Family Ties

It all began with a straw mat. The famous story – passed down through the generations among the Jews of Northern Africa – goes back about four hundred years to the Holy City of Jerusalem, where lived the mekubal Rav Shmuel Elbaz zy”a, a talmid of the Arizal’s disciple Rav Chaim Vital. Rav Shmuel was a lofty soul who worked tirelessly to help the poor of the city. Throughout his life, the tzaddik sat on a simple straw mat as he learned Torah and engaged in spiritual contemplations. At one point, Rav Shmuel was sent abroad to raise money for the poor of Jerusalem, but when he arrived at the Jaffa Port, he was told that he didn’t have enough money to pay for passage, and the captain refused to allow him to board. With no other choice, Rav Shmuel unfolded his mat, placed it on the choppy waters and calmly sat down on it. He raised his eyes to Shamayim, offered up a prayer, and the mat began sailing on the Mediterranean Sea, soon overtaking the ship as the captain and astonished passengers looked on.

The captain called to Rav Shmuel, asking forgiveness and offering him to board the ship for free. But Rav Shmuel refused — if it was already necessary to alter nature on his behalf, why should he have to associate with drunken gentile sailors? He would remain on his mat, with no spiritual distractions, until he reached his destination.

Afterward, the Jews of the time gave him the name “Abu-chatzira” – father of the mat.

Over the years, Rav Shmuel’s descendants left Eretz Yisrael due to persecution against the local Jews. According to family history, they sought a place where they could immerse themselves in Torah learning without harassment, settling in the Tafilalt district of eastern Morocco. One of Rav Shmuel’s progeny, Rav Moshe (Masoud), became rav of the city, and Rav Moshe’s son Yaakov — known as the holy “Abir Yaakov” — succeeded his father as rav of Tafilalt. The Abir Yaakov, considered the patriarch of the Abuchatzeira dynasty, was buried in Damanhour, Egypt, after he fell ill en route trying to reach Eretz Yisrael, but his descendants remained in Morocco, where they established Torah around the country.