Community Magazine May 2003

Hacham Ezra was also was active in opening Yeshivot in Israel. After his first Yeshiva was closed at the outbreak of World War I, he opened another in 1918 which eventually joined with Porat Yosef in 1923. In 1920, he started an elemen- tary school in Jerusalem called Magen David. The building still stands today on Rehov David; it was run by his son, Hacham Aharon Harari-Raful. Hacham Ezra's name is found on many rabbinical decisions from the Aleppo Beit Din, along with Hacham Abraham Ades. Hacham Abraham Harari-Raful was born into this great home in 1895, after his family had moved to Israel. Even as a young child, his impeccable upbringing was evident. When he first went to school, it was during difficult times. His family had a little more money than most, so his father was able to buy him socks. When he got to school, however, he saw that most children were wearing shoes without socks. He didn't want anyone else to feel jealous, so he went into anoth- er room, took off his socks, and put them in his pocket. Contrary to the common attitude of entitlement that argues "I work for my money, I can afford it. If someone else has a problem, let them work on their jealousy!" We learn from our great Rabbis, that this is not the proper attitude. Rather, "If he can't afford it, I should scale down to help preserve his dignity." Hacham Abraham embodied this by insisting "If someone else can't wear socks, I won't either." Hacham Abraham was renowned for his stellar memory. Hacham Ovadia Yosef remembers, "As little boys, when- ever we didn't know on which page a par- ticular Gemarah was located, we'd go to Hacham Abraham." He knew precisely where each one was located. Someone once asked him, "How do you remember everything?" He answered, "How can you forget? If something is important to you, and makes an impression on you, you remember." Hacham Abraham made a deliberate effort through the use of mnemonic devices to remember where Gemarahs were located. For example page Kaf Bet (22) of Chulin (the Gemarah is numbered using letters of the Hebrew alphabet) dis- cusses different types of kosher doves, so Hacham Abraham associated the initails B Y : R A B B I D A V I D S U T T O N Giants of The Glory Days T he chronicle of Hacham Abraham Harari-Raful begins with his father, Hacham Ezra Harari-Raful. Born in Aleppo in 1857, Hacham Ezra moved to Israel in 1890. Each month, he would give his son an envelope with money to pay for tuition for Yeshiva. As he handed him the envelope he would say, "I am now fulfilling the mitzvah of teaching my son Torah . . ." Hacham Abraham Harari-Raful k ” m@z 1895-1992