The Pinto Family’s Roots in Morocco

Rabbi Shlomo Pinto (Early 1700 – 1761)

The gaon and mekubal Rabbi Shlomo Pinto, zy”a, was the great-grandson of the grandson of Rabbi Yoshiyahu, zy”a, who illuminated all of Israel with his commentary Meor Einayim on the sefer Ein Yaakov, among many other holy sefarim whose “precision goes forth throughout the earth, and whose words reach the end of the inhabited world.”

Rabbi Shlomo Pinto married the sister of the Admor Rabbi Khalifa Malka, zt”l, from the city of Tetouan. Rabbi Khalifa was known as a great tzaddik, who served Hashem in holiness and purity. He was also famous for performing miracles, and his blessings were known to come true.

Rabbi Khalifa Malka engaged in business to support himself. After Rabbi Shlomo Pinto married his sister, the two became loyal partners, enjoying much success in their endeavors. From then on, Rabbi Shlomo earned a profitable income from the business and was able to devote all his time to learning Torah and serving Hashem.

They entrusted most of their business transactions into the hands of loyal employees, who acted as their managers. Thus, the two tzaddikim were free to engage in the study of Torah with peace of mind. Occasionally, their learning sessions were interrupted by the managers, who came to receive guidance or permission to complete transactions, or to secure signatures for various documents.

Enjoying the Wealth of Torah

It was an amazing sight to observe the two tzaddikim plunge into the depths of Torah study the moment that their employees departed from them, without wasting a moment. All business and economic considerations were thrust away, reflecting the words of David Hamelech: “The Torah of Your mouth is better for me than thousands in gold and silver.”

Most of the day, the two tzaddikim sat wrapped in their tallit and tefillin, learning together. A large portion of their time was spent learning halachot pertaining to business dealings, and they strictly adhered to the responses they received from their leaders.

Their study sessions continued constantly, whether they were on land or at sea, when traveling far from their homes for business purposes. The sound of their Torah study never ceased.

Eventually, Rabbi Shlomo Pinto followed his brother-in-law to the city of Agadir.

The Birth of Rabbi Chaim

In the city of Agadir, on Shabbat, parashat Pinchas, on the fifteenth of Tammuz, 1749 (5509), the entire house was illuminated with joy at the birth of a son, who was named Chaim. He became the famous gaon and mekubal, the tzaddik Rabbi Chaim Pinto, zy”a.

However, Rabbi Shlomo did not merit seeing his son blossom into a Torah giant. When Chaim was merely twelve years old, Rabbi Shlomo departed to the Heavenly Yeshiva, on the first day of the month of the redemption, in Nissan, may his merit protect us.

Your Husband Has Already Been Healed

Rabbi Shlomo Pinto had ten sons. They all learned Torah day and night in the yeshiva of Agadir. The blessing of David Hamelech was fulfilled in him: “Your children will be like olive shoots surrounding your table.”

One evening, one of the sons of Rabbi Shlomo Pinto returned from yeshiva and hung his jacket in the entrance hall of his home. At that moment, a poor man entered their house. He was so destitute that he did not even have the means to provide his children with food. He grabbed the jacket of the Rav’s son and left the house. He sold the jacket and bought food and provisions for his family’s dinner.

At midnight, he began feeling excruciating pains in his abdomen. His wife, observing his intense pain, tried to solve the mystery. “Please, tell me,” she asked her husband, “Did you commit any transgression today which may have caused you such suffering?”

“Yes,” he admitted guiltily. “I stole a jacket from Rav Pinto’s house, which belongs to his son. I sold it in order to acquire the money to buy food.”

Upon hearing this, his wife understood exactly what the source of her husband’s tormenting pain was. With the first rays of dawn, she rose and took one of her possessions. She ran quickly to the person who had purchased the jacket from her husband and gave him the object in exchange for the jacket of the Rav’s son.

Meanwhile, in the house of the Rav, Rabbi Shlomo’s son awoke and began preparing for the Shacharit prayers. He went to the entrance hall where he had hung his jacket, but to his dismay, he could not find it. The young boy hurried to his father and told him, “Father, my jacket has disappeared! How will I be able to go to the Beit Hakeneset to pray Shacharit?”

“Whoever took your jacket will return it shortly,” his father answered him.

As they were talking, they heard knocking on their door. On the doorstep, stood the wife of the pauper, holding the jacket in her hand. She began to beseech the Rav, crying, “Honorable Rav, you know that my husband is very poor, and he stole the jacket. However, now he is lying in bed, writhing in pain. Please, honorable Rav, pray for him to be healed.”

“Go home, your husband is already cured,” Rabbi Shlomo informed her.

The woman went home and, to her amazement, saw that her husband’s pain had subsided after she had given back the stolen article and begged forgiveness in his name.

