The Mystery of Elijah the Doctor: A Tale from 17th Century Safed

In the month of Av, 1625, Elijah, a doctor from Safed, set off north. As he did monthly, the Jewish doctor traveled between the Arab villages from the nearby Hula Valley to the towering mountains of Hermon and Lebanon. In each village, he visited the headman's tent where villagers shared their ailments. He would prepare remedies, distribute ointments and medicines, and then receive his payment generously. Each night, he stayed in a different village, usually returning home to Safed for Shabbat.

But that month, Elijah the doctor did not return. His family waited a day, then two, but their father, their support, and source of livelihood was missing. The last known sighting was at the village of Pameas (Banias), from where he departed towards Safed with an Arab donkey driver.

The sages of Safed consulted among themselves and decided to urgently send a messenger to Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto, the chief rabbi of Damascus. As a prominent scholar and chief figure in the pivotal city, known for its soldiers and royal officials, Rabbi Pinto succeeded the renowned Kabbalist Rabbi Chaim Vital, himself a disciple of the Holy Ari. Rabbi Pinto authored the influential works "Kessef Nivchar" and others, widely known throughout the land (the book's theme was not silver, but yearning for Hashem: "For the desire my soul longed for to serve Hashem, my holy God, all my days on this land").

Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto instructed the court officials to announce in Damascus' markets, synagogues, and study halls that anyone knowing the fate of Elijah, the doctor from Safed, or anyone who knew someone likely to know, should immediately present themselves at the court to testify.

That same day, a Jewish shoemaker from the Lebanese mountain villages arrived. Traveling between villages for his work, he shared what he had overheard: In early Av, one Arab asked another about an object he had. The reply was chilling: "A Jew was coming from Pameas to Safed with an Arab donkey driver; we killed him and took these items." Despite the familiar story, the Damascus court ruled this insufficient to release a "chained" woman, as more individuals could have left Pameas, and identifying the object couldn't conclusively prove ownership. After all, items can be lent or sold. Such evidence does not free a "chained" woman!

Another witness, Avraham Naamiaas, reported hearing an Arab lamenting in the Hermon market: "Woe to the doctor, a good Jew. May Allah kill those who killed him, the evil Awad the Bedouin." The court, however, had to reject this testimony as well—there were other doctors in the land, making the evidence insufficient.

The sages of Damascus were troubled, as were those in Safed, and the family of the missing doctor.

Later, another witness recounted the following: An Arab entered my shop, sitting down with a heavy heart, said, "There are good acquaintances, and there are dangerous ones."

The Arab shared: As my friend and I traveled the path from Pameas, we saw two bandits. We hid by the roadside. Elijah the doctor walked by. The bandits took all his money and coat, sending him on his way. Then Elijah recognized one of the thieves from Ibanit, saying, "I healed your family. Have mercy on me." Before he could respond, his accomplice drew a sword and beheaded the doctor, saying, "He recognized us and will tell the governor." They threw his body among the buffalo in Hula Lake, where nothing remained. Alas, not all encounters are safe.

Hearing this testimony, Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto allowed the woman to remarry, as Jewish law permits freeing a "chained" woman based on a non-discreet non-Jew's sincere account (responsa Nivchar MiKesef 57).