Beit El Synagogue
Encyclopedia
The Beit El Synagogue (also known as Midrash Hasidim [School of the Devout] and Yeshivat haMekubalim [Yeshiva of the Kabbalists]) has been (and remains to this day) the center of kabbalistic study in Jerusalem for over 250 years.
The yeshiva
was founded in 1737 by Rabbi Gedaliah Hayon, originally from Constantinople
, for the study of kabbalah
in the Holy City. In the 1740s, a gifted young man named Shalom Mizrachi Sharabi
arrived in Jerusalem from Yemen
. He studied at Beit El and over time became an outstanding scholar and kabbalist. At the behest of Rabbi Hayon, he was appointed head of the yeshiva
.
Under Sharabi’s leadership the yeshiva grew and became one of the main yeshivas in Jerusalem. Catering for roughly forty scholars, who were from both the Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities, these sages' only interest was to strive for higher levels of holiness and purity through the service of G-d. Rabbi Hayon had organized the life of the yeshiva around its prayer services, which through mystical communion with G-d would bring the scholars closer to understanding the secret teachings of Kabbalah. Rabbi Sharabi initiated regulations, orders and kawanot ("intentions") of the daily prayers according to the Nahar Shalom prayer book (Salonika, 1806/5566) which he authored, continuing the teachings of the famed Arizal and following its cosmological approach. While incorporating profound kabbalistic symbolism, entreaties and thoughts/meditations, his system provides all intent and purpose of the mechanisms of prayer. Known today as the Siddur haRashash, it stayed, together with the Etz `Haim of Rabbi `Haim Vital
, at the center of all kabbalistic studies in the yeshiva.
The scholars were divided into four groups. The first awoke at midnight to say Tikkun Hatzot and learn the Kabbalah
of the Arizal
until dawn. The second delved into the works of the Arizal
from after shacharit (morning prayers) until midday. The third group learnt the Mishna with Rabbi Ovadia mi’Bartenura
’s commentary from midday till nightfall. After ma’ariv (evening prayers) the fourth set of scholars would arrive and learn the Talmud
and the Shulchan Aruch
.
As the yeshiva's reputation spread throughout the land of Israel
and the Diaspora
it attracted many prominent rabbis. Among them were rabbis Chaim Joseph David Azulai
, Avraham Gershon of Kitov, Menachem Mendel of Shklov and Yom Tov Algazi.
In 1757, Rabbi Sharabi chose twelve select disciples who were to form a special group called Ahavat Shalom (love of peace). They signed a pledge of eternal friendship which hung on the door of the Holy Ark in the synagogue. Part of the document reads: “..all twelve of us shall be as one glorious soul…that if G-d forbid one of us encounters misfortune, we will all assist him..” Among one of the stipulations was that if a son was born to one of the group, three members would go to learn Torah by the newborn’s side every night until its circumcision to act as a safeguard for the child. On the night before the brit milah
the whole group was instructed to visit and study there.
The synagogue premises remained in the hands of the leading kabbalists of each generation who inherited the apartment on the top floor.
In the late 1800s, the writings of Dr Eliezer Levy, who escorted Sir Moses Montefiore
around Jerusalem, describe of how they visited the place where “they pray all year round according to the mystical meanings of the Arizal from midnight till the afternoon, and from then till the evening they study Talmud
and Zohar
”. The authoritative Sefer Etz `Haim of Rabbi `Haim Vital
was for the first time printed under the auspices of the yeshiva around 1866. Distinguished scholars of Kabbalah continued to emigrate to Jerusalem in order to study in the yeshiva. Among the outstanding luminaries, Rabbi Hayim Shaul Dweck HaKohen, Rabbi Shaul Kassin (the father of the famed leader of Syrian Jewry, Rabbi Yaakov Kassin), and Rabbi Avraham Ades (the master of the Baba Sali) were drawn there from Syria in order to dedicate themselves to spiritual growth.
In July 1927, an earthquake damaged the building and the British Municipality ordered the building be demolished. No sooner had the order been received, plans got underway to rebuild and eight months later in March 1928 the new extended premises were completed.
In the 1930s when the illustrious Chazon Ish was on his way to the Western Wall
, he made a point of stopping by the synagogue to study there, stating “I have great merit to see the place where such great and holy people learnt and prayed”.
During the Israel War of Independence the contents of the building were looted and the building was desecrated. The son of Rabbi Shalom Hedaya
(who was head of Bet El from 1927 to 1945, following the leadership of Rabbi Yedidya Rafael Aboulafia and Rabbi Massoud Alhadad), Rabbi Ovadia Hedaya
, set to work on schemes to revive the study of Kabbalah in the spirit of Bet El. Rabbi Ovadia Hedaya did so on the roof of his house on Rashi street before taking on the task in 1958 of rebuilding the yeshiva in the new section of the city on the very street where he lived.
