means "Joseph is a fruitful tree" after the biblical verse Genesi ...
. The Saba Kadisha held Rabbi Attiya in high esteem, and would always stand up for him when he visited.
In 1925, Alfandari developed a serious illness while in
Tiberias
Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...
. He refused to be treated in the local hospital, where the rules of ''
tzniut
''Tzniut'' ( he, צניעות , , ; " modesty" or " privacy"; ) describes both the character trait of modesty and discretion, as well as a group of Jewish laws pertaining to conduct. The concept is most important within Orthodox Judaism.
D ...
'' (modesty) were not meticulously observed, and was taken to
Shaarei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem instead. After he recovered, Jerusalem's sages begged him to stay in their city. He rented an apartment in the Ruchama neighborhood (today
Mekor Baruch
Mekor Baruch ( he, מקור ברוך, lit., "blessed source" or "fountain of blessing") also spelled Makor Baruch, is a neighborhood in Jerusalem. The neighborhood is bordered by Malkhei Yisrael Street to the north, Sarei Yisrael Street to the wes ...
).
There he hosted meetings with many prominent Torah scholars who came to consult with him and speak with him in learning. These included: Rabbi
Tzvi Pesach Frank
Tzvi Pesach Frank (20 January 1873 – 10 December 1960) (Hebrew: הרב צבי פסח פרנק) was a renowned halachic scholar and served as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for several decades (1936-1960).
Biography
Frank was born in Kovno, Viln ...
,
Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem
The position of Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem was instituted centuries ago and was originally held by a member of the Sephardic community. Moses Galante served as Rishon LeZion, the title used from beginning of the 17th century to refer to the chief ...
; Rabbi
Velvel Mintzberg, leader of the
Ashkenazi community in the
Old Yishuv
The Old Yishuv ( he, היישוב הישן, ''haYishuv haYashan'') were the Jewish communities of the southern Syrian provinces in the Ottoman period, up to the onset of Zionist aliyah and the consolidation of the New Yishuv by the end of Wor ...
; Rabbi Avraham Weinberg of
Slonim, author of ''Birkas Avraham''; and Rabbi
Yitzchak Abuchatzeira, brother of the
Baba Sali
Israel Abuhatzeira ( he, ר׳ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַבּוּחַצִירָא), known as the Baba Sali ( ar, بابا صلى, he, בַּאבָּא סָאלִי, lit. "Praying Father") (1889–1984) was a leading Moroccan Sephardic rabbi and ka ...
and a Torah sage in his own right.
Shortly before the Saba Kadisha's death, the
Munkatcher Rebbe
A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...
, Rabbi
Chaim Elazar Spira, of
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
made a special trip to meet him. Theirs was considered an historic meeting between two worlds, the Sephardi genius of the Middle East and the Hasidic tradition of Eastern Europe.
Alfandari contracted
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
in May 1930 and was treated by Dr.
Moshe Wallach of Shaarei Tzedek Hospital. His disease worsened, however, and he died on 20 May 1930 (22
Iyar
Iyar ( he, אִייָר or , Standard ''ʾĪyyar'' Tiberian ''ʾĪyyār''; from akk, 𒌗 𒄞 itiayari " rosette; blossom") is the eighth month of the civil year (which starts on 1 Tishrei) and the second month of the Jewish religious year ...
5690), while the Munkatcher Rebbe was at his bedside. His funeral was attended by thousands, as his students carried his casket on foot from his home all the way to the
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( he, הַר הַזֵּיתִים, Har ha-Zeitim; ar, جبل الزيتون, Jabal az-Zaytūn; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jeru ...
. He was nearly 110 years old.
Views
During his move from Syria to Palestine, the Saba Kadisha stopped off in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, where many questions were addressed to him regarding ''
shmita'' (the laws of the Sabbatical year). His responses indicate that he strongly opposed the ''
heter mechira
The sabbath year (shmita; he, שמיטה, literally "release"), also called the sabbatical year or ''shǝvi'it'' (, literally "seventh"), or "Sabbath of The Land", is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah ...
