Rav Chaim Ibn Attar zt"l
Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh
Tammuz 15, 5503 / 1743
Born in 1696 in Salé, Morocco. His father Rav Moshe ben Attar named him after his grandfather, from whom he first learned Torah. In 1705, the family fled Salé for Meknès, where they lived in Chacham Moshe De Avila’s home.
At age 11 he married Patsonia, his first wife, who was such a tzadekes she even wore a Tallis & Tefillin. He travelled across Morocco and upon reaching Fez, he was appointed as Rosh Yeshiva by Rav Shmuel Elbaz. Since he had had no children, he married Esther, the daughter of Rabbi Meir of Fez, according to some accounts the couple had several daughters, other traditions say he never had any children from either of his wives.
After the Moroccon famine in 1738 he left for Algiers and then Livorno - Leghron, Italy. In Livorno he began preparing to move to Eretz Yisrael. In 1741 along with 30 of his talmidim he embarked for the Holy Land, arriving at the port of Acco, where they settled. He visited Kivrei Tzadikim and Rashbi in the Galilee and in 1742, they arrived in Yerusalayim, where he founded two yeshivot, one for niglah the “revealed” Torah and one for nistar the secrets and mysteries of Kabbalah.
His seforim include Chafetz Hashem, commentaries on Gemara, Pri Toar - on the Shulchan Aruch Yore Deah and his famed magnum opus Ohr HaHaim – his commentary on the Chumash. He also authored Rishon LeZion, a commentary on the Tanach.
Rabbeinu Chaim Ben Attar passed away at the age of 47, on 15 Tammuz, 5503 (1743) and was laid to rest on Har HaZeisim.
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