An Irreplaceable Loss

The tzaddik Rabbi Khalifa Malka owned many ships. These ships transferred goods from city to city and country to country. However, Rabbi Khalifa did not devote much time to his material concerns, immersing himself in the life-giving waters of the holy Torah. He also wrote sefarim and composed songs and poetry. Among them is the sefer Kav V’Naki and Kol Zimrah.

The Chida, in his sefer Shem Hagedolim (Chelek Sefarim, Ma’arechet 20, oht 55) mentions the manuscripts of Rabbi Khalifa and praises them:

Kav V’Naki. Presented by the wise, pious chassid, the miracle worker, the elderly Rav Khalifa Malka, from the holy community of Agadir. It is a commentary on tefillah, including poetry and other matters. It includes five sections, corresponding to the five fingers of a hand (kaf). The Rav Mahara Ankava, zt”l, also praised them highly.

Most of the manuscripts and novel insights of Rabbi Khalifa were lost over the years. The following story is cited as a reason for this. Rabbi Moshe Karkus sent Rabbi Aharon Vizman to search for the sefarim of Rabbi Khalifa in the city of Souss. They were kept there because Rabbi Khalifa’s family was then living in Amsterdam. He wished to print the sefarim and have them widely distributed so that their wisdom would be enjoyed by many.

The efforts of Rabbi Aharon Vizman proved successful, and the manuscripts of Rabbi Khalifa were located. The procedure to have them printed was put into motion. However, on the way to Amsterdam, a huge storm struck at sea. Rabbi Aharon managed to escape with only his life. His baggage, including the precious manuscripts of Rabbi Khalifa sank in the depths of the ocean. This was an irreplaceable loss.

Requesting Poverty

The following story is popular among the Jews of Agadir. They relate that at the peak of the holy day of Yom Kippur, when Rabbi Khalifa was in the Beit Hakeneset immersed in fasting and prayer, several ships laden with merchandise belonging to the Rav arrived at the port of Agadir.

Rabbi Khalifa was worried that the gentile merchants would soon seek him out and trouble him with business matters. He immediately gathered his strength and prayed fervently to Hashem, begging Him, the Omnipotent, to sink all his ships with their precious cargo at sea, so that the holy day should not be violated because of him.

The supplications of the tzaddik were accepted. In front of the unbelieving eyes and accompanied by the shouts of the dock workers and merchants witnessing the scene, the ships inexplicably sank into the depths of the sea. From then on, the wheel of Rabbi Khalifa’s fortune turned for the worse, since he had lost all his merchandise, and he became destitute.

It is fascinating to hear the testimony of the Jews of Agadir, who live in the port city. They testify that under certain weather conditions, when the sea is at its lowest point, it is possible to discern the masts of Rabbi Khalifa’s ships protruding from the bottom of the harbor.

Small Creatures Teach Great Respect

Based on the halachic ruling of Rabbi Khalifa Malka, some of the Moroccan Jews were accustomed to eat grasshoppers. Rabbi Khalifa only allowed the consumption of grasshoppers bearing specific signs that according to tradition rendered them pure.

On the other hand, Maran Rabbeinu Hakadosh, Rabbeinu Chaim Ben Attar, the holy Ohr Hachaim, zy”a, was stringent in this matter and prohibited eating grasshoppers. He wrote in his commentary on the Torah (parashat Shemini 11:21) “Therefore, every G-d-fearing Jew should tremble with fear and not help themselves to this insect. He should admonish anyone partaking of it. From the day that my words were publicized in the West, many abstained from eating it, and Hashem did not smite them with this plague. In fact, it has not struck for over twelve years, because Torah and good deeds serve as a shield in the face of calamity.”

It is noteworthy to mention that despite the difference in opinions that existed between the tzaddik Rabbi Khalifa Malka and Maran the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh concerning the consumption of grasshoppers, they held each other in great respect. Rabbi Khalifa himself would constantly remind the public of the importance of according honor to Torah scholars. He would say, “Despite the fact that one differs in opinion, it is incumbent for each person to honor the other, since every person has special status in the merit of his Torah.”

Honor Him

Concerning this issue, it is worthwhile to quote an incredible letter written by Rabbi Khalifa Malka, which appears in his sefer Kav V’Naki. He warns people of the extent to which they must honor Torah scholars and not disparage them. He states the following:

I would like to make you aware, my dear readers, of the wonders of Hashem, and sound in your ears a warning so that you should not stumble with your mouth by diminishing, chas v’chalilah, the honor of an author of any sefer, who is genuine, possesses fear of sin, walks in the right path and whose sefer does not express heresy, chas v’chalilah. Even if he did not arrive at the correct halachah, judge him favorably.

