Heavy Mourning Following the Passing of the Kabbalist Chacham Avraham Chai zt”l – The Tzaddik’s Connections with Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit”a
Heavy mourning! “The angels have prevailed over the mighty, and the Holy Ark has been taken captive” — on Thursday, early in the morning, the Kabbalist, the holy gaon and tzaddik, “Chacham Avraham Chai” zt”l of Pardes Katz, passed from this world. Chacham Avraham was 97 at the time of his passing, and he was laid to rest near his friend, the Kabbalist, the holy gaon and tzaddik Rabbi Yehudah Zev Leibowitz zt”l. Chacham Avraham Chai was humble and lowly in spirit, as many knew him; indeed, many would come to his door for counsel and blessing. He was deeply involved in tzedakah and chessed, and also in giving discreetly, for many years.
The gaon and tzaddik Chacham Avraham Chai ztzuk”l was born in Iraq, in the city of Baghdad, about ninety years ago. When he ascended to the Holy Land, he joined the group of hidden tzaddikim of Rabbi Yehudah Zev Leibowitz ztzuk”l and the concealed tzaddik Rabbi Yosef Avraham Binyamin Berachot ztzuk”l. Chacham Avraham Chai was careful to travel every year to the grave-site of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov in Uman, and he expressed himself many times, saying that the place where Rebbe Nachman of Breslov zy”a is buried is a place of revelation of the Holy Shechinah. “Travel to Uman, to the grave-site of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov,” he commanded all who heard his teaching.
The Kabbalist Chacham Avraham Chai led his beit midrash for years in the Pardes Katz neighborhood, and later in his home on HaShnayim Street in the neighborhood, where he brought many Jews closer to their Father in Heaven. For fifty years, “Chacham Avraham” was considered the tzaddik of Pardes Katz, and many would come to his door to request blessings. Many of the great Torah sages of Israel from all circles would come to his door to seek his help.
He authored the book ‘Midor Dor,’ seasoned with the teachings of our holy Rebbe and from the holy sefer ‘Likkutei Halachot’ by Moharanat of Breslov. He passed away without children. Among his close students stood out the mashpia, the chassid R’ Meir Shlomo shlit”a, president of the ‘Beit Breslov’ institutions and one of the well-known students of our teacher, the Rav shlit”a, whom Chacham Avraham Chai zt”l truly regarded as a son. There was a special closeness between them, and they even learned together the secrets of Kabbalah according to the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov zy”a. In recent years, the chassid R’ Shalom Arush shlit”a, head of the ‘Chut Shel Chessed’ yeshivah, grew close to him
We have gathered for you some of the things we published in the past about the connections of the Rav shlit”a with Chacham Avraham Chai zt”l:
After the great assembly that took place on 12 Adar I at the Western Wall, several of our people went to one of the tzaddikim of our generation, the Kabbalist Chacham Avraham Chai shlit”a, and told him about the assembly on behalf of our teacher, the Rav shlit”a. Chacham Avraham Chai said to them, “This is how all the tzaddikim suffer. The Rav is not the only one—only that he suffers more than all of them.” He continued and said, “Rav Berland is a precious Jew, and everything he suffers is all for the sake of the people of Israel, and everything they say—that he suffers for us—is correct and true.”
On Monday, 9 Kislev 5775, the world was tense to hear what the ruling of the court in Holland would be regarding the wicked plot of the State of Israel to extradite the Rav. Two avreichim from the yeshivah were in the synagogue of one of the tzaddikim of our generation, the Kabbalist Chacham Avraham Chai shlit”a, at 16:00 in the afternoon, and they told Chacham Avraham that the State of Israel had taken Rav Berland to court in Holland. The Chacham immediately said, “A lie! It’s all lies!” The avreichim continued saying that a judge’s decision was supposed to be issued at 14:00 that day, so the Chacham said to them, “There has not yet been a ruling, because a judgment has a scent,” and then he raised his hands to Heaven and began to cry and pray for the Rav. Only afterward did the judges announce that indeed the decision had been postponed, because they did not understand at all what the State of Israel wanted from the Rav. “The Chacham—his eyes are in his head.”
Some of our people were in the beit midrash of the tzaddik Chacham Avraham Chai shlit”a and told him about the above pidyon of the Rav, who said that each person should give at least 10 dollars. The Chacham immediately took out a 50-shekel bill in front of everyone and gave it for the pidyon. They said, “People like us, who are full of sins, need a pidyon, not Chacham Avraham,” but nevertheless the tzaddik insisted that they take the money for the Rav’s general pidyon. And see Likkutei Halachot, Birchot HaShachar, halacha 5, where Rabbi Natan elaborates on the power of the general pidyon: “The pidyon and the sweetening mentioned above, which is drawn from the aspect of ra’ava d’ra’avin, is above all intellects and wisdoms, and it is the supernal root of all wisdoms, and it is the aspect of the ultimate knowledge of ‘not knowing,’ the aspect of ‘and no man knew,’ etc., as mentioned above. Therefore it sweetens everything, to the point that Above they make use of this pidyon to raise [a person] from apostasy to will, to nullify the power of wrath, from which comes the power of idolatry, which is the general root of all evil inclinations that are drawn from judgments—to nullify them and break them, and to raise from there to the aspect of will, etc.” See there.
He passed away with a good name at the age of 97. May his memory be blessed. T.N.TZ.B.H.
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