20 Teves – Abir Yaakov2 min read
20 Teves is the yahrtzeit of the Abir Yaakov, Rav Yaakov (ben Masoud) Abuchatzeira zy”a, the grandfather of the Baba Sali.
The Abir Yaakov authored many seforim, including Pituchei Chosam and Machshof Halavan (which are written primarily al pi sod but can often be understood on a basic level as well). Although the Abir Yaakov passed away while travelling through Egypt, sefer Abir Yaakov records accounts of his body being miraculously moved to Teveria or Meiron. Until a few years ago, people would travel to the Abir Yaakov’s kever in Egypt. Now, unfortunately, it has become too dangerous to go. Rav David Abuchatzeira shlita told a friend of mine that if one cannot go to the Abir Yaakov’s kever, he should go to his son, Rav Avraham, who is buried in Teveria, not far from the Talmidei Baal Shem Tov.
It is possible to suggest that the Abir Yaakov is alluded to in the first posuk of Shemos: ואלה שמות בני ישראל הבאים מצרימה את יעקב איש וביתו באו.
The Abir Yaakov passed away the day after Shemos was read.
הבאים מצרימה את יעקב alludes to the Abir Yaakov coming to Egypt. The words את יעקב איש are equal in gematriya to רבינו יעקב בן רבי מסעוד.
(When I presented this remez to Rav David Abuchatzeira shilta a number of years ago, he replied: “You showed me gematria, so I’ll show you chalufei osios.”
He then took the paper I had this written on, turned it over, and wrote the words ויחי יעקב בארץ with which parshas Vayechi begins, speaking about Yaakov living in Egypt. He explained that the middle word was the Abir Yaakov’s first name. The other two words, ויחי and בארץ, contain the letters of his last name, אבוחצירא. We can add that it is a pasuk in parshas Vayechi, Bereishis 49:24, from which the words אביר יעקב derive.)
במצרים contains the first letters of צדיק מורינו רבי יעקב בן מסעוד.
The Baal HaTurim points out that the last letters of את יעקב איש spell שבת, and the Zohar Hakodosh compares the tzaddik to Shabbos.
Incredibly, the words רבינו יעקב בן מסעוד ז״ל זיע״א are equal in gemtriya to the day of this tzaddik’s passing, יום כ׳ בחודש טבת.
Although, as noted, in recent years it has not been possible to go to the Abir Yaakov’s ohel in Egypt at all, this makom kadosh is known as a special place to daven, and, over the years, many people have risked the dangerous journey in order to daven there.
On the matzeiva of the Abir Yaakov, the words והיא מרת נפש are inscribed, from the verse in Shmuel I 1:10, והיא מרת נפש ותתפלל על ד׳ ובכה תבכה. This is because he passed away in the year מרת ,תר״מ-5640.
We can add that the word והיא contains the first letters of והוא הרב יעקב אבוחצירא or והוא הצדיק אביר יעקב. In addition, the word נפש is gematriya כ׳ טבת.
Based on this, I would like to offer a remez from the first pasuk of Yitzchak’s berachos to Yaakov, ויתן לך האלקים מטל השמים ומשמני הארץ ורב דגן ותירש. (It is customary to say this posuk Motzei Shabbos, which is when the Abir Yaakov passed away.)
The brachos being given to Yaakov allude to the Abir Yaakov.
The word אלקים generally refers to din, but the Chida writes that when the letter “ה” is added, prudicing the word האלקים, it equals יקוק אדנ־י – and יקוק is a name of רחמים. (Devash Lefi, Mareches “Vav”, 12)
This hints that it is in the merit of the Abir Yaakov that Harsh-Judgements are sweetened.
The word מטל refers to shefa.
השמים is gematriya אביר יעקב (in addition to פרנסה).
ומשמני alludes to the yahrtzeit, as the letters משמן are equal to the word נפש which is inscribed on the matzeiva, which, as mentioned above, is equal to כ׳ טבת, the date of this tzaddik’s passing.
הארץ alludes to the ground where he is buried.
ורב דגן ותירש can be seen as alluding to the wine (or Arak) and mezonos eaten in honor of the hillulah.
Zechuso Yagein Aleinu!
