Sadqa Hussein: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Iraqi rabbi (1876–1961)}} |
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{{Infobox Jewish leader |
{{Infobox Jewish leader |
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| honorific-prefix = [[Hakham]] |
| honorific-prefix = [[Hakham]] |
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| name = |
| name = Sadqa Hussein |
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| honorific-suffix = |
| honorific-suffix = |
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| title = |
| title = |
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| image = |
| image = |
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| caption = |
| caption = |
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| synagogue = |
| synagogue = Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue |
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| synagogueposition = Rabbi |
| synagogueposition = [[Rabbi]] |
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| yeshiva = |
| yeshiva = |
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| yeshivaposition = |
| yeshivaposition = |
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| organisation = |
| organisation = [[Sephardi]] [[Edah HaChareidis|Edah HaHaredith]] |
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| organisationposition = |
| organisationposition = [[Dayan (rabbinic judge)|Dayan]] |
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| began = 1929 |
| began = 1929 |
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| ended = 1961 |
| ended = 1961 |
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| predecessor = |
| predecessor = |
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| successor = |
| successor = [[Yaakov Mutzafi]] |
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| rabbi = |
| rabbi = |
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| rebbe = |
| rebbe = |
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| birth_place = [[Baghdad]], [[Ottoman Iraq]] |
| birth_place = [[Baghdad]], [[Ottoman Iraq]] |
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| death_date = February 17, 1961 |
| death_date = February 17, 1961 |
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| death_place = [[Jerusalem]], |
| death_place = [[Jerusalem]], Israel |
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| yahrtzeit = 1 [[Adar]] 5721 |
| yahrtzeit = 1 [[Adar]] 5721 |
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| buried = [[Sanhedria Cemetery]] |
| buried = [[Sanhedria Cemetery]] |
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| nationality = |
| nationality = |
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| denomination = [[Orthodox Judaism]] |
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| residence = |
| residence = |
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| dynasty = |
| dynasty = |
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| spouse = |
| spouse = |
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| children = |
| children = |
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| occupation = |
| occupation = [[Mohel]] |
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| profession = |
| profession = |
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| alma_mater = Midrash |
| alma_mater = [[Midrash Bet Zilkha]] |
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| semicha = |
| semicha = |
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| signature = |
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}} |
}} |
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''' |
'''Sadqa Hussein''' ({{langx|he|צדקה חוצין}}; in [[Ashkenazi Hebrew]]: ''Tzadka Chutzin''; {{langx|ar|صدقا حسين}}, February 3, 1876 – February 17, 1961)<ref name=Hebrew>{{cite web|url=http://mytzadik.com/index.asp?lid=6&page=tzadik&kid=429&t=%D7%A8%27%20%D7%A6%D7%93%D7%A7%D7%94%20%D7%97%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%9F%20-%20%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%A0%D7%99|title=Sadqa Hussein II|language=Hebrew|publisher=MyTzadik.com}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> was a [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardi]] [[Beth din#Officers of a beth din|dayan]], [[mohel]], and spiritual leader to the [[History of the Jews in Iraq|Iraqi Jewish]] community in [[Iraq#Ottoman Iraq|Iraq]] and [[Israel]]. He taught thousands of students in [[Baghdad]], and led the Iraqi expatriate community in [[Jerusalem]]. He was the founder and {{transl|he|rosh mesivta}} of the Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue in the [[Geula]] neighborhood of Jerusalem. |
