Rabbi Elazar Abuchatzeira: Life, Miracles, and the Legacy of Baba Elazar

Rabbi Elazar Abuchatzeira (known as Baba Elazar) was born on the 19th of Tevet 5708 (1948) in Rissani, in the Tafilalt region of Morocco. He was the grandson of the Baba Sali.

On July 29, 2011 (27 Tammuz 5771), Rabbi Elazar was murdered in his home by one of the individuals who had come to seek his advice.

Named for Rabbi Elazar ben Rashbi

Rabbi Elazar was named after the Tanna, Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. In the Abuchatzeira family, they recount that before Rabbi Elazar was born, the Baba Sali saw the holy Tanna Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi) in a night vision. Rashbi complained that in the entire family, no one bore the name of his son, the Tanna Rabbi Elazar. In response, the Baba Sali promised that the next grandson to be born would indeed be named Elazar.

A Name with Spiritual Meaning

At the circumcision, the Baba Sali recited the verse: “No eye has seen, O God, besides You” and noted that the initials of the name “Elazar” appear in this verse. From this remarkable statement by the holy Baba Sali, one can understand the spiritual stature and lofty soul-root of the newborn child — named according to the wish of Rashbi himself.

Early Signs of Holiness and Exceptional Character

From a very young age, Rabbi Elazar was known for his exceptional guarding of his eyes. The sages write that one who succeeds in guarding his eyes from improper sights merits exceptional memory. Rabbi Elazar was exactly such a person: in addition to his immense knowledge of all the hidden and revealed parts of Torah, and his vast mastery of every branch of halacha, he possessed a phenomenal memory in all areas of life.

A Life of Hiddenness and Humility

Although Baba Elazar received masses of people in his small home, only a few merited seeing his face. The mitzvah of guarding his eyes stood constantly before him. His head was always lowered, and his body was wrapped in a black cloak that covered most of his face. Despite the abundance of gifts and generosity that visitors wished to bestow upon him, he took absolutely nothing for his personal comfort and continued living a life of self-denial and asceticism, which he had chosen as his spiritual path.

A Source of Blessing and Salvation

Alongside his great Torah scholarship, exalted righteousness, and holy personality, thousands found salvation and blessing through him. A spark of ruach hakodesh (divine inspiration) was evident in his beit midrash.

A Miraculous Story of Blessing

There are countless stories about the power of his blessings and advice. One of them is the miracle that happened to the wife of Rabbi Chaim Biton, head of the “Shaarei Yeshuah” kollel.

Rabbi Biton’s wife gave birth via cesarean section and became a vegetative patient due to the anesthesia used during surgery. Doctors said she had no chance of recovering, and they did not even bother stitching her up properly, assuming she would not survive.

Rabbi Biton urgently asked Baba Elazar’s assistant to mention his wife’s name and arouse mercy for her and their eight children who were waiting for their mother at home.

The assistant asked Rabbanit Abuchatzeira to convey the request to the Rav. For an hour, Rabbi Elazar locked himself in his room and prayed intensely. After an hour he emerged and instructed the Rebbetzin to phone the assistant and announce: “The decree has been annulled.”

Indeed, the unbelievable happened: she regained consciousness that very day, and by that evening she was already sitting up in bed and eating on her own.

A Life of Asceticism and Self-Sacrifice

Rabbi Elazar distanced himself completely from worldly pleasures, lived with great humility, and followed a severely ascetic lifestyle.
For five full years, he fasted from the moment Shabbat ended until the following Shabbat entered, refraining from all food and drink. His teeth literally blackened from so many fasts. (The great kabbalist Rabbi Shalom Sharabi followed a similar practice.)

Long Hours of Blessing the Public

Every day, Baba Elazar received hundreds of people, beginning at 3:00 PM and continuing into the late hours of the night. No one ever left without receiving a blessing. At times, the reception of visitors lasted until daybreak.

Daily Immersion and Devotion

Each morning at dawn, Rabbi Elazar immersed in a mikvah to prepare for Shacharit. After prayer he returned to learning Torah, performing acts of kindness and charity, and serving God — until the next reception of visitors.

Seven Years of a Speech Fast

For seven consecutive years, he conducted a speech fast (ta’anit dibbur) and, aside from holy words and a few absolutely necessary sentences, no mundane speech left his mouth. These are superhuman spiritual abilities — beyond what ordinary people can grasp or emulate, and even then, his only desire was to help others.