In 1974, six years after the liberation of the Jewish quarter, on the very site of the former Beit El Synagogue in the Old City, the Beit El Yeshiva was re-established (at first under the cryptic name Rishpei Esh, as understood from the Shir haShirim
) under the aegis of Rabbi Meir Yehuda Getz, a noted kabbalist, who until his death was the official rabbi of the Western Wall
area. The Rashi Street yeshiva remains in existence.
On 13 September 1995, a special ceremony took place celebrating the completion of refurbishment to the synagogue in the Old City, at this time it was also re-named Yeshivat HaMekubalim Beit El. It was originally scheduled to take place in early 1996, but Rabbi Getz perceived that it should be brought forward. Five days after the celebration, Rabbi Getz died. His foremost student (talmid mouvhaq) was chosen to further the Torah of the RaShaSh
inside the walls of Jerusalem.
One of the most famous alumni of the yeshiva was Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri
who died in January 2006. The Rosh Yeshiva
Rabbi Shalom Mordekhai Haim Hedaya joined back his Creator in the past month of Nissan (March 2010) .
The current Rosh Yeshiva
of Beit El in the Old City is Rabbi Yisrael Avi`hai. The current Rosh Yeshiva
of Beit El on Re`hov Rashi is Rabbi Raphael Hedaya (as caretaker until the year of mourning is passed).
On Re`hov Rashi:
In the Old City(Disputed):
History of the Yeshivat HaMekubalim
- For the Religious ZionistReligious ZionismReligious Zionism is an ideology that combines Zionism and Jewish religious faith...
Yeshiva in the yishuvYishuvThe Yishuv or Ha-Yishuv is the term referring to the body of Jewish residents in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel...
of the same name, see Beit El YeshivaBeit El yeshivaThe Beit El Yeshiva is a Religious Zionist yeshiva situated in the Israeli settlement of Beit El near Ramallah, in the Binyamin region of the West Bank....
,
The yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
was founded in 1737 by Rabbi Gedaliah Hayon, originally from Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, for the study of kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
in the Holy City. In the 1740s, a gifted young man named Shalom Mizrachi Sharabi
Shalom Sharabi
Sar Shalom Sharabi , also known as the Rashash, the Shemesh or Ribbi Shalom Mizraḥi deyedi`a Sharabi Sar Shalom Sharabi , also known as the Rashash, the Shemesh or Ribbi Shalom Mizraḥi deyedi`a Sharabi Sar Shalom Sharabi , also known as the Rashash, the Shemesh or Ribbi Shalom Mizraḥi deyedi`a...
arrived in Jerusalem from Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
. He studied at Beit El and over time became an outstanding scholar and kabbalist. At the behest of Rabbi Hayon, he was appointed head of the yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
.
Under Sharabi’s leadership the yeshiva grew and became one of the main yeshivas in Jerusalem. Catering for roughly forty scholars, who were from both the Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities, these sages' only interest was to strive for higher levels of holiness and purity through the service of G-d. Rabbi Hayon had organized the life of the yeshiva around its prayer services, which through mystical communion with G-d would bring the scholars closer to understanding the secret teachings of Kabbalah. Rabbi Sharabi initiated regulations, orders and kawanot ("intentions") of the daily prayers according to the Nahar Shalom prayer book (Salonika, 1806/5566) which he authored, continuing the teachings of the famed Arizal and following its cosmological approach. While incorporating profound kabbalistic symbolism, entreaties and thoughts/meditations, his system provides all intent and purpose of the mechanisms of prayer. Known today as the Siddur haRashash, it stayed, together with the Etz `Haim of Rabbi `Haim Vital
Hayyim ben Joseph Vital
Hayyim ben Joseph Vital was a rabbi in Safed and the foremost disciple of Isaac Luria. He recorded much of his master's teachings...
, at the center of all kabbalistic studies in the yeshiva.
