Story
Rabbi Israel Abuhatzeira: Sweet Coercion
Rabbi Israel Abuhatzeira was born in the year 5650 1890 to his father, Rabbi Masoud, the son of Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira, author of the book Avir Yaakov. From a young age, he practiced asceticism, did not eat meat, and fasted frequently. At the age of 13, he married and had several children, the most famous of whom is Baba Meir. After his first wife passed away, Rabbi Israel married another woman, from whom he also had several children. Upon her passing, Rabbi Israel married for the third time to Rabbanit Simi, who is still alive today. At the age of 18, he succeeded his father as head of the yeshivah after his father's death. Around 5682 (1922), he immigrated to Israel, but returned to Morocco for several years. He immigrated to Israel again and once again returned to Morocco. In 1964, he settled in the Holy Land until his passing on the 4th of Shevat, 5744 (1984).
One day, a young man in a wheelchair appeared before Baba Sali, of blessed memory. The young man sat in front of Baba Sali and explained that he was injured in the Yom Kippur War, and after a series of surgeries, he was confined to a wheelchair with one leg completely non-functional. His leg's condition was deteriorating, and there was a fear that it would need to be amputated. This young man, distant from Torah observance, decided as an act of desperation to travel to Netivot to the tzaddik and see if there was any truth to the stories of miracles he had heard about.
Baba Sali heard the young man out, turned to him, and asked: "Do you put on tefillin every day?" "No," the young man answered. "Do you observe the Sabbath?" "No," came the reply. "If so," Baba Sali wondered, "give thanks that one of your legs is healthy! After all, we receive our strength from God, and if we do not do His will, He has the power to take from us that which He has given and to paralyze us completely. And you, who do not follow the path of Torah and commandments, all the good you have is a gift of grace."
Upon hearing this, the young man burst into bitter tears, moving all present. After a silence settled in the room, the rabbi looked into the eyes of the young man and asked, "If I bless you with a complete recovery and you are able to stand on your feet, would you be willing to accept the yoke of the commandments?"
"Yes," the young man answered.
"If so," said the rabbi, "give me your hand, and I bless you with complete healing for the purpose of serving God."
After the young man kissed the rabbi's hands, those present told him to try to stand on his feet. To his surprise, he managed to stand up at his full height and even take a few steps without anyone's help. While still astonished by the immediate change in his condition, he tried to walk faster and soon found himself at the door of the rabbi's apartment. He leapt out of the house and began to run, asking passers-by, "Where is there a public phone around here?"
The nearest phone was at the Negev Yeshivah, about two hundred meters from the rabbi's house. The young man ran there and, with great excitement, spoke with his family, telling them what had happened at Baba Sali's house. The yeshivah students who heard his story in astonishment found it hard to believe their ears, but after he repeated the story, they were caught up in a wonderful atmosphere of elation. They joined hands and began to dance joyously with the young man, all to thank the Almighty for the great salvation. Later, many people came to the rabbi's house and participated in a special thanksgiving meal to honor the miracle.
The happy young man kept his promise to Baba Sali and fundamentally changed his way of life.
A King Among His People
The story beautifully reflects the great love of Israel the Baba Sali had, together with his powerful blessings, and his deep concern for the observance of Torah and commandments by other Jews. In this context, it is recounted that Baba Sali came to the Land of Israel three times before settling there. During his first visit, he stayed in the country for about a year, but when he saw that the spiritual state of the country was deteriorating, he returned to Morocco. The same reason caused him to leave the Land of Israel after his second visit, and even on his third visit, Baba Sali was so shaken by the state of Jewish education in the country that he considered leaving.
When he came to Israel for the second time with his family, Baba Sali shared his doubts with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The tzaddik, who testified that since the age of fifteen he had not opened a book that was not in the spirit of the Ba’al Shem Tov, saw in the Rebbe the continuation of the Ba’al Shem Tov's way in our generation and sought his opinion.
The Rebbe replied with a long and wonderful letter, filled with exceptional praises and deep Kabbalistic matters. In his letter, he called Baba Sali "a universal man and a leader in Israel," and wrote to him that he is like a king who should not leave his people, who are in the Land of Israel. The Rebbe defined Baba Sali's special strength and role with the words: "The duty of the hour is to conquer, with a strong hand, the entire younger generation," a phrase that illustrates the messianic power attributed by the Rebbe to Baba Sali, since one of the missions of the Mashiach is “to compel all Israel to follow [the way of the Torah] and rectify the breaches in its observance....”
1 . Hilchot Melachim 11:4.
