The beauty of the scenery suddenly appeared to the travelers
as they reached the mountain peak. The green mountains, the
flowing rivers and the deep blue skies all made up a colorful
feast to the eyes of the spectators. The ten men stood
mesmerized, watching the scenery, oblivious to the heavy
loads on their backs. With tearful eyes, they looked around
them, hoping and praying that their tedious journey would
soon end. They hoped to soon be glimpsing the sights of the
Promised Land.
Among this group of travelers was also the eldery Senora. She
was sitting upon a padded seat, her covered feet resting upon
the green grass and her eyes focused upon the colorful
surroundings. "Are we there?" she asked, her voice barely
audible.
"Not yet, Senora," her attendant, a young girl, replied. "We
are almost there. The men stopped now to look at the
beautiful panoramic view."
Though she was of very advanced age -- people even claimed
her to be one hundred and ten years old -- the Senora's mind
was clear and she was as determined as a young woman. Her
only limitation was her inability to walk, and she had
therefore hired these men to bear her on a seat. The other
men carried the heavy packages on their backs and one of
them, held the holy Sefer Torah which she had insisted on
bringing along from home, lovingly in his arms. They had
stopped briefly now to rest and drink in the pastoral scenery
but the Senora was fidgeting restlessly. She was anxious.
Their goal was twofold: to reach Eretz Yisroel as soon as
possible. However, they were reluctant to speed up that pace
so as not to find themselves stranded in mid-road on Shabbos.
The Senora was hesitating now, for although Shabbos seemed
far off, she wanted to move on so that they could reach
secure and comfortable lodgings in good time for Shabbos.
In a barely audible voice, she told the men to continue on to
their immediate destination: The city of Tziddon. They picked
up their heavy loads, with one man in charge of the precious
scroll, and the Senora on her seat, and the procession was on
its way once more. By evening, they had arrived at their
temporary destination. Here, at a Jewish inn, they would be
able to rest up for a few days and stay over Shabbos.
Their first concern was for their mincha prayers. The
innkeeper hurriedly cleared an area inside and set up a
curtain in a corner of the room. The Senora sat here and the
prayers commenced.
Darkness settled soon after and then they recited
maariv. A lavish supper was served, of which the
Senora ate only a meager plate of soup and a soft, fresh
slice of bread. She then went to bed, leaving the ten men to
sit and learn from the texts they had brought along with
them.
It was obvious to the innkeeper that these were special
people. He couldn't help being curious. He stood waiting
respectfully outside the room and as soon as the group had
finished its study, he accosted the first man who went out to
the courtyard and asked him, "Who is this elderly lady?"
"She is the Senora, the grandmother of the Chief Rabbi of
Damascus, the noted Chacham Bashi Shlomo Eliezer
Alfandri."
"Oh, yes, of course," exclaimed the innkeeper. "I've heard of
him! And I have also heard of his learned grandmother and his
also learned mother. People say that he was orphaned from his
father at an early age, but his grandmother and mother took
turns teaching him Torah, is that not so? Ah, so now she is
headed for Eretz Yisroel? How old is she? It seems such a
tedious journey for such an old lady!"
"Aged she certainly is, but determined, no less. She is one
hundred and ten years old. And though she is unable to walk,
she insists on going there. That is her wish. She is being
carried on her special seat and slowly, but surely, we are
making our way towards our destination."
The two men stood in the dark courtyard and fell silent, each
pondering his own thoughts. Finally, the innkeeper cried, "I
am sure that the Chacham Bashi, R' Shlomo Eliezer Alfandri,
will eventually also go to settle in Eretz Yisroel."
*
As the innkeeper had said, for it was common knowledge, this
distinguished elderly woman and her daughter, both very
learned, had raised the orphaned Shlomo Eliezer and taught
him much of the Torah he knew until he was able to study on
his own. It was not long before he became a rosh yeshiva and
undertook to teach; he would take on ten disciples and teach
them very intensively for a period of time. These
talmidim became great scholars and in later years,
gained renown throughout the Jewish world.
When R' Shlomo Eliezer Alfandri reached the age of thirty, he
was appointed member of the advisory board of the Jewish
community in Constantinople. It so happened that a new
sultan, Abbed el Chammid, rose to power. He sought to be a
liberal, enlightened ruler and decreed that all citizens,
Jews included, must enlist in the army. R' Shlomo Eliezer
voiced an objection, claiming that this decree negated the
promise of the prior rulers, dating back as far as centuries
before, to the time of the Jewish expulsion from Spain. That
historic promise stipulated that Jews be allowed to practice
their religion unhindered and keep all Jewish laws. The
objection to this new `liberal' decree caused an upheaval
among Jews and gentiles alike but the young rabbi stood his
ground and his determination was rewarded; the decree was
annulled.
For a long while, the young scholar was relieved from public
duties, and was able to dedicate his life to study and
teaching. At the age of eighty, he became the chief rabbi of
Damascus. Five years later, in 5659, he moved to Eretz
Yisroel, settling first in Haifa and then moving to Tzefat.
He finally reached Yerusholayim, at the age of one
hundred.
Adherents from all over the world constantly sought an
audience with him, but he refused to spend time with
visitors. He dedicated his whole life to pure study and to
teaching his disciples. The only time he agreed to receive
visitors was on Succos. He would sit in a large succa and a
long line of admirers would pass before him, and, as was
customary, kiss his hand reverently before they passed on.
R' Alfandri died at the age of one hundred and fifteen, in
5690, and up to his very last moment, he was still consulted
by the rabbis of Yerusholayim and was informed about all
pertinent issues in the Holy City. He voiced his opinion on
all affairs and took a very adamant position on matters
concerning Yiddishkeit and spiritual affairs. He would not
budge an inch from what he felt was right.
May his memory be blessed.
