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Weekly Chasidic Story #885 (s5775-08 / 17 Cheshvan 5775) The Emissary of Hebron Rabbi Amram Ben Diwan was known for his miracles.
His blessings always came to pass, and Jews would travel to urgently seek him
from all the towns of Morocco.
The Emissary of Hebron ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When he arrived back in Hebron, he became friends with Rabbi Hayyim Bagoyo and Rabbi Avraham Gedalia, the Rabbis of the city. Together they studied Torah and penetrated many of its wondrous secrets, ascending day by day the rungs of perfection in Torah study and Divine service. However, Rabbi Amram's stay in Hebron was short-lived. An unfortunate incident caused his departure, forcing him to take up the mantle of sojourner once again and return to Morocco. At that time, Jews were not permitted to enter into the tomb of the Patriarchs. However, for Rabbi Amram, this prohibition did not in the least quench his fervent desire to pray by the tomb of our Fathers. He therefore disguised himself as an Arab, and without being noticed he entered the cave with the rest of the Muslims who had also come there to pray.
Rabbi Amram incurred heavy suffering for such a sacrilege. A friend of Rabbi Amram, who was also a servant of the Pasha, hurried to warn him that they intended to arrest him. In the middle of the night, Rabbi Amram, accompanied by his young son, Rabbi Hayyim, left their home. They feared returning to Jerusalem or a neighboring country because during that era Turkish power held sway over the entire region. He therefore decided to return to Morocco. Not long after his arrival, Rabbi Amram with his son Rabbi Hayyim traveled to all the towns of Morocco in order to spread the teaching of Torah. They arrived in Sefru, where they lodged in the Elbaz home. Having no children of their own, the Elbazes asked Rabbi Amram for a blessing to have a son. Rabbi Amram blessed them and promised that in the following year, at the very same time of year, the wife would give birth to a son who would later become a great Torah scholar. The blessing of the tzadik came to fruition. The son who was born to the Elbaz family was given the name of the Tzaddik, Amram, and afterwards the name of Rabbi Amram of Sefru became famous as a Gaon and great Torah Scholar. While Rabbi Amram was staying in the Elbaz home in Sefru, his son Rabbi Hayyim fell deathly ill. The doctors gave him no chance at recovering. Rabbi Amram prayed to the Creator of the world that He take his soul in place of his son's. His son, Rabbi Hayyim, indeed recovered from his illness, and they continued on their journey to all the towns of Morocco. But when they arrived in Quazzane, Rabbi Amram himself fell gravely ill, and soon afterwards rendered his soul to his Creator. The tomb of Rabbi Amram became a place of pilgrimage for all
the Jews of Morocco. Each year on Lag BaOmer, thousands of Jews come to Quazzane
to make the pilgrimage to the grave of the saint. Numerous miracles are said
to have occurred on his tomb: Incurable illnesses have been healed, the blind
have regained their site, the mute have found their voice, the paralyzed have
returned home on their own, and infertile women have had children after having
prayed there. It is told that a non-Jewish French military sergeant had a son who remained paralyzed after a serious illness. This sergeant had a Jewish friend that advised him to take his son to the tomb of Rabbi Amram Ben-Diwan in Quazzane. At first, the sergeant was skeptical and refused, but then later promised that if a miracle were to happen and his son would be healed, he would build a road with his own money in order to facilitate access to the tomb of the tzadik. The miracle occurred: As soon as his son approached the tomb of Rabbi Amram, he was healed. The happy father kept his promise and constructed a road that leads to the tomb of Rabbi Amram. The great poet, Rabbi David Ben-Hassin, composed a liturgical poem especially in his honor, a song that is sung by the Jews of Morocco on the day of his Hilula/yahrzeit. His son, Rabbi Hayyim Ben-Diwan, continued his father's work. He traveled from town to town with the goal of instructing Torah. He died at a ripe old age and rests in the village of Anranz, south of Marrakech. His tomb has also become a place of pilgrimage for all the Jews of Morocco.
Biographical note: Rabbi Amram Ben-Diwan [17?? - 16 Av 1782] was born in Jerusalem, but later settled in Hebron. In 5523 (1743), he was sent to Morocco to collect money for the yeshivas of the Holy Land. While there, he founded in Quazzane a Talmud-Torah and a yeshiva which subsequently contributed to the dissemination of Torah in all the communities of Morocco. Rabbi Amram was also known for his miracles, and his blessings always came to pass. The tomb of Rabbi Amram became a place of pilgrimage for all the Jews of Morocco, particularly on Lag BaOmer. Numerous miracles are said to have occurred there. Connections (2): Weekly Torah Reading--the beginning relates the Jews'
legal acquisition of Machpela Cave in Hebron. ~~~~~~~~~~~
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Imagine
his emotions when he approached the tomb of the Patriarchs! As his face became
drenched with tears, he quietly uttered his prayers, beseeching the Creator
of the world to hasten the Final Redemption. No one suspected that this "Muslim",
so absorbed as he was in his prayer, was actually a Jew. However, as Rabbi Amram
was preparing to leave, one of the Arabs recognized him and immediately ran
to the Pasha and informed him of the offense.
Yerachmiel
Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor
of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories
to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells
them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.