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==Early life== |
== Early life == |
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Sadqa Hussein was born in [[Baghdad]], [[Ottoman Iraq]], to Moshe Hussein, and grew up in a prosperous family. He was a fifth-generation descendant of the 18th-century rabbi [[Sadqa Bekhor Hussein]],<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.dangoor.com/thescribe73.pdf |title=Ties between the Jews of Aleppo and of Iraq in the 18th century|journal=The Scribe: Journal of Babylonian Jewry|issue=73|page=11|year=2000}} (Abridged from Zvi Yehuda's article of the same title, in Nehardea: Journal of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center, no. 12, autumn 1999; ''Dangoor.com'')</ref> the author of the ''[[Halakha|halakhic]]'' [[responsa]] {{transl|he|Sedaqah U-Mishpat}}.{{sfn|Tidhar|1947|p=112}} In his youth, he studied at [[Midrash Bet Zilkha]], the foremost [[yeshiva]] of its day, under the tutelage of Elisha Dangour, [[Beth Din#Officers of a beth din|Av Beit Din]] of Baghdad.{{sfn|Rossoff|2005|p=358}} He later studied under the [[Yosef Hayyim|Ben Ish Hai]], who would count him among his favorite students. Hussein's financial situation allowed him to pursue his studies uninterrupted, allowing him to achieve a high degree of [[Torah]] scholarship. |
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== Career == |
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Hussein founded Midrash [[Talmud Torah]], the community ''[[Cheder|heder]]'' (primary school) in Baghdad, which accepted hundreds of children regardless of their parents' ability to pay tuition. Funding for the school was arranged by way of a [[luxury tax]] that was imposed on the sale of meat. During his years in Baghdad, Hussein personally taught upwards of 4,000 children.{{sfn|Rossoff|2005|p=358}} Every evening he gave a ''[[Shiur (Torah)|shiur]]'' (lecture) in {{transl|he|halakha}} to householders that went four or five hours.{{sfn|Rossoff|2005|p=358}} From those years he earned the title "[[Hakham]] Sadqa", which he was known by the rest of his life.{{sfn|Rossoff|2005|p=358}} |
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As a |
As a consequence of [[World War I]], the [[Ottoman Empire]] lost control of Iraq to the [[United Kingdom]]. At first, the material situation of the local Jews improved. The British, who found themselves in control of a vastly enlarged empire, needed clerks who were familiar with the local language and customs to help them with their bureaucracy, and found the Jews to be suited to the task. The Jewish community would go on to take a commanding role in the banking and insurance sectors of the economy.<ref>{{cite web |last=Black|first=Edwin|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/iraqblack.html |title=Jews in Islamic Countries: The Sudden End of Iraqi Jewry|publisher=[[Jewish Virtual Library]]}}</ref> This period also saw many young students seeking to advance their education abroad at the great universities of England. |
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As a result of these events, the Jews began to drift away from their traditional customs, taking on a more modern approach to their daily lives. Eventually, certain people in the [[laity]] began to challenge some of Hussein's education policies, especially in regards to the unpopular meat tax, and his decision to omit most secular studies from the Talmud Torah's curriculum. He stood virtually alone against his adversaries, who did not refrain from trying to compromise him vis-à-vis the authorities on account of his perceived antiquated positions. By calling for public protests, fasting, and the reading of {{transl|he|[[kinnot]]}} (dirges), he eventually succeeded in blocking the reformers' initiatives, refusing to give in to his opponents' disregard for the traditions that had been bequeathed to him by his mentors.<ref name=Hebrew/>{{sfn|Rossoff|2005|p=358}} |
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==Move to Jerusalem== |
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[[File:Shemesh Sedaqa.jpg|thumb| [[Shemesh Ṣedaqah Synagogue]] in 2016]] |
