Discovering the Life and Legacy of the Holy Rashash

1. Rabbi Shalom Sharabi, known as the Rashash, was born in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, in 1720. From a young age, he was drawn to the study of Kabbalah and longed to travel to the Land of Israel.

2. At the age of eighteen, the Rashash set out for the Land of Israel, embarking on a long journey through India, Damascus, and finally arriving in the Holy Land.

3. Upon completing his journey, he reached the "Bet El Kabbalists" group in Jerusalem and appealed to their leader, Rabbi Gedaliah Chayon. Portraying himself as a penniless orphan from Yemen, he requested to be taken in. He was employed as an assistant to arrange benches, return books, and light the lamps. Quietly assimilating into the world of Kabbalah, he labored diligently under the guise of a humble servant.

Time passed, and Rabbi Gedaliah Chayon found himself unable to answer his students' questions. Rabbi Shalom's heart could not remain silent as his peers needed spiritual guidance. What could he do? He was not ready to reveal his identity.

Finding a solution: just before midnight, before the kabbalists arrived at the study hall, he would write the answers to their questions on a note and slip it into Rabbi Gedaliah’s book. The joy of Rabbi Gedaliah and his group was boundless, but they could not determine who was leaving the notes. Rabbi Gedaliah urged his students to solve this mystery, to no avail.

When his daughter, Chanah, learned of this mysterious matter, she resolved to uncover the truth. Each night, she concealed herself behind a window of the meeting house, watching patiently. One night, chilled by the night air, she observed Rabbi Shalom, the servant, enter quietly, light a small oil lamp, write something with great reverence on a note, and then tuck it into her father's book.

The secret was revealed. Recognizing his brilliance, Rabbi Gedaliah seated "Shalom the servant" at his right at the head of the table, bestowing him with the mantle of leadership. Chanah married him. From that day forward, the life of Rabbi Shalom Sharabi transformed; he was no longer a hidden kabbalist but became the leading figure among the Bet El Kabbalists. This occurred when he was only 31.

4. The Rashash was committed to studying and teaching Kabbalah exclusively according to the teachings of the holy Arizal, as brought to the world by his disciple, Rabbi Chaim Vital.

5. Among his writings are: "Siddur HaRashash" with "Kavanot HaRashash," used for prayer at the Bet El Kabbalist yeshiva today; "Emet v'Shalom" on the book "Eitz Chaim" by Rabbi Chaim Vital; "Nehar Shalom" – the intentions of the prayers; "Rechovot HaNahar" – introductions of the Arizal; along with numerous manuscripts preserved at the Bet El Kabbalists yeshiva.

Special Production by Hidabroot Channel - Rabbi Yitzchak Batzri talks about the holy Rashash:

6. A great kabbalist once stated: "Anyone who studies the teachings of the Rabbi who authored Eitz Chaim without having studied Nehar Shalom and its introductions will grope in darkness as if blind... they will dive into great waters and not find their hand... until they cross the river."

7. The first Rebbe of Belz requested to bring him from the Land of Israel the book "Nehar Shalom" and the manuscripts of the kabbalistic prayer book written by the Rashash. From Tunisia, seventy-seven letters were sent to the Rashash containing spiritual queries, which he answered with patience and love. Among his students were Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai (the Chida), Rabbi Yom Tov Algazi, and Rabbi Chaim De La Rosa.

8. The Rashash worked to spread the wisdom of Kabbalah with his companions. Together, they reached new heights of spiritual elevation and established a society based on the law of love—the encompassing law of reality. They named it the "Society of Love and Peace" and forged a brotherhood covenant among them.

9. "The Temple was destroyed due to baseless hatred, and it is our mission to increase love among Israel, to nurture love that is free of motive," wrote the Rashash ("Or HaRashash," p. 161). In this spirit, he and his group formed a model for a harmonious society where everyone was responsible for each other: "Each one should regard his fellow as genuinely a part of himself, with his whole heart and soul" (from the covenant of the Jerusalem Kabbalists).

10. The Rashash passed to the heavenly yeshiva on the 10th of Shevat, 1782, and was buried on the Mount of Olives, a mere 3-minute walk from the Western Wall. Each year, crowds visit his grave to pray, fulfilling his promise that anyone in need of salvation would come to his grave and have their prayers answered.