A Short Tribute
Hacham Yoseph Rubin Elkabelah was born in 1877 in Tripoli, Libya. His father Shmuel passed away in 1880, when he was three years old, and his mother, Aziza, raised him among sages.
Hacham Yoseph Rubin Elkabelah was Hacham Shalom Guita's student and married his daughter, Cassima.
In 1895 he was ordained to the rabbinate. He served as shochet [ritual slaughterer] and mohel [ritual circumciser], taught Torah and Talmud, and was the city synagogue's cantor. In 1912 he moved to Malta to serve as a rabbi. It was there, in 1913, that he heard of his mother's death.
In 1915, during the First World War, he was sent by the Tripoli community council to the town of Khoms, Libya to help the Jewish community deal with the ramifications of the Arab-Berber rebellion against the Italian army. The town of Khoms, which had been surrounded by the Arab-Berber army, was suffering from hunger and sickness, and death tolls were rising. His son, at the age of five, died and the death of his daughter, Barcossa, soon followed. Hacham Yoseph Rubin Elkabelah went to the town's besiegers to obtain food and medicine, placing himself in mortal danger. Heaven's mercy had it that the Arab army's commander, who was from the city of Misurata, had recruited Jews from Misurata to his army who were acquainted with Hacham Yoseph Rubin and vouched for him. It was Mustapha Kamel, at the time a Turkish lieutenant, who was to subsequently become the President of Turkey, Atatürk, who accompanied the Arab forces.
In 1919 Hacham Yoseph Rubin Elkabelah was sent to serve in the city of Zuwara. After some time, he returned to the city of Tripoli to head the Talmud Torah. A cholera epidemic erupted, leading to the death of many of the townspeople. It eventually became clear that one of the physicians had intentionally caused the deaths of the sick people instead of trying to heal them. Hacham Yoseph Rubin Elkabelah, who had stood up to the physician, was forced to escape from Tripoli. He reached Crete, and continued on to Izmir. This all took place at the time of the Greek-Turkish War. In 1922 the Turkish forces, led by Mustapha Kamel, were about to reconquer Izmir from the Greeks when a huge fire broke out that decimated the Christian quarters. Hacham Yoseph Rubin Elkabelah went to meet Mustapha Kamel, who recognized him and promised him that no harm would come to the town's residents.
In 1923 Hacham Yoseph Rubin Elkabelah returned to Malta, where he served for 8 years. In 1931 he returned to Tripoli, where he served as the community council's secretary, to supervise the Talmud Torah tutors. In 1935 he moved to serve in the city of Tobruk, an Italian colony in Libya on the Egyptian border, where he met Italian head of state Benito Mussolini. The battles over the city of Tobruk, which was passed back and forth between the Italian, German and British armies during World War Two, caused him to flee back to Tripoli. He was then overcome by illness and lost his sight.
In 1949 he immigrated to Israel with his family. They settled in the Yad HaMa'avir ma'abara [transit camp] in north Tel Aviv (now the Neve Sharett neighborhood), where he established the Libyan community's synagogue.
Hacham Yoseph Rubin Elkabelah passed away on 19 Tishrei 5688 (1952). A kollel was opened in his name on Moshav Dalton. He began writing his book, Yoseph Hen – sermons and halachot – in the village of Khoms, and completed it on the island of Malta. The book was published in 1928 in Tripoli, his home town, by the Abraham Teshuva Press and reissued in Israel by the Ganzi Raphael Institute.
A few quotes from the Rabbi on 'Tzedakah and Healing' in which he teaches to gather strength by giving charity and being glad and of good cheer.
"You shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him". We are informed here that the necessary condition for the fulfillment of any commandment is the elimination of worry and sorrow - even concerning the commandment of charity, the fulfillment of which entails sorrow. One must therefore gather strength, and be glad and of good cheer at the hour of obligatory giving, since this is the essence and summit of fulfilling the commandment. For this is how G-d commanded Moses: "Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts" – meaning to say: The people who are to be known by the name of Israel, who undoubtedly give willingly, are glad and of good cheer; to them you will say simply 'to bring me gifts'. But when you are to take an offering 'from every person whose heart so moves him', this means to say: When you know some imperfect person whose heart will be anguished and pained when giving, the words 'whose heart so moves him' are taken to refer to 'anguish'. To such people you are to say: Do not be sorrowful. When you 'bring Me gifts', I will soon reimburse you the offering you have given Me.willing' – this means to say: When you know some imperfect person whose heart will be anguished and pained when giving an offering, the words 'maketh him willing' is taken to refer to 'anguish'. To such people you are to say: Do not be sorrowful. When you 'take for Me an offering' I will soon reimburse you the offering you have given Me.
