Rabbi Chaim Abulafia

His yichus (lineage) traces back to Rav Chaim Abulafia, “Hamusmach HaZaken” of Chevron. The Chida writes in Shem Hagedolim that their yichus traces back to Shevet Yehudah and Malchus.

As a young boy, his family moved to Yerushalayim where he studied in the Bais Yaakov-Viga yeshivah, (founded by Rav Yaakov Chagiz) under the auspices of the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Moshe Galanti. He also studied under Rav Shlomo Algazi HaZaken and along with Rav Chizkiyahu de Silva, known as the Pri Chadash, who was a colleague. There he earned his semichah ordination and was sent to Tzefat to teach and serve as the rav of the city.

He gave derashos every Shabbos and Yom Tov, and published them as Etz Chaim in Izmir and Mikra’ei Kodesh Chiddushei Halachos, as well as three volumes of Yosef Lekach, derushim on the Torah. He also authored Yashresh Yaakov on the Ein Yaakov aggados of the Talmud, and Shevus Yaakov on the same subject. He also authored Chanan Elokim, derashos and pilpulim (where he included chiddushim from Be’er LeChai and Chaim V’Chessed by his maternal grandfather, Rav Yitzchak ibn Jamil of Hebron).

He left on shlichus as a fundraiser to help his poor brethren in Hebron, travelling to Turkey at age 29 in 5459 (1699), then to Saloniki and eventually to Izmir. There he met Rav Yisrael Benveniste, the successor to his father Rav Chaim Benveniste, who authored Shiurei Knesset HaGedolah on Shulchan Aruch. Rav Chaim Abulafia and Rav Yisrael sparred and jousted in halachah. One day, the young shadar (acronym for shaliach d’rabbanan, messenger of the rabbanim) would return to Izmir, not as a fundraiser but as its rav.

He had a profound influence on the kehillah, and even the Christian and Muslim populace revered him. As Rav, he looked out not only for their spiritual welfare but for their material welfare as well. Their economic status was very depressed at that time, and he used his many talents to change the face of the kehillah.

He had long harbored a wish to rebuild Teveria (which sat desolate with no shul or bais medrash for some seventy years) and some say that Eliyahu Hanavi appeared to him in a dream and urged him to do so.

After serving as Rav of Teveria for four years and rebuilding the kehillah, Rav Chaim passed away on 6 (some say 7) or (Encyclopedia says 16) Nissan 5504 (1744) at the age of 84.