Rav Moshe Charif (Elul 3, 5518 / 1758 - 265th Yahrzeit)
Rav Moshe Charif was the son-in-law of Rav Mordechai Mochiach, Av Beis Din of Pressburg (yahrzeit 19 Iyar), and a descendant of the Tosefos Yom Tov and the Toras Chaim. His son-in-law was Rav Yitzchok Teomim Frenkel, a grandson of the Kikayon DeYona. Rav Moshe served as Rosh Yeshiva of Lvov and later was appointed Av Beis Din of Pressburg.
Rav Moshe was a great genius and very sharp (“charif”), who served his kehilla loyally for 28 years. At the end of his life, when his strength ebbed and his eyesight grew dim, he agreed to the congregants’ advice and appointed an assistant: Rabbi Akiva Eiger (yahrzeit 15 Elul), author of Mishnas Rabbi Akiva.
He was a one-of-a-kind individual, and a pure and holy man, as evidenced by the inscription on his headstone: “When Rebbe passed away, humility, sanctity and awe of heaven passed away with him.”
Rav Moshe Charif passed away on 3 Elul.תקיח/5518
Rav Khalifa ben Malka of Agadir (Elul 3, 5520 / 1760 - 263rd Yahrzeit)
Born around 1670( ה'ת"ל ) in Safi, Morocco. He was orphaned at a young age. He studied Torah in Chacham Rav Joseph Bueno de Mesquita's yeshivah in his hometown and later left his birthplace, wandering from city to city until he reached Fes, where he studied in Chacham Rav Yehuda Ben Attar and Chacham Rav Shmuel Hatzarfati's yeshiva.
Rav Joseph Bueno de Mesquita raised him as his own, sharing everything his wisdom, seforim and all his possessions. Eventually he moved to the city of Agadir in Southern Morocco. With the aid of his rebbe's nephew, Chacham rav Shlomo Ben Yeshurun he became a successful businessman. Together with Chacham Yaakov Gedalia they opened a spiritual center consisting of a shul and bais medrash, where Chacham Khalifa Ben Malka gave derashos and sat and studied Torah in Tallis and Tefilin. He originally wished to change his name and dreamed that his name was Asaf the same gematria as Khalifa.
His firstborn son, David, died at age eleven. Rav Khalifa Ben Malka himself passed away on 3 Elul, 5520 (1760).
Originally Rav Khalifa ben Malka's tzion was in the old bais haChaim where he was buried near his son Rav Avraham haNazir HY"D who died al kiddush Hashem and his brother in law Rav Shlomo Pinto (father of Rav Chaim Pinto, both these two tzadikim along with Rav Shlomo ben Shabbat and along with 5 other anonymous tzadikim, have been relocated by Rav Pinto to Kiryat Malachi, in Eretz Yisroel). On 5 Tammuz his grave was relocated and he was re-interred in the current location Cimetière Juif CCV2+VG Agadir, Morocco
He authored three seforim: Kaf Naki – on the Siddur , Rach VaTov and Kol Rina.
Rav Raphael Elazar Nechemias (Elul 3, 5538 / 1778 - 245th Yahrzeit)
Rav Raphael Elazar from Salonika was one of the great sages of Spain. He was a gaon and darshan who authored the seforim Hon Rav and a work of responsa on the four volumes of Shulchan Aruch.
He made aliya to Eretz Yisroel and passed away on 3 Elul.תקלח/5538