Yoseph Hen, Sermon B on the Virtue of Charity, p. 23, Abraham Teshuva Press, Tripoli, 1928
A few quotes from the Rabbi on 'Torah Study' in which he teaches to afford people with humility the merit of teaching Torah, because they do not ever get angry with students
"Why is Halacha ruled according to the House of Hillel? Because they have the virtue of humility." One must question the words of those [sages] of blessed memory: If the House of Hillel have the virtue of humility, is this a reason to rule Halacha according to them, even if it is not according to their ruling? To resolve this, let us begin with a great principle enunciated by our Sages, concerning one who is humble: "When he studies a precept, his intention is to understand it according to Halacha, and therefore Halacha is ruled as he says".
According to this, the verses in which Moses blessed the Tribe of Levi can be reconciled: " And of Levi he said: Let Your Thummim and Urim be with Your faithful one…They shall teach Your laws to Jacob and your instructions to Israel". At first glance, one would have to ask why Moses gave this blessing only to the Tribe of Levi. Aren't they all the tribes of G-d, having all received the Torah from Sinai and having all learned it directly from Moses? Why, then, did Moses accord the merit of reading the Torah, as well as its teaching, only to the Tribe of Levi?
Our interpretation, however, allows for this to be resolved, as follows: The Tribe of Levi have the virtue of humility. When the Land of Israel was divided among the tribes they did not take any inheritance, as is written in Scripture: "…the LORD is their inheritance" and they were very gladdened by this gift. This is why they are referred to by the term 'faithful', as written in Scripture: 'with Your faithful one', and this is what is meant by 'the intention to understand according to Halacha' as mentioned concerning the House of Hillel, who had the virtue of humility. When they would study with students, they would attend to them until they understood; they never became angry, for such was their virtue.
Yoseph Hen, Sermon B on the Virtue of the Righteous Person, p. 30, Abraham Teshuva Press, Tripoli, 1928
A few quotes from the Rabbi on 'Customs of Israel' in which he teaches that one abates one's grief when weeping along with the public who weep at the house of the deceased.
"Anyone who sheds tears over a righteous person, the Holy One, Blessed be He, counts and places them in His treasury". Question: Why is counting relevant here? Because it is known that it is the way and nature of people to weep from sorrow upon entering the house of a person who has passed away. For example, upon the death of one's father or mother or sons, seeing the public weep will rapidly bring on one's weeping. Later on, however, one will seclude oneself because of the death. For this reason they said: "The Holy One, Blessed be He, counts and places them…" Meaning – counting is necessary. The tears that one sheds over one's own sorrow are not taken into account, because they abate one's grief.
Yoseph Hen, Sermon D on the Upright and Wise Person, p. 38, Abraham Teshuva Press, Tripoli, 1928
A few quotes from the Rabbi on 'Traditions of the Fathers' in which he teaches the Torah innovation that the deaths of righteous women atone.
"Why was the section on the death of Miriam in the Torah juxtaposed to one on the Red Heifer? To tell you that just as the red heifer atones, so do the deaths of righteous women atone." The rabbi [named] Tirat Kesseph, of blessed memory, wrote: Would it not have been enough to say, 'Why was the [section on the] death of Aaron juxtaposed to [the one on] the priestly garments' to inform you that just as the priestly garments atone, so do the deaths of righteous men atone, since it does, in fact, say that the deaths of righteous men and sages atone? But what basis is there to say that the deaths of righteous women can atone? Women are not the same, for how can women merit this great thing, since they are not obligated to [study] Scripture and Talmud, even when they are righteous...? Miriam's death, therefore, was juxtaposed to the section on the Red Heifer to teach us something new, that the deaths of righteous women atone also, as does the red heifer. The Torah innovates, saying that the red heifer, which is also female, atones. Our masters, of blessed memory, saw the Midrash and wondered, in these words: "What reason is there for all the sacrifices to be male, and for this one to be female? Rabbi Ibo said: An allegory to a handmaiden…" In this way the heifer comes to atone on the [golden] calf affair. It is indeed astonishing in their eyes that there are only male sacrifices and no female ones. The heifer, however, despite its being female, does atone. Here the Torah also teaches us something new, through the juxtaposition of Miriam's death to the Red Heifer.
Yoseph Hen, Sermon D on the Upright and Wise Person, p. 38, Abraham Teshuva Press, Tripoli, 1928
1877-1952