The Miraculous Life of Rabbi Yaakov Abuchatzeira — The “Abir Yaakov” and His Wonder-Working Legacy

Rabbi Yaakov Abuchatzeira, known as the “Abir Yaakov,” would occasionally travel from his city Tafilalt in Morocco to other towns. Wherever he went, he would take with him not only his tefillin and tzitzit, but also all his manuscripts — his Torah writings in his own handwriting.

The Stolen Bag

Once, he arrived in a small town called Sekhura and stayed with one of the local householders. After some time, the rabbi’s bag was stolen. Inside were large sums of money and, more importantly, his handwritten Torah writings and novellae.

The host was devastated. The theft had occurred in his home, and he said to the rabbi with a broken heart:

“Rabbi, perhaps I can raise funds from the townspeople to return your stolen money. But what can I do about your manuscripts? How can I return your holy writings?”

To his astonishment, the rabbi answered calmly:

“Do not worry. Blessed is He and blessed is His Name — my prayer has been accepted before the Creator. I asked that if my writings are true and correct according to our holy Torah, they should remain in the world and become known; but if they are not true — they should disappear from the world. Now that they have been stolen, it is a sign they are not correct, so do not feel sorrow over their loss.”

A Miraculous Return

As they were speaking, a knock was heard at the door. Four strangers entered, and one of them held the rabbi’s bag. The homeowner rejoiced, and the man placed the bag at the rabbi’s feet with a lowered gaze. All four began begging the rabbi, with tears and trembling, to forgive them.

The rabbi quieted them and asked: ​“Answer me two questions: Why did you steal my bag in the first place? And why have you returned it now?”

The leader of the thieves replied softly: “Forgive us, Rabbi… Our livelihood comes from theft. When we saw that your bag was full, we assumed it held great treasure, so we stole it and fled the town. Along the way, we came to a small stream — the water was only about twenty centimeters deep. We tried to cross it, and suddenly the waters swelled to our necks and nearly swept us away.

We barely made it back to shore, and the waters returned to normal. We left the bag on the edge and tried to cross again — the water stayed low. When we picked up the bag again, the waters rose violently. Then we understood the river’s rise was because of the rabbi’s bag. We came back in shame to beg forgiveness.”

Conditions for Forgiveness

The rabbi agreed to forgive them on three conditions:

1. They must repent completely

2. They must establish fixed times for Torah study

3. They must support Torah scholars and help the poor

The four men cried and said: ​“Rabbi, we are desperately poor! From all our thefts we have not retained even a single coin. How will we earn a livelihood — let alone support scholars or the needy?”

The rabbi gave each of them a dinar (coin), and said: “If you keep your word and fulfill the repentance I have given you, and never again steal or touch what is not yours, this dinar will be blessed. You will be successful and become wealthy — you, your children, and your children’s children.”

They thanked him and left — and from that day on, they kept his instructions, became men of truth and kindness, and prospered greatly.

Why His Books Were Not Printed During His Lifetime

Despite the incident, Rabbi Yaakov Abuchatzeira still refused to publish his many Torah works. His eldest son, Rabbi Mas’ud (the father of the Baba Sali), begged him many times for permission to print them.

The Abir Yaakov refused, saying: “My son, my books will not be printed during my lifetime. Only when I reach the World of Truth, and I see there that they are pleasing before the Holy One, will I come to you in a dream and give you permission to print them.”

The Abir Yaakov passed away in the year 1880. Exactly one year later, he appeared to his son in a dream and told him: ​“My writings are true, correct, and pleasing before Heaven. Now you have permission to print them.”

From that time on, his descendants began publishing his holy works.