Hacham Moshe (Moussa) Haddad

Date of Birth: 2nd of Adar, 5669 (1909)
Date of Death: 5th of Av, 5753 (1993)

The Daily Sage, a database of Jewish Spanish sages

A Short Tribute

Hacham Moshe (Moussa) Haddad, son of Nissim, was born on 2 Adar 5669 (1909) in Djerba, Tunisia.

His mother was a midwife whose custom it was to assist poor and underprivileged women in childbirth, and his father was a manuscript scribe, shochet and bodeq.

Hacham Moshe Haddad studied Torah with Hacham Mekiketz Sheli and then jointly with Hacham Hai Hawita Hacohen, and Djerba Geonim Hacham Matzliakh Mazouz and Hacham Raphael Kadir Tzabban.

In 1928 Hacham Moshe Haddad married Hannah, daughter of Yoseph Houri.

In Djerba, Hacham Moshe Haddad was a manuscript scribe, shochet and bodeq, but when he began to experience tremors he abandoned his role as shochet and continued as a bodeq. He spent his mornings working in commerce for a livelihood and devoted his afternoons to Torah study.

In 1986 Hacham Moshe Haddad had Devek Tov published, written by his grandfather Hacham Kamos Michael Haddad, and edited Hacham Yonathan Sassi Cohen Ma’atuq’s book, Zera’ David.

Hacham Moshe (Moussa) Haddad died in 1993 and was buried in Jerusalem’s Har HaMenuhot cemetery.

A few quotes from the Rabbi on Israel and the Nations

in which he permits the rental of bicycles to non-Jews for use on the Sabbath

Question: Is it permissible to rent a bicycle to non-Jews for riding on the Sabbath? Response: This has been clarified by Maran’s words in Section 246 paragraph 1, who wrote: “It is permissible to rent implements to non-Jews on the Sabbath, despite that they use them for outright labor, since we were not commanded about implements”. This is the law in our case; it is certainly permissible to rent and this involves no prohibition.

Hacham Moshe (Moussa) Haddad, Birkat Moshe, Orakh Haim, p. 23, A. Haddad Publishing, Beitar Illit, 1996 From 'The Daily Sage'