Finally, after years of prayer and longing to immigrate to Eretz Yisrael ,the holy Baba Sali zy”a experienced the realization of his dreams. From his hometown in Morocco, he set out on the long, difficult journey to the Land of our forefathers.
While the Baba Sali was passing through a city on his way, an esteemed Jew proposed a shidduch between his righteous daughter and the Baba Sali’s only son, Meir, who was born to him after fourteen years of marriage. This was surely an emotional, joyous occasion for the Baba Sali, but so great was his longing to reach Eretz Yisrael that he did not want to delay his arrival there even in order to marry off his beloved only son! Instead, the Baba Sali instructed his brother, the Baba Chaki, to take care of all the necessary arrangements for his son Meir’s engagement and subsequent wedding.
While his son was engaged, the Baba Sali arrived in the Holy Land, bending down to kiss its parched earth with all the love and pathos of a son come home. From his new home he sent a letter to his brother, instructing him not to push off the date of the wedding in order to wait for him. He would forgo being at the wedding and just wanted to send some instructions before the big day.
Among other things, he told his brother “to gather all the poor people of the city and sew them festive garments, like those for the family members, so they would feel comfortable at the simchah along with all the other members of the community.”
The cost of this endeavor, along with the other expenses of the huge communal wedding, would amount to an astronomical sum, and no one in the Abuchatzeira family had the foggiest notion of how to raise the money.
But the iron strength of the Baba Sali’s emunah was unshakeable. He was absolutely certain, and he asserted repeatedly, that He Who had given him a son and provided for all his needs to this day would pay the bills. He wrote these words of emunah to his brother the Baba Chaki and to the entire family, strengthening their hearts with the force of his faith.
Several days before the wedding was to take place, one of the wealthiest members of the community in Tangier passed away. He left an explicit will in which he declared unequivocally:
”My entire fortune, and all my possessions, I leave to the holy Abuchatzeira family!”
Incredibly enough, the money from the inheritance was exactly enough to cover the costs of the massive event.
(In honor of the yahrtzeit of the holy Rav Meir Shalom ben Rabi Yisrael Baba Sali Abuchatzeira, zy”a, who was niftar on 17 Nissan 5743)