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Having absorbed from his master the Ben Ish Ḥai a longing for Jerusalem, Ḥussein had made a pilgrimage there in 1904 together with the Rabbi [[Yaakov Chaim Sofer]] (the Kaf HaḤayyim) and Rabbi Yechezkel Ezra Rahamim (the Aṣei HaYa'ar),{{sfn|Tidhar|1947|p=112}} where they held communion in the court of Rabbi [[Yaakov Shaul Elyashar]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Bar Osher|first=Avishai|url=http://cms.education.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/6082B064-8FE4-4C54-BF11-6323CFCCA1E6/180662/resource_1850442337.pdf |title=Biography of Rabbi Yosef Ḥayyim, the Ben Ish Ḥai|location=Jerusalem|year=2014|page=6|language=Hebrew|publisher=Cms.edu.gov.il}}</ref> In 1924, with his family and a few close disciples, Ḥussein made [[aliyah]] and settled in Jerusalem, then part of British [[Mandatory Palestine]].<ref name=Hebrew/>{{sfn|Tidhar|1947|p=112}} |
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=== Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue === |
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In 1929 Ḥussein established the Shemesh Ṣedaqah Synagogue on Rechov Haggai in the [[Geula]] neighborhood of Jerusalem.<ref name=Hebrew/>{{sfn|Rossoff|2005|p=359}}{{sfn|Tidhar|1947|p=112}} The name of the congregation was derived from the verse "And the sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in its wings" ([[Malachi]] 3:20).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16221/jewish/Chapter-3.htm |title=Malachi – Chapter 3|publisher=[[Chabad|Chabad.org]]|year=2016}} The name was a reference to the [[Shacharit]] prayer held in the synagogue, which commenced every day before sunrise (''vatikin'')</ref> Ḥussein both led the synagogue as rabbi and taught ''[[Shiur (Torah)|shiurim]]'' in the synagogue to students and local householders.{{sfn|Tidhar|1947|p=112}} |
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{{Infobox religious building |
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| name = Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue |
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| native_name = {{langx|he|בית כנסת ובית מדרש שמש צדקה}} |
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| native_name_lang = |
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| image = Shemesh Sedaqa.jpg |
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| image_upright = 1.4 |
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| alt = |
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| caption = The Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue in 2016 |
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| religious_affiliation = [[Orthodox Judaism]] |
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| rite = [[Nusach Sefard]] |
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| location = Haggai Street, [[Geula]], [[Jerusalem]] |
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| country = [[Israel]] |
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| map_type = Jerusalem |
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| map_caption = Location of the synagogue in [[Jerusalem]] |
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| founded_by = Rabbi Sadqa Hussein |
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| year_completed = 1929 |
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}} |
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Having absorbed from his master the Ben Ish Hai a longing for [[Jerusalem]], Hussein had made a pilgrimage there in 1904 together with [[Yaakov Chaim Sofer]] (the Kaf HaHayyim) and Yehezkel Ezra Rahamim (the Asei HaYa'ar),{{sfn|Tidhar|1947|p=112}} where they held communion in the court of [[Yaakov Shaul Elyashar]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Bar Osher|first=Avishai|url=http://cms.education.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/6082B064-8FE4-4C54-BF11-6323CFCCA1E6/180662/resource_1850442337.pdf |title=Biography of Rabbi Yosef Hayyim, the Ben Ish Hai|location=Jerusalem|year=2014|page=6|language=Hebrew|publisher=Cms.edu.gov.il}}</ref> In 1924, with his family and a few close disciples, Hussein made [[aliyah]] and settled in Jerusalem, then part of British [[Mandatory Palestine]].<ref name=Hebrew/>{{sfn|Tidhar|1947|p=112}} |
