Observations placeholder

Abraham Ya’ari – Iggrot Erets Yisrael (Ramat Gan:Masada 1971)

The ‘Ari (Isaac Luria) taught that [Abraham] Berukhim was the incarnation of the prophet Jeremiah.  He once said to him:

“Now  know that your days are completed and that you have no longer to live unless you perform a certain act of restitution (tiqqun) which I shall teach you.  If you carry it out you may live another twenty two years.  This is what you must do.  Travel to Jerusalem and go to the Western wall where you should pour out your prayers and your tears; and if you are acceptable before your Maker you will merit a vision of the shekhinah.  Then you may rest assured that you will [indeed] live an additional twenty two years”

As soon as he heard this, the honoured Rabbi sold all the possessions in his house in order to pay his expenses for the journey and went to Jerusalem.  He immediately secluded himself without interruption for three days and three nights, which he spent in fasting, wearing sackcloth and in great weeping.  After these three days he proceeded to the western wall where he began to pray and weep bitterly.  While doing so he lifted up his eyes and saw upon the Wall the likeness of a woman with her back turned towards him.

I do not wish to disclose the garments she was wearing out of respect for our Maker.

As soon as he saw her he fell upon his face, crying and weeping:

‘Mother, mother, mother of Zion, woe is me that I have seen you thus!” 

And he continued to weep bitterly, afflicting himself, tearing hair out of his beard and head until he fainted and fell deeply asleep.  Then in a dream he saw the Shekhinah coming towards him and, placing her hand upon his face, wipe away the tears from his eyes.  She said to him:

‘Console yourself, Abraham, my son, for there is ‘hope for thy future saith the Lord and your children shall return to their own border’ (Jer 31:17) ‘for I will cause their captivity to return  and will have compassion upon them’ (Jer 33:26).

Our honoured Rabbi Abraham awakened from his sleep and returned to Safed, joyful and in high spirits.

The ‘Ari, may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing, said to him “I can readily see that you have been privileged a vision of the Shekhinah.  From now on you may rest assured that you will live another 22 years.