Yosef Haim HaCohen

Rabbi Yosef Haim HaCohen (Hebrew: הרב יוסף חיים הכהן‎, 1851 Mogador, Morocco – September 25, 1921 Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine) was the President of the Ma’araviim Community in Jerusalem, as well as the rabbi, dayan (rabbinical judge), shadar (fund raiser and emissary) and rabad (Chief Rabbinical Judge) of the congregation.

Rabbi

Yosef Haim HaCohen
יוסף חיים הכהן‎
TitlePresident of the Ma'araviim Community in Jerusalem
Personal
Born
Yosef Haim HaCohen

1851
Mogador, Morocco
DiedSeptember 25, 1921(1921-09-25) (aged 69–70)
Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine
ReligionJudaism
SpousePriha, Frida Shrem
Children2 sons
2 daughters
ParentsRabbi Yehudah HaCohen
Simha
OccupationRabbi Judge and teacher
BuriedMount of Olives Jewish Cemetery in East Jerusalem
DynastyHaCohen

Biography

Yosef Haim HaCohen was born in Mogador, Morocco in 1851, the son of Yehudah and Simha.[1] In 1864, at the age of thirteen, HaCohen and his family immigrated to Ottoman Palestine. The family settled in the Old City of Jerusalem. He enrolled in the Maghrebi Jewish school for religious studies where his melamed (teacher) was Rabbi Mercado Presko, known colloquially as Hakham David. At the age of nineteen, HaCohen married Priha, a fellow Moroccan Jew but the union was childless. In 1897 Rabbi HaCohen took a second wife named Frida, née Shrem, from Aleppo, Syria, with whom he had four children.[2][3]

HaCohen was head of Yeshivat ‘Touvy Yisbau’ in Jerusalem. He was a follower of the Mekubalim (Kabbalists) at ‘Beit–El’ yeshiva and synagogue and taught at Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Later Rabbi HaCohen was involved in founding and heading “Oz L’Torah” Yeshiva, as he announced in the newspaper.[4]

On 21 May 1900, HaCohen was elected Chairman of the Ma’araviim Community in Jerusalem, in addition to being deputy to the Rishon LeZion Chief Rabbi of the Sephardic Jews in Palestine, Nahman Batito. In 1915 after Rabbi Batito’s death, HaCohen replaced him as Rabbi and President of the Moroccan Jewish community in Jerusalem. In 1919, HaCohen got hundreds of people to sign a petition requesting the Delegates Committee of the Zionist Organization to support Misgav Ladach Hospital in the Old City of Jerusalem which suffered from sub-standard health conditions in the aftermath of World War I.[5] [6]

Rabbi Yosef Haim HaCohen signature on a-Letter 27.2.1920 Jerusalem. Request for assistance, 27 Adar 5680

Rabbi HaCohen worked as a religious emissary in a variety of countries. In 1894 he was sent to Jewish communities in Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and the Caucasus Mountains. In 1899 Rabbi HaCohen was sent to Bukhara, where he raised funds for the Jerusalem congregation and also endeavored to establish academic institutes to deepen the level of Torah studies, by arranging for Torah Scrolls to be delivered to those remote communities. He cooperated with the local scholars and philanthropists to publish books. [7] A letter sent by the Chief Rabbi of Bukhara, at that time Rabbi Hizkiya HaCohen Rabin to his colleague Rabbi Elazarov: “In the year 1899, the shadar arrived to Bukhara from the holy city of Jerusalem. Upon his arrival he informed the Bukharic Jewry of the sad news of Rabbi Nissim Baruch ZT”L, the rabad, Head Chief Judge from Jerusalem; and of Rabbi Eliyahu Mani ZT”L the chasid from Hebron” both passed away.[8] During his lengthy stay in Bukhara he learned the native language of the Bukharian Jews. Rabbi HaCohen's final mission as a Shadar in 1903, was to Algiers, and Constantine, Algeria. In the preface of the second volume of his book Minhat Cohen (1910) HaCohen referred to his activity there while writing a response which he signed as cited: “while I was residing during Mitzvah mission. Kasantina month Adar year 5663…” Yosef Haim HaCohen died of a brief pulmonary infection on 22 Elul 5681 (25 September 1921).[2] A vast crowd attended his funeral at the Arialis lot, the Sephardic-Hasidic area on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. The eulogy was carried out by Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, the Chief Rabbi of the Ashkenazi congregation in Jerusalem. [9]

Publications

The Rabbi had many of his writings and Halachic judgements published both during his life and after. Many of these writings, such as “Kohi V’Reshit Oni”, on masachtot, “Darcheyi Haim”, sermons and novelties on the Torah, are now lost to history.

Minhat Cohen was the only book published during HaCohen’s lifetime. The book begins with a Rabbinic endorsement by Rabbi HaCohen and contains various Halachic judgements and discussions on Talmudic law.[10]

Rabbi Yosef Haim HaCohen author of the book "Minhat Cohen" Part 1 cover page Jerusalem 5662
Rabbi Yosef Haim HaCohen book Minhat Cohen Part 2 front page. Jerusalem 1