The scholars were divided into four groups. The first awoke at midnight to say Tikkun Hatzot and learn the Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
of the Arizal
Isaac Luria
Isaac Luria , also called Yitzhak Ben Shlomo Ashkenazi acronym "The Ari" "Ari-Hakadosh", or "Arizal", meaning "The Lion", was a foremost rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Palestine...
until dawn. The second delved into the works of the Arizal
Isaac Luria
Isaac Luria , also called Yitzhak Ben Shlomo Ashkenazi acronym "The Ari" "Ari-Hakadosh", or "Arizal", meaning "The Lion", was a foremost rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Palestine...
from after shacharit (morning prayers) until midday. The third group learnt the Mishna with Rabbi Ovadia mi’Bartenura
Obadiah ben Abraham
Obadiah ben Abraham of Bertinoro was a 15th-century rabbi best known for his popular commentary on the Mishnah, commonly known as "The Bartenura".He was born and lived in the second half of the 15th-century in Italy and died in Jerusalem, Palestine about 1500...
’s commentary from midday till nightfall. After ma’ariv (evening prayers) the fourth set of scholars would arrive and learn the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
and the Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...
.
As the yeshiva's reputation spread throughout the land of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the Diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
it attracted many prominent rabbis. Among them were rabbis Chaim Joseph David Azulai
Chaim Joseph David Azulai
Chaim Joseph David Azulai ben Isaac Zerachia , commonly known as the Chida , was a Jerusalem born rabbinical scholar, a noted bibliophile, and a pioneer in the publication of Jewish religious writings.- Biography :Azulai was born in Jerusalem, where he received his education...
, Avraham Gershon of Kitov, Menachem Mendel of Shklov and Yom Tov Algazi.
In 1757, Rabbi Sharabi chose twelve select disciples who were to form a special group called Ahavat Shalom (love of peace). They signed a pledge of eternal friendship which hung on the door of the Holy Ark in the synagogue. Part of the document reads: “..all twelve of us shall be as one glorious soul…that if G-d forbid one of us encounters misfortune, we will all assist him..” Among one of the stipulations was that if a son was born to one of the group, three members would go to learn Torah by the newborn’s side every night until its circumcision to act as a safeguard for the child. On the night before the brit milah
Brit milah
The brit milah is a Jewish religious circumcision ceremony performed on 8-day old male infants by a mohel. The brit milah is followed by a celebratory meal .-Biblical references:...
the whole group was instructed to visit and study there.
The synagogue premises remained in the hands of the leading kabbalists of each generation who inherited the apartment on the top floor.
In the late 1800s, the writings of Dr Eliezer Levy, who escorted Sir Moses Montefiore
Moses Montefiore
Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, Kt was one of the most famous British Jews of the 19th century. Montefiore was a financier, banker, philanthropist and Sheriff of London...
around Jerusalem, describe of how they visited the place where “they pray all year round according to the mystical meanings of the Arizal from midnight till the afternoon, and from then till the evening they study Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
and Zohar
Zohar
The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
”. The authoritative Sefer Etz `Haim of Rabbi `Haim Vital
Hayyim ben Joseph Vital
Hayyim ben Joseph Vital was a rabbi in Safed and the foremost disciple of Isaac Luria. He recorded much of his master's teachings...
was for the first time printed under the auspices of the yeshiva around 1866. Distinguished scholars of Kabbalah continued to emigrate to Jerusalem in order to study in the yeshiva. Among the outstanding luminaries, Rabbi Hayim Shaul Dweck HaKohen, Rabbi Shaul Kassin (the father of the famed leader of Syrian Jewry, Rabbi Yaakov Kassin), and Rabbi Avraham Ades (the master of the Baba Sali) were drawn there from Syria in order to dedicate themselves to spiritual growth.
In July 1927, an earthquake damaged the building and the British Municipality ordered the building be demolished. No sooner had the order been received, plans got underway to rebuild and eight months later in March 1928 the new extended premises were completed.
In the 1930s when the illustrious Chazon Ish was on his way to the Western Wall
Western Wall
The Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount...
, he made a point of stopping by the synagogue to study there, stating “I have great merit to see the place where such great and holy people learnt and prayed”.
During the Israel War of Independence the contents of the building were looted and the building was desecrated. The son of Rabbi Shalom Hedaya
Shalom Hedaya
Shalom Hedaya , the son of Rabbi Moshe Hayyim Hedaya and Sabtiah Shamah, was orphaned at an early age and was very poor. He was so poor he had no one to take care of him and he considered leaving the path of Torah in order to earn a living...
(who was head of Bet El from 1927 to 1945, following the leadership of Rabbi Yedidya Rafael Aboulafia and Rabbi Massoud Alhadad), Rabbi Ovadia Hedaya
Ovadia Hedaya
-Biography:Rabbi Hadaya was born in 1889 in the Aleppo, Syria , the son of rabbi Shalom Hedaya. In 1895, he and his family left Aleppo for Jerusalem, which was also then under Ottoman rule....