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In 1929, Hussein established the '''Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue''' ({{langx|he|בית כנסת ובית מדרש שמש צדקה}}), an [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] [[Judaism|Jewish]] [[synagogue]], located on Haggai Street in the [[Geula]] neighborhood of Jerusalem.<ref name=Hebrew/>{{sfn|Tidhar|1947|p=112}}{{sfn|Rossoff|2005|p=359}} The name of the congregation was derived from the verse "And the sun ({{Lang|he|שמש}}) of righteousness ({{Lang|he|צדקה}}) shall arise with healing in its wings" ([[Malachi]] 3:20).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16221/jewish/Chapter-3.htm |title=Malachi – Chapter 3|publisher=[[Chabad|Chabad.org]]|year=2016}} The name was a reference to the [[Shacharit]] prayer held in the synagogue, which commenced every day before sunrise ({{transl|he|vatikin}})</ref> Hussein both led the synagogue as rabbi, and taught {{transl|he|shiurim}} in the synagogue to students and local householders.{{sfn|Tidhar|1947|p=112}} |
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Ḥussein endeavored to fulfill many of the [[Mitzvah|mitzvot]] particular to the [[Land of Israel]] (''mitzvot hateluyot ba'aretz''). To that end, he planted wheat in the backyard of the synagogue, separating from it the [[Heave offering|terumah]] and [[First tithe|ma'aser]], and relinquished the [[pe'ah]]. He would then harvest it for use in his own specially prepared [[Passover]] [[matzo]], which he then distributed.<ref name=Hebrew/> He also kept a donkey for the fulfillment of the [[Petter Chamor|petter ḥamor]]. |
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Hussein endeavored to fulfill many of the {{transl|he|[[Mitzvah|mitzvot]] hateluyot ba'aretz}} (commandments particular to the [[Land of Israel]]). To that end, he planted wheat in the backyard of the synagogue, separating from it the ''[[Heave offering|terumah]]'' and ''[[First tithe|ma'aser]]'' ([[Tithes in Judaism|tithes]]), and relinquished the {{transl|he|[[pe'ah]]}} (field corner for the poor). He would then harvest it for use in his own specially prepared [[Matzah|matzo]] (unleavened [[Passover]] bread), which he then distributed.<ref name=Hebrew/> He also kept a donkey for the fulfillment of the ''[[Petter Chamor|petter hamor]]'' (redemption of the firstborn). |
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Ḥussein demanded this kind of scrupulousness from his peers as well. One time in the 1950s, he asked his student [[Mordechai Eliyahu]] to arrange a meeting for him with [[Admor|Grand Rabbi]] [[Joel Teitelbaum|Yoel Teitelbaum]] of [[Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)|Satmar]], who was visiting Jerusalem at the time. Ḥussein ordered Teitelbaum to desist from his practice of riding in a car on Friday afternoon after sundown; Teitelbaum based this practice on the rulings of [[Rabbeinu Tam]], but Ḥussein deemed it a violation of the Shabbat.<ref>[http://tzadikim1.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_3686.html ''Biography of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu'']; Yom Petirath HaṢadiqim, Hebrew; ''Tzadikim1.com''.</ref> |
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Hussein demanded this kind of scrupulousness from his peers as well. One time in the 1950s, he asked his student [[Mordechai Eliyahu]] to arrange a meeting for him with [[Joel Teitelbaum|Yoel Teitelbaum]], the [[Rebbe|Grand Rabbi]] of [[Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)|Satmar]], who was visiting Jerusalem at the time. Hussein ordered Teitelbaum to desist from his practice of riding in a car on Friday afternoon after sundown; Teitelbaum based this practice on the rulings of [[Rabbeinu Tam]], but Hussein deemed it a violation of the [[Shabbat]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tzadikim1.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_3686.html |trans-title=Biography of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu |title=Yom Petirath HaSadiqim |language=he |date=July 2011 |work=Tzadikim1.com |access-date= }}</ref> |
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Ḥussein refused to receive any benefit from his status in the community, recusing himself from any formal rabbinic position, although he did serve as dayan in the Sephardi [[Edah HaChareidis|Edah HaḤaredit]]. He set up free Torah lectures for young and old, and either paid for tutors out of his own pocket, or taught the lessons himself. An expert mohel, Ḥussein performed [[Bris milah|circumcisions]] on thousands of infants, sometimes to a fourth generation in the family.<ref name=Hebrew/>{{sfn|Rossoff|2005|p=359}} |
