Ḥayim Abulafia

Born in Hebron, Ḥayim Abulafia was raised and educated in Jerusalem. He was appointed rabbi of Smyrna in 1712, and he held this position until 1740 (apart from the years between 1718 and 1721, which he spent in Safed). Believing it was necessary to restore the ruined city of Tiberias in order to bring about the impending messianic era, in 1740 he accepted the invitation of the region’s ruler, Sheikh Dahir al ‘Amr, to settle in the city. Abulafia subsequently established holidays to mark the sheikh’s victory over the pasha of Damascus in battle; these were observed by the Jews of Tiberias for many years. Abulafia not only spearheaded the physical reconstruction of the city—legends attribute to him the planting of fields and the construction of various communal and commercial buildings—but also sent members of his family abroad as emissaries to raise money for the Jews living in the city. Abulafia wrote biblical commentaries, works on halakhic topics, and novellae on the Talmud and Maimonides’ writings.