I will relate to you what happened to a simple person like me on the tenth of Tevet, 1704 (5464). I was visiting the city of Taroudant, representing my father-in-law, z”l, on government business. I was staying in the home of a Torah scholar, and that night there were a few Torah scholars in the attic where I slept. I was sitting on my bed, and the Torah scholars began to discuss a sefer, Heichal Hakodesh, that an authentic Torah scholar from the city of Taroudant (Rabbi Moshe Elbaz, zy”a) had written. (This sefer is an explanation of the prayers according to the Zohar and the Maharam Recanti.) It was printed by Moreinu v’Rabbeinu Rabbi Yaakov Sasportas, z”l.

Some of the Torah scholars were praising its merit, while others where speaking unfavorably about it. I said to them that I remembered hearing from a great scholar of Shas and Poskim, fluent in the writings of the Arizal, whose name is Moreinu Avraham ibn Mussa, z”l, while learning together in our youth, that this sefer was not written with proper intentions. I also heard that a certain Ashkenazi scholar, Rabbi Cohen, whom I knew from the city of Tezza, burned the sefer with the candle, whose light he was using to read it. (Afterward, I found out that he had left the fold, cutting off his beard and drinking wine with gentiles.)

When I finished saying these words, I fell into a deep sleep. In a dream, I saw three dignified men, with long beards and dressed in white, sitting close to the wall facing the entrance to the yeshiva of my teacher, z”l, where I learned when I was young. Behind the three, sat a dignified man dressed in white. He was tall and held a very long, thin stick in his hand. As soon as he saw me, he rose from his place and ran toward me to strike me with the stick.

Although I was frightened, I did not want to turn my back on him, and I stepped backwards facing him until I reached the doorway of the yeshiva. I stood inside the entrance facing him. He struck me with the stick and because of its length, it struck the doorpost and also my lips. Immediately, the three men sitting near him screamed “Leave him alone!”

I suddenly woke up and opened my eyes. I found my friends still arguing about whether the sefer was proper or not. Then I told them that they should not criticize it anymore, since the author of the sefer had just struck me on my lips to silence me. I related my dream to them, and they looked at each other in amazement.

Therefore, anyone who hears this should neither disparage an author of any sefer, nor words of great gaonim. One should be especially careful neither to criticize the devout who are deceased, nor G-d fearing Jews. I can testify that if not for that great Torah scholar’s piety, his sefer would not have merited eventually reaching Moreinu v’Rabbeinu Sasportas, z”l, who printed it and distributed it all over the world, so that it should not remain buried and unknown, as was the fate of other important manuscripts…

Hashem should save our souls from speaking falsehood and place us with those who fear Him and glorify His Name. From then on, I decided to honor Rabbi Elbaz, and I exalt and praise him.

The Chida, zt”l, mentions this story briefly in his sefer Shem Hagedolim, when referring to the sefer Heichal Hakodesh. He warns of how important it is to be careful before stating an opinion and denigrating an author of a sefer. This is because all the great scholars of Am Yisrael speak truth and their holiness is unfathomable.

Joyously Fulfilling His Mission

Once, when Rabbi Khalifa was walking with Rabbi Eliezer Davila, z”l, in the streets of a certain city, a famous non-Jewish sorcerer passed by. When the sorcerer came within earshot of the two, he hinted to Rabbi Khalifa in a roundabout way that Rabbi Eliezer would perish within the year

When Rabbi Khalifa heard this, he was saddened. When Rabbi Eliezer noticed his pained look, he asked him what the sorcerer had said that made him so sad. At first, Rabbi Khalifa refused to reveal what he had heard. However, after Rabbi Eliezer pleaded with him, Rabbi Khalifa repeated the prediction, without mincing words.

Rabbi Eliezer did not lose his composure at all. Without a trace of anxiety he turned to Rabbi Khalifa and said, “In fact, I am joyous; I am not worried at all. This is because I know that I have fulfilled my mission in this world perfectly. Now, I may leave it.”

Eternally Linked

For a long time, Rabbi Khalifa and his brother-in-law, Rabbi Shlomo Pinto were buried in the cemetery of Agadir. Many years ago, the government cleared out the cemetery and moved the grave of Rabbi Khalifa Malka to a different location.

On the day that the government officials moved the remains of the tzaddik, the Jews of Agadir declared a day of prayer and an abstention from speech for a specified period of time. Around the new gravestone, they built a magnificent building made of marble, and engraved the following words:

This place is awesome, for it is a place where an ark of the Torah is laid. This holy man shook the earth with deeds that have become famous throughout the world. Everyone seeks to prostrate themselves before his gravestone, so that his great merit should stand in their stead in his death as it did during his life. He was holy of holies, a pious chassid, a divine mekubal, a great gaon, from the most prominent leaders, Moreinu v’Rabbeinu Rabbi Khalifa Malka, zy”a.