The Hilula of Chacham Yehuda Fatiyah, ZYA"A by Rabbi Shmueli, Shlit"a - 27 M. Av 5786 - Wonders and Miracles

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Section 1: Torah Greatness and the Secret Commentary

Today marks the yahrzeit (anniversary of the passing) of Chacham Yehuda Fatiyah, peace be upon him. May his merit protect us, you, and all of Israel. Amen, Amen.

I told them yesterday: What was Chacham Yehuda Fatiyah like? First and foremost, he possessed an extraordinary knowledge of the Torah. He himself writes that during the First World War in 5674 (1914)—"when the earth trembled"—they were in Baghdad. Rabbi Yosef Chaim had already passed away, as had other great rabbis, and they didn't know what to do.

He relates that he was running all day from one righteous man to another with intense weeping and prayers, night and day. Then, messengers came to him from Heaven and instructed him:

"During the day go to prayers; at night sit and study."

That is precisely what he did. At night he studied, and during that period he authored a commentary on the Idra Rabba and Idra Zuta—and no one in the world knew about it!

Section 2: Aliyah to Jerusalem and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s Dream

When he reached the age of 45, (some time) before the Holocaust, he immigrated to the Land of Israel from Baghdad.

The day before he arrived, Rabbi Avraham Ades—a holy Kabbalist—met with Rabbi Ben-Zion Hazan, who was the Rabbi of the Iraqi community and the gabbai (administrator) of Yeshivat Porat Yosef in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Avraham Ades: "I want to ask you a question. Tomorrow a certain Rabbi is scheduled to arrive here, I don't know anything about him, they call him an Iraqi named Chacham Yehuda Fatiyah."
Rabbi Ben-Zion Hazan: "Exactly so! How do you know?"
Rabbi Avraham Ades: "It doesn't matter how. Tomorrow he will arrive, and I want to go visit him."
Rabbi Ben-Zion Hazan: "Nonsense, I will bring him to you!"
Rabbi Avraham Ades: "No, I want to go visit him."

The next day, Rabbi Avraham Ades went directly to Chacham Yehuda Fatiyah's home. Chacham Fatiyah said: "What... I would have come to your honor!"

Rabbi Ades replied: "Is it true that you have a work, Yein Rekach, on the Idra Rabba and Idra Zuta, where you explained everything and revealed great secrets?"

Chacham Fatiyah was amazed: "True, but no one in the world knows. How do you know?"

Rabbi Ades answered:

"Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi) came to me in a dream! He said to me: 'Tell him, today Yehuda Fatiyah will come; tell him that I said it is good for him to publish it to the light.'"

Rabbi Ades offered: "I want to have the merit of giving you the money for the printing." But Chacham Fatiyah declined: "No! If so, it is my privilege. I am returning to Baghdad where I have money, and then I will return here to print it." And that is exactly what happened—he returned and printed it.

Section 3: Property in Jerusalem and the Burial Caves

Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri told me that Chacham Yehuda Fatiyah sent money to Jerusalem to purchase land. He paid a large sum for the entire Schneller area—owning the land even before it became the Schneller Compound.

However, he later backed out of the purchase and requested a different site. When asked why, he explained:

"I dreamed at night and saw Divine Names (Havayot) rising from the ground, and great lights coming out of the earth. It is not advisable to live there."

They sold the land back for him. Today, the Schneller Compound stands there, but underneath it all is a burial cave. My home is right opposite it; when they were digging, I saw that the entire subterranean area consists of burial caves—arches built over arches—upon which the modern buildings stand. He didn't just casually refuse it; he said: "I don't want it."!

Instead, Chacham Fatiyah bought a smaller building nearby in Mahane Yehuda, where the Minchat Yehuda synagogue stands, purchasing that entire surrounding area.

Section 4: Miraculous Cures and Holy Names

Chacham Yehuda Fatiyah lived near here. Rabbi Eliyahu Chamad told us that he came to Israel from Egypt as a youth and saw him. Other rabbis recall him as well—one rabbi mentioned playing ball as a child and accidentally throwing the ball into Chacham Fatiyah’s home!

1. The Young Man in the Egyptian Asylum

A family received word from Egypt that a relative had gone insane and was placed in an asylum. Hearing that a Kabbalist at Yeshivat Porat Yosef knew how to cure such afflictions, they came with Rabbi Eliyahu Chamad’s father to Chacham Fatiyah.

Chacham Fatiyah instructed: "Go buy me Mansouri cloth from the market." They brought a piece of cloth the size of a large handkerchief. The Rabbi tied its four corners, shaped it like a skullcap (kippah), whispered incantations over it, and instructed:

"Put it in an envelope, send it to Egypt, and tell them to place it on the insane person's head."

The moment they placed the cloth on his head in Egypt, he was completely cured!

2. Rabbi Yaakov Towfik’s Childhood Fear

Rabbi Towfik, one of the rabbis at Porat Yosef who passed away, told me himself that as a child he suffered from severe anxiety—he was terrified of riding the bus and afraid to sleep.

Chacham Yehuda Fatiyah said: "Yes, he is right to be afraid. I will write a Holy Name for him, and from today onward, he will not be afraid." He wrote the Holy Name, and from that day forward, the child felt no fear.

3. Ending Superstitions and Idolatrous Practices

Back then, when people had sick children, some would pour water for demons or offer food—practices forbidden by Torah law. Chacham Yehuda Fatiyah told the public:

"Anyone who abstains from doing this—let him come to me, and I will heal them completely! There is no need for this. I am the healer; do not go pouring water, for it is forbidden like idolatry!"

Section 5: The Story of Rabbi Yehuda Choresh’s Family

Yesterday, I mentioned the righteous Rabbi Yehuda Choresh. His father, Abu Shmael, was named Chacham Naji (his eldest son was Shmael/Shmuel).

First Wife: Chacham Naji married a Baghdadi woman. A year later she became pregnant, gave birth to a daughter, and both the baby and the wife passed away.
Second Wife (First Sister): Devastated, he went to Chacham Yehuda Fatiyah, who advised: "Take her sister, Farha!" They married, she became pregnant, but tragically died during childbirth along with the baby girl.
Third Wife (Second Sister): Displaying boundless faith in the Rabbi, Chacham Naji returned to Chacham Fatiyah. The Rabbi told him: "Take the third sister! Take her, and now watch. I will write an amulet (kami'a) for her. Place it on her, and she will give birth to six sons and two daughters. On one condition: you must name the sixth son Yehuda!"

Ben Porat Yosef! Exactly as foretold, she gave birth to six sons and two daughters. The sixth son was named Yehuda after Chacham Yehuda Fatiyah. That is why he hosted this grand feast today, and why he will light the candle in honor of Chacham Yehuda Fatiyah!

Section 6: Stopping Rommel’s Advance (World War II)

Chacham Yehuda Fatiyah, peace be upon him, played a crucial spiritual role in stopping General Rommel's Nazi army in Egypt from advancing to the Land of Israel.

The Fast at Rachel's Tomb

Chacham Fatiyah organized a day of public fasting and prayer. He took the entire congregation to Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem, where they wore sackcloth and put ashes on their heads.

It is related that Chacham Fatiyah filled a cup with his own tears, drank the cup of tears, and fainted. Upon reviving, he asked the people:

Chacham Fatiyah: "Did you see Matriarch Rachel?"
Congregation: "No."
Chacham Fatiyah: "I saw Rachel! She put on her garments and ascended above, and everything is alright. Let us leave—everything of the enemy's plans will fall!"

The Flight of Atonement (Kapparot)

Though the spiritual decree was annulled, danger still loomed. Chacham Fatiyah decided to perform a daring spiritual act: a flight of atonement (Kapparot) over the Land of Israel.

Marko Cohen (the father of Rabbi Menachem Cohen, from the Greek Synagogue) paid for a British plane.
The Kabbalists boarded the plane with Chacham Fatiyah and circled the borders of the Land.
According to the Rabbi's instructions, they recited intense prayers and supplications, and even performed the ritual slaughter of roosters (Kapparot) inside the airplane!

This event was documented in The Jerusalem Post on August 14, 1953, featuring an interview with the pilot, Wynn Van Loud (who was himself of Jewish descent). The pilot recalled wondering what was happening, not understanding what the Rabbi was doing inside the plane.

Three weeks after this flight, Rommel's forces retreated and were defeated, saving the Jewish people in Israel.

Section 7: Final Days and Spiritual Legacy

A few days after these events, at the age of 84, Rabbi Yehuda Fatiyah passed away.

Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri’s Testimony

At the time, General Rommel—the Nazi commander—had reached Egypt. Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri was at Yeshivat Porat Yosef and announced to those present: "That's it, Rommel is gone."

They didn't believe him initially, saying: "What happened to you? Do you know what these Nazis are?!" But soon after, they saw he was right.

A non-Jewish observer who witnessed the intense prayers during that era remarked: "If people had performed such prayers over there in Europe, everything would have worked out."

The Soul of Adam and Kabbalistic Works

When asked if he was afraid of the immense spiritual dangers, Chacham Fatiyah explained that his soul's root originated from the eye of Adam (Adam HaRishon), giving him unique strength to handle such decrees with holiness.

What immense spiritual powers they possessed! Today, people continue to study his holy books. His commentaries on the Idra Rabba and Idra Zuta are incomparable—as Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai attested, he encapsulated the entirety of Kabbalah (including the Etz Chaim and Sha'ar HaKavanot) within them.