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=== Sefardi Edah HaHaredith === |
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==Family== |
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An [[Anti-Zionism|anti-Zionist]], Hussein refused to receive any benefit from his status in the community, recusing himself from any formal rabbinic position, although he did serve as dayan in the Sephardi [[Edah HaChareidis|Edah HaHaredith]]. He set up free Torah lectures for young and old, and either paid for tutors out of his own pocket, or taught the lessons himself. An expert mohel, Hussein performed [[Bris milah|circumcisions]] on thousands of infants, sometimes to a fourth generation in the family.<ref name=Hebrew/>{{sfn|Rossoff|2005|p=359}} |
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Ḥussein married No'am, his first cousin, the daughter of Rabbi Avraham Ṣadqa,<ref name=Hebrew/> who bore him one son. His grandson Menashe Ṣadqa is a pulpit rabbi in [[New York City]]. |
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== Personal life and death == |
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Hussein married No'am, his first cousin, the daughter of Avraham Sadqa,<ref name=Hebrew/> who bore him one son. His grandson, Menashe Sadqa, is a pulpit rabbi in [[Queens]], New York. Hussein died at the age of 85, and was buried in the [[Sanhedria Cemetery]] in Jerusalem.<ref name=Hebrew/> |
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== Notable students == |
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Among Ḥussein's students were Sephardi [[Chief Rabbinate of Israel|Chief Rabbis of Israel]] [[Yitzhak Nissim]] and [[Mordechai Eliyahu]];<ref>[http://www.harav.org/Dmuto/ArticleDetail.asp?IDPI=45 ''Life and Times of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu''], Hebrew; ''Harav.org''</ref> deans of [[Porat Yosef Yeshiva|Porath Yosef Yeshiva]] [[Yehuda Tzadka]] and [[Ben Zion Abba Shaul]];<ref>[http://www.kiah.org.il/he/%D7%97%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7... ''Biography of Rabbi Ben-Zion Abba Shaul'']; Ḥovereth BeQerev Ḥakhamim Talin, pg. 24, Hebrew; ''Kiah.org</ref> and [[Yaakov Mutzafi]],<ref>Shemueli, Ruth; [http://www.iba.org.il/moreshet/?entity=1165767&page=372 ''Light A Candle For Rabbi Yaakov Mutzafi'']; Resheth Moresheth, Hebrew; ''Israel Broadcasting Authority''</ref> who succeeded him as Av Beit Din and Rabbi of Shemesh Ṣedaqa.{{sfn|Rossoff|2005|p=359}} In 1933, Ḥussein persuaded the father of a 12-year-old [[Ovadia Yosef]] to send his son to the [[Porat Yosef Yeshiva]]. Yosef would go on to become the greatest figure of Mizrahi Jewry in the 20th century.<ref>[http://achdut-israel.org/il/heritage/ ''Biography of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef''], Hebrew; ''Achdut-Israel.org.il</ref> |
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Among Hussein's students were Sephardi [[Chief Rabbinate of Israel|Chief Rabbis of Israel]] [[Yitzhak Nissim]] and [[Mordechai Eliyahu]];<ref>[http://www.harav.org/Dmuto/ArticleDetail.asp?IDPI=45 ''Life and Times of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu''], Hebrew; ''Harav.org''</ref> deans of [[Porat Yosef Yeshiva]] [[Yehuda Tzadka]] and [[Ben Zion Abba Shaul]];<ref>[http://www.kiah.org.il/he/%D7%97%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7... ''Biography of Rabbi Ben-Zion Abba Shaul'']{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}; Hovereth BeQerev Hakhamim Talin, pg. 24, Hebrew; ''Kiah.org''</ref> and [[Yaakov Mutzafi]],<ref>Shemueli, Ruth; [http://www.iba.org.il/moreshet/?entity=1165767&page=372 ''Light A Candle For Rabbi Yaakov Mutzafi'']; Resheth Moresheth, Hebrew; ''Israel Broadcasting Authority''</ref> who succeeded him as Av Beit Din and Rabbi of Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue.{{sfn|Rossoff|2005|p=359}} |
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In 1933, Hussein persuaded the father of a 12-year-old [[Ovadia Yosef]] to send his son to the Porat Yosef Yeshiva. Yosef would go on to become the greatest figure of [[Mizrahi Jews|Mizrahi]] Jewry in the 20th century.<ref>[http://achdut-israel.org/il/heritage/ ''Biography of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212165632/http://achdut-israel.org/il/heritage/ |date=2015-02-12 }}, Hebrew; ''Achdut-Israel.org.il''</ref> |