'' which
Israel's Chief Rabbinate had adopted to spare its farmers from loss.
Rabbi Solomon Eliezer was a strong opponent of the
Zionist National Council (Vaad Haleumi), which, in British
Mandate Palestine
Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...
, automatically enlisted all Jews, unless they opted out. Rav Alfandari signed legal rulings obligating every Jew to opt out.
Alfandari was known for his opposition to the Rabbinate, as well as his disagreements with
Rav Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as Rav Kook, and also known by the acronym HaRaAYaH (), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one ...
concerning Zionism and modernity.
He forbade the shaving of beards, even using scissors or
depilatory cream
A chemical depilatory is a cosmetic preparation used to remove hair from the skin. Common active ingredients are salts of thioglycolic acid and thiolactic acids. These compounds break the disulfide bonds in keratin and also hydrolyze the hair so ...
. He even refused to speak with a ''
talmid chacham
''Talmid Chakham'' is an honorific title which is given to a man who is well versed in Jewish law, i. e., a Torah scholar. Originally he, תלמיד חכמים ''Talmid Chakhamim'', lit., "student of sages", pl. תלמידי חכמים ''talmid ...
'' who did not have a beard, even if the discussion concerned the
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
.
Legacy
The street on which Alfandari lived in Jerusalem was named in his memory.
Sephardic lore attests that
Ezra Attiya
Ezra Attiya ( he, עזרא עטייה; ar, عزرا عطية; 31 January 1885 – 25 May 1970) was one of the greatest teachers of Torah in the Sephardic Jewish world during the 20th century. He was rosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Je ...
visited the grave of Alfandari when his wife was ill, and attributed her recovery to the miraculous intervention of Alfandari. The story is told that when Rabbi Solomon Eliezer went outside to
bless the new moon with his congregants at the beginning of the month of
Nisan 5674 (April 1914), he looked up after completing the blessings, clapped his hands and cried loudly. He explained, "I see that a large-scale war will soon break out."
Four months later, World War I began.
Works
All of Alfandari's
responsa and halakhic rulings were published posthumously. These include:
* ''She'eilot U'teshuvot MaHaRSHa'',
[N.B. This "MaHaRSHa" is not ]Maharsha
Shmuel Eidels (1555 – 1631) ( he, שמואל אליעזר הלוי איידלס Shmuel Eliezer HaLevi Eidels) was a renowned rabbi and Talmudist famous for his commentary on the Talmud, ''Chiddushei Halachot''. Eidels is also known as Maharsha ( ...
; here "SH" refers to Rav SHlomo, and "a" refers to Eliezer or Alfranari Yitzchak Nissim, ed., Jerusalem, 1932
* ''She'eilot U'teshuvot Saba Kadisha'', D. Y. Weiss, ed., Jerusalem, 1973–4.
His letters were collected in ''Masos Yerushalayim'', ''Kumi Roni'' and ''Amudei Arazim''.
See also
*
Alfandari
Alfandari was a family of eastern rabbis prominent in the 17th and 18th centuries, found in Smyrna, Constantinople, and Jerusalem. The name may be derived from a Spanish locality, perhaps from Alfambra. The following is a list of the chief members ...
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfandari, Solomon Eliezer
Sephardi rabbis in Ottoman Syria
Sephardi rabbis in Mandatory Palestine
Jews and Judaism in Damascus
Sephardi Jews in Ottoman Syria
Rosh yeshivas
Kabbalists
Anti-Zionist Orthodox rabbis
Chief rabbis of cities
Exponents of Jewish law
1820s births
Rabbis from Istanbul
1930 deaths
Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives
Centenarians from the Ottoman Empire
Syrian centenarians
Palestinian centenarians
20th-century rabbis in Jerusalem
19th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire
20th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire
Men centenarians