, set to work on schemes to revive the study of Kabbalah in the spirit of Bet El. Rabbi Ovadia Hedaya did so on the roof of his house on Rashi street before taking on the task in 1958 of rebuilding the yeshiva in the new section of the city on the very street where he lived.
In 1974, six years after the liberation of the Jewish quarter, on the very site of the former Beit El Synagogue in the Old City, the Beit El Yeshiva was re-established (at first under the cryptic name Rishpei Esh, as understood from the Shir haShirim
Song of songs
Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. It may also refer to:In music:* Song of songs , the debut album by David and the Giants* A generic term for medleysPlays...
) under the aegis of Rabbi Meir Yehuda Getz, a noted kabbalist, who until his death was the official rabbi of the Western Wall
Western Wall
The Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount...
area. The Rashi Street yeshiva remains in existence.
On 13 September 1995, a special ceremony took place celebrating the completion of refurbishment to the synagogue in the Old City, at this time it was also re-named Yeshivat HaMekubalim Beit El. It was originally scheduled to take place in early 1996, but Rabbi Getz perceived that it should be brought forward. Five days after the celebration, Rabbi Getz died. His foremost student (talmid mouvhaq) was chosen to further the Torah of the RaShaSh
Shalom Sharabi
Sar Shalom Sharabi , also known as the Rashash, the Shemesh or Ribbi Shalom Mizraḥi deyedi`a Sharabi Sar Shalom Sharabi , also known as the Rashash, the Shemesh or Ribbi Shalom Mizraḥi deyedi`a Sharabi Sar Shalom Sharabi , also known as the Rashash, the Shemesh or Ribbi Shalom Mizraḥi deyedi`a...
inside the walls of Jerusalem.
One of the most famous alumni of the yeshiva was Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri
Yitzchak Kaduri
Yitzhak Kaduri, also spelled Kadouri, Kadourie, Kedourie; "Yitzhak" also spelled Yitzchak , was a renowned Mizrahi Haredi rabbi and kabbalist who devoted his life to Torah study and prayer on behalf of the Jewish people. He taught and practiced the kavanot of the Rashash...
who died in January 2006. The Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
Rabbi Shalom Mordekhai Haim Hedaya joined back his Creator in the past month of Nissan (March 2010) .
The current Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of Beit El in the Old City is Rabbi Yisrael Avi`hai. The current Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of Beit El on Re`hov Rashi is Rabbi Raphael Hedaya (as caretaker until the year of mourning is passed).
Dispute over the reconstitution in the Old City
Rabbi Ovadia Hedaya found himself in dispute with Rabbi Yehuda Getz over the rejection by the latter of Shemen Sasson (the primary work of Rabbi Sasson Farsiyado). The dispute led to the ultimate rejection of Rabbi Getz as a student of Rabbi Ovadia Hedaya. Rabbi Shalom Mordekhai Haim Hedaya also took issue with the newly founded Yeshiva in the Old City over the name, Yeshivat HaMekubalim Beit El.Roshei Yeshivot
- Rabbi Gedaliah Hayon
- Rabbi Shalom Mizrahi Sharabi (HaRaShaShShalom SharabiSar Shalom Sharabi , also known as the Rashash, the Shemesh or Ribbi Shalom Mizraḥi deyedi`a Sharabi Sar Shalom Sharabi , also known as the Rashash, the Shemesh or Ribbi Shalom Mizraḥi deyedi`a Sharabi Sar Shalom Sharabi , also known as the Rashash, the Shemesh or Ribbi Shalom Mizraḥi deyedi`a...
) - Rabbi Yom Tov Algazi
- Rabbi `Hezkiyahu Yits`haq Sharabi
- Rabbi Raphael Avraham Sar Shalom Sharabi
- Rabbi Benyamin Mordekhai Naboun
- Rabbi Haim Avaraham Gajin
- Rabbi Yedidiya Raphael Aboulafia (HaYaRE)
- Rabbi Sasson Farsiyado
- Rabbi Massoud Alhadad HaKohen
- Rabbi Shalom Hedaya
- Rabbi Ovadia Hedaya
On Re`hov Rashi:
- Rabbi Shalom Mordekhai `Haim Hedaya, Rabbi Yits`haq Kadouri, Rabbi Shmouel Darzi (until the latter two departed to start their own Yeshivot).
- Rabbi Raphael Yehoshou`a Ye`hiel Hedaya (as caretaker until the year of mourning is passed and the Hakhamim of Bet El select their new Rosh Yeshiva and Rav Ha`Hasid)
In the Old City(Disputed):
- Rabbi Meïr Yehoudah Getz
- Rabbi Yisrael Avi`haï