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==Works== |
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*[http://www.hebrewbooks.org/33995 ''Meqitz Nirdamim''] A collection of exhortations delivered on [[Rosh Hashanah]] in Jerusalem during the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]] (2 volumes, published in Jerusalem in 1943 and 1944){{sfn|Tidhar|1947|p=112}} |
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== |
== Works == |
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*[https://www.hebrewbooks.org/33995 ''Meqitz Nirdamim''] A collection of exhortations delivered on [[Rosh Hashanah]] in Jerusalem during the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]] (2 volumes, published in Jerusalem in 1943 and 1944){{sfn|Tidhar|1947|p=112}} |
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{{Portal|Biography|Judaism|Iraq|Jerusalem}} |
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== See also == |
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{{Portal|Biography|Judaism|Iraq}} |
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*[[History of the Jews in Iraq]] |
*[[History of the Jews in Iraq]] |
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{{Reflist|30em}} |
{{Reflist|30em}} |
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==Sources== |
== Sources == |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book |last=Rossoff |first=Dovid |script-title=he:קדושים אשר בארץ: קברי צדיקים בירושלים ובני ברק |trans-title=The Holy Ones in the Earth: Graves of Tzaddikim in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak|language=Hebrew|year=2005|pages=358–359|publisher=Machon Otzar HaTorah |location=Jerusalem}} |
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*{{Cite Tidhar|1|112|צדקה חוצין|ref={{sfnref|Tidhar|1947}} }} |
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*{{cite book |ref=harv|url=http://www.tidhar.tourolib.org/tidhar/view/1/112|title=Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel|language=Hebrew|volume=1|first=David|last=Tidhar|authorlink=David Tidhar|year=1947}} |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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* [http://www.breslev-midot.com/zoom.htm?pic=enlarge/zdaka_huzun.jpg Photograph of |
* [http://www.breslev-midot.com/zoom.htm?pic=enlarge/zdaka_huzun.jpg Photograph of Sadqa Hussein]; ''Breslev-midot.com'' |
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* [http://www.mytzadik.com/index.asp?lid=5&page=tzadik&kid=1507&t=Rabbi%20Tzadka%20Chutzin%20the%202nd Gravestone of |
* [http://www.mytzadik.com/index.asp?lid=5&page=tzadik&kid=1507&t=Rabbi%20Tzadka%20Chutzin%20the%202nd Gravestone of Sadqa Hussein]{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}; ''MyTzadik.com'' |
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Latest revision as of 07:25, 1 November 2024
Sadqa Hussein | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | February 3, 1876 |
| Died | February 17, 1961 Jerusalem, Israel |
| Alma mater | Midrash Bet Zilkha |
| Occupation | Mohel |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Jewish leader | |
| Successor | Yaakov Mutzafi |
Sadqa Hussein (Hebrew: צדקה חוצין; in Ashkenazi Hebrew: Tzadka Chutzin; Arabic: صدقا حسين, February 3, 1876 – February 17, 1961)[1] was a Sephardi dayan, mohel, and spiritual leader to the Iraqi Jewish community in Iraq and Israel. He taught thousands of students in Baghdad, and led the Iraqi expatriate community in Jerusalem. He was the founder and rosh mesivta of the Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Early life
[edit]Sadqa Hussein was born in Baghdad, Ottoman Iraq, to Moshe Hussein, and grew up in a prosperous family. He was a fifth-generation descendant of the 18th-century rabbi Sadqa Bekhor Hussein,[2] the author of the halakhic responsa Sedaqah U-Mishpat.[3] In his youth, he studied at Midrash Bet Zilkha, the foremost yeshiva of its day, under the tutelage of Elisha Dangour, Av Beit Din of Baghdad.[4] He later studied under the Ben Ish Hai, who would count him among his favorite students. Hussein's financial situation allowed him to pursue his studies uninterrupted, allowing him to achieve a high degree of Torah scholarship.
