Hacham Levi Sa'adia Nahmani


Hacham Levi Sa'adia Nahmani

Date of Birth: 11th of Adar, 5681 (1921)
Date of Death: 7th of Shevat, 5755 (1995)
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A Short Tribute

Hacham Levi Sa'adia Nahmani was born to Rina and Hacham Yaakov in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 11 Adar 5681 (1921). He was born after his parents' previous children had died as babies and was named after Hacham Eliezer Halevi, his parents' rabbi, and after Hacham Sa'adia Rabah, at whose tomb his parents had prayed for children.

Hacham Levi Sa'adia Nahmani studied with his father, with Hacham Yaakov Hazut and Hacham Avraham Abitbol and was ordained by Hacham Shalom Messas.

Hacham Levi Sa'adia Nahmani and his spouse, Phoebe, had four sons: Israel, Ben-Zion Meir, Shaul and Sar-Shalom.

Hacham Levi Sa'adia Nahmani taught in the Otzar HaTorah Talmud Torah and in 1954 was appointed to the Neve Shalom yeshiva. During the period that followed, he also taught Bible and Talmud in the teacher's Beit Midrash in Casablanca.

In 1964 Hacham Levi Sa'adia Nahmani immigrated to Israel, settling in Jerusalem's Bait VeGan neighborhood. He was one of the founders of the Beit Shmuel synagogue in the Shmuel HaNavi neighborhood and of Darcei No'am – an institute for Torah study for adults and for youth. Hacham Levi Sa'adia Nahmani taught Torah and Judaism in universities and ran afternoon lessons for youth.

Hacham Levi Sa'adia Nahmani passed away on 7 Shevat 5755 (1995) and was buried on Har HaMenuhot in Jerusalem.

Hacham Levi Sa'adia Nahmani wrote Brit HaLevy, a commentary on the Zohar, and various booklets, including Ve'Anta HaShira HaZu, which treats contemporary issues and the topic of redemption.

A few quotes from the Rabbi on Torah Study
in which he teaches that the Torah is similar to a path that changes with every step you take forward

Supreme knowledge is concealed in Creation, and it reveals itself progressively; each and every generation has its problems and aspirations, and a person might consider that Torah is no longer a source of guidance, heaven forbid. It contains, however, the origin of Creation, which can be called a path – and just like this path, its landscape and surface change; every step forward has you renewing your attention for reasons of pace and safety. Yet this is all revealed to you thanks to light; light is the plain, single agent through which you discover all that lies before you –whether in differentiating between place and time, or within Creation itself – this same, plain light that exists from the dawn of the Genesis to this day. This is the sense in which the Torah is called light, and is the reason that all places and times, and all of Creation, will bestow light upon you and reveal to you the solutions to the new questions.

Hacham Levi Sa'adia Nahmani, Brit Halevi, Ecclesiastes 12, pp. 203 – 204, published by the Machshevet Levi Institute, Jerusalem, 2000 From 'The Daily Sage'
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"It is our custom to light a yahrzeit candle in honor of the memory of the Sages, as it is said: “the life breath of man is the lamp of the Lord” (Proverbs 20:27). And it is good to add from the light of the Torah to the light of the candle, as it is said “For the commandment is a lamp, the teaching is a light” (Proverbs 6:23). And it is good to increase the teaching of the Sage on the anniversary of his death, as Rabbi Yochanan based on the teachings of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai said, “Each scholar whose sayings are taught in this world, his lips speak from the grave (Bechorot 31B).”

“Even if all of the skies are a blank parchment, and all human beings are clerks, and all of the forests are quills, we would never be able to write down what our Sages have taught us. But even a few righteous are also good, and thanks to the sacred Torah and the teachings that Israel will learn in the Sage’s name on the anniversary of his death, the Holy One Blessed be He, will share our part with them, and we will never be ashamed because of our faith in the Holy One Blessed be He, and on his great benevolence and truth will we lean, for He hides his abundant goodness for those who are worthy and revere Him.”

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Rabbi Chananaia son of Akashia stated, God wanted to grant merits to Israel, therefore he gave them many laws and commandments as it states, "Because God wants righteousness he increased the amount of Torah and splendor." (Isaiah 42:21).