From Captivity to Greatness: The Story of Rabbi Yaakov Shaul Elyashar and His Storied Lineage

A Night That Changed Everything

In the month of Sivan, 1824, six-year-old Yaakov Elyashar awoke in his modest home on the outskirts of Tzfat to the terrifying sounds of Turkish soldiers. They had come to arrest his father, Rabbi Eliezer Yerucham Elyashar, a dayan (rabbinical judge), chazzan (cantor), and head of the city’s shochtim (ritual slaughterers). The regional ruler, Abdullah Pasha, had ruled that the Jews of Tzfat owed an enormous debt in retroactive taxes, deeming earlier tax exemptions “unreasonable.” The rabbinic leadership was held responsible for the alleged debt, and so Rabbi Eliezer was imprisoned in the fortress in Akko until the community could pay.

Young Yaakov had no way of understanding what was happening. He and his mother were cast into a whirlwind of suffering: their home was confiscated, and they were thrown into the street in the dead of night, penniless and alone.

A Community's Compassion and a Secret Escape

The Jewish community of Tzfat came to their aid. A kind man took them in, offering food and shelter. The beit din (rabbinical court) of Tzfat ensured that kosher food was delivered to Rabbi Eliezer in prison, though the family would have to repay those costs upon his release.

Two months later, Yaakov heard faint noises outside the shutter. Wild animals often roamed the woods around Tzfat, but this time, he saw the figure of a man gesturing for silence. It was his father, who had managed to escape from prison. He spent one night with his family and fled by dawn, hoping to evade the soldiers of Ibrahim Pasha by fleeing to Syria.

Yaakov would never see his father again. Rabbi Eliezer passed away in exile, never reuniting with his family. But before his death, he told his young son the story of their illustrious lineage, a legacy that would shape Yaakov’s future.

A Heritage of Leadership and Survival

Yaakov’s grandfather, Rabbi Yaakov Elyashar, had served as the rabbi of Chevron. Born in 1730, he originally went by the name “Yaakov Vilna,” reflecting his Ashkenazic roots, but upon moving to Chevron, he adopted Sephardic customs and leadership. He was a close friend of the Chida (Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai), and they traveled together on fundraising missions in Egypt. On one such journey, when the two disagreed on which route to take, the Chida remarked, “Though you are greater than I in Torah, you understand little of worldly matters.” Rabbi Yaakov accepted his friend’s advice, and they arrived safely.

Later, he traveled on behalf of the Chevron community to Basra, Iraq. During his visit, the Persian army besieged the city for a year. Rabbi Yaakov prayed and fasted until the siege was miraculously lifted. He recorded the entire episode in a scroll he called “Megillat Elyashar,” which his grandson would later publish in his book Ish Emunim.

A Childhood of Torah and a Lifetime of Service

Back in Tzfat, the community leaders succeeded in convincing the authorities to repeal the unjust tax ruling. The Elyashar home and possessions were returned. With his father gone, Yaakov’s mother eventually remarried a local Torah scholar who recognized the boy’s brilliance. He lovingly gave Yaakov the acronym “Yisa” (Yaakov Shaul Elyashar) and vowed to support him completely for 24 years so he could devote himself to Torah study.

Yaakov Shaul flourished. He became a dayan, studied under the great sages of the time, and in 1869 was appointed Av Beit Din (head of the rabbinical court) of Jerusalem. In 1880, the leading rabbis of the generation wanted to appoint him as Rishon LeZion (Sephardic Chief Rabbi), but in his humility, he deferred to the elder Rabbi Meir Panizel. Only after Rabbi Panizel’s passing was it clear that no one was more fitting for the role.

In 1893, Rabbi Yaakov Shaul Elyashar, known by the title Yisa Beracha, was officially appointed as Rishon LeZion. Beloved by all communities—Ashkenazim, Sephardim, Yemenites, and Bukharim alike—he served with strength, wisdom, and grace. Even secular figures and Zionist leaders held him in high esteem. He welcomed Kaiser Wilhelm II to the Holy Land and was awarded a special decoration in return.

Rabbi Elyashar passed away in 1906, honored and revered, and was buried among the great rabbis on the Mount of Olives. His noble bearing was likened to that of an angel.

A Lasting Legacy

Rabbi Elyashar’s son, Rabbi Chaim Moshe Elyashar, who married Rabbi Panizel’s daughter, also served as Rishon LeZion. His own son, Rabbi Yosef Shaul Elyashar, was president of the Sephardic community council in Jerusalem and a founder of the Zichron Moshe neighborhood. The Elyashar family continued to serve as distinguished public leaders, shaping the fabric of Jerusalem’s Sephardic community for generations to come.