Career
[edit]Hussein founded Midrash Talmud Torah, the community heder (primary school) in Baghdad, which accepted hundreds of children regardless of their parents' ability to pay tuition. Funding for the school was arranged by way of a luxury tax that was imposed on the sale of meat. During his years in Baghdad, Hussein personally taught upwards of 4,000 children.[4] Every evening he gave a shiur (lecture) in halakha to householders that went four or five hours.[4] From those years he earned the title "Hakham Sadqa", which he was known by the rest of his life.[4]
As a consequence of World War I, the Ottoman Empire lost control of Iraq to the United Kingdom. At first, the material situation of the local Jews improved. The British, who found themselves in control of a vastly enlarged empire, needed clerks who were familiar with the local language and customs to help them with their bureaucracy, and found the Jews to be suited to the task. The Jewish community would go on to take a commanding role in the banking and insurance sectors of the economy.[5] This period also saw many young students seeking to advance their education abroad at the great universities of England.
As a result of these events, the Jews began to drift away from their traditional customs, taking on a more modern approach to their daily lives. Eventually, certain people in the laity began to challenge some of Hussein's education policies, especially in regards to the unpopular meat tax, and his decision to omit most secular studies from the Talmud Torah's curriculum. He stood virtually alone against his adversaries, who did not refrain from trying to compromise him vis-à-vis the authorities on account of his perceived antiquated positions. By calling for public protests, fasting, and the reading of kinnot (dirges), he eventually succeeded in blocking the reformers' initiatives, refusing to give in to his opponents' disregard for the traditions that had been bequeathed to him by his mentors.[1][4]
Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue
[edit]| Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue | |
|---|---|
Hebrew: בית כנסת ובית מדרש שמש צדקה | |
 The Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue in 2016 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Rite | Nusach Sefard |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Synagogue |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Haggai Street, Geula, Jerusalem |
| Country | Israel |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | Rabbi Sadqa Hussein |
| Completed | 1929 |
Having absorbed from his master the Ben Ish Hai a longing for Jerusalem, Hussein had made a pilgrimage there in 1904 together with Yaakov Chaim Sofer (the Kaf HaHayyim) and Yehezkel Ezra Rahamim (the Asei HaYa'ar),[3] where they held communion in the court of Yaakov Shaul Elyashar.[6] In 1924, with his family and a few close disciples, Hussein made aliyah and settled in Jerusalem, then part of British Mandatory Palestine.[1][3]
In 1929, Hussein established the Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת ובית מדרש שמש צדקה), an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, located on Haggai Street in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem.[1][3][7] The name of the congregation was derived from the verse "And the sun (שמש) of righteousness (צדקה) shall arise with healing in its wings" (Malachi 3:20).[8] Hussein both led the synagogue as rabbi, and taught shiurim in the synagogue to students and local householders.[3]
Hussein endeavored to fulfill many of the mitzvot hateluyot ba'aretz (commandments particular to the Land of Israel). To that end, he planted wheat in the backyard of the synagogue, separating from it the terumah and ma'aser (tithes), and relinquished the pe'ah (field corner for the poor). He would then harvest it for use in his own specially prepared matzo (unleavened Passover bread), which he then distributed.[1] He also kept a donkey for the fulfillment of the petter hamor (redemption of the firstborn).
Hussein demanded this kind of scrupulousness from his peers as well. One time in the 1950s, he asked his student Mordechai Eliyahu to arrange a meeting for him with Yoel Teitelbaum, the Grand Rabbi of Satmar, who was visiting Jerusalem at the time. Hussein ordered Teitelbaum to desist from his practice of riding in a car on Friday afternoon after sundown; Teitelbaum based this practice on the rulings of Rabbeinu Tam, but Hussein deemed it a violation of the Shabbat.[9]
Sefardi Edah HaHaredith
[edit]An anti-Zionist, Hussein refused to receive any benefit from his status in the community, recusing himself from any formal rabbinic position, although he did serve as dayan in the Sephardi Edah HaHaredith. He set up free Torah lectures for young and old, and either paid for tutors out of his own pocket, or taught the lessons himself. An expert mohel, Hussein performed circumcisions on thousands of infants, sometimes to a fourth generation in the family.[1][7]
Personal life and death
[edit]Hussein married No'am, his first cousin, the daughter of Avraham Sadqa,[1] who bore him one son. His grandson, Menashe Sadqa, is a pulpit rabbi in Queens, New York. Hussein died at the age of 85, and was buried in the Sanhedria Cemetery in Jerusalem.[1]
Notable students
[edit]Among Hussein's students were Sephardi Chief Rabbis of Israel Yitzhak Nissim and Mordechai Eliyahu;[10] deans of Porat Yosef Yeshiva Yehuda Tzadka and Ben Zion Abba Shaul;[11] and Yaakov Mutzafi,[12] who succeeded him as Av Beit Din and Rabbi of Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue.[7]
In 1933, Hussein persuaded the father of a 12-year-old Ovadia Yosef to send his son to the Porat Yosef Yeshiva. Yosef would go on to become the greatest figure of Mizrahi Jewry in the 20th century.[13]
Works
[edit]- Meqitz Nirdamim A collection of exhortations delivered on Rosh Hashanah in Jerusalem during the Holocaust (2 volumes, published in Jerusalem in 1943 and 1944)[3]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h "Sadqa Hussein II" (in Hebrew). MyTzadik.com.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Ties between the Jews of Aleppo and of Iraq in the 18th century" (PDF). The Scribe: Journal of Babylonian Jewry (73): 11. 2000. (Abridged from Zvi Yehuda's article of the same title, in Nehardea: Journal of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center, no. 12, autumn 1999; Dangoor.com)
- ^ a b c d e f Tidhar 1947, p. 112.
- ^ a b c d e Rossoff 2005, p. 358.
- ^ Black, Edwin. "Jews in Islamic Countries: The Sudden End of Iraqi Jewry". Jewish Virtual Library.
- ^ Bar Osher, Avishai (2014). "Biography of Rabbi Yosef Hayyim, the Ben Ish Hai" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Cms.edu.gov.il. p. 6.
- ^ a b c Rossoff 2005, p. 359.
- ^ "Malachi – Chapter 3". Chabad.org. 2016. The name was a reference to the Shacharit prayer held in the synagogue, which commenced every day before sunrise (vatikin)
- ^ "Yom Petirath HaSadiqim" [Biography of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu]. Tzadikim1.com (in Hebrew). July 2011.
- ^ Life and Times of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, Hebrew; Harav.org
- ^ Biography of Rabbi Ben-Zion Abba Shaul[permanent dead link]; Hovereth BeQerev Hakhamim Talin, pg. 24, Hebrew; Kiah.org
- ^ Shemueli, Ruth; Light A Candle For Rabbi Yaakov Mutzafi; Resheth Moresheth, Hebrew; Israel Broadcasting Authority
- ^ Biography of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Archived 2015-02-12 at the Wayback Machine, Hebrew; Achdut-Israel.org.il
Sources
[edit]- Rossoff, Dovid (2005). קדושים אשר בארץ: קברי צדיקים בירושלים ובני ברק [The Holy Ones in the Earth: Graves of Tzaddikim in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak] (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Machon Otzar HaTorah. pp. 358–359.
- Tidhar, David (1947). "Sadqa Hussein" צדקה חוצין. Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel (in Hebrew). Vol. 1. Estate of David Tidhar and Touro College Libraries. p. 112.
External links
[edit]- Photograph of Sadqa Hussein; Breslev-midot.com
- Gravestone of Sadqa Hussein[permanent dead link]; MyTzadik.com
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| International | |
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| National | |
Categories:
- 1876 births
- 1961 deaths
- 19th-century rabbis from Ottoman Iraq
- 20th-century Iraqi rabbis
- Rabbis from Baghdad
- Iraqi emigrants to Mandatory Palestine
- Sephardi rabbis in Mandatory Palestine
- Sephardic Haredi rabbis in Israel
- 20th-century rabbis in Jerusalem
- Mohalim
- Burials at Sanhedria Cemetery
- Israeli people of Iraqi-Jewish descent
- Immigrants of the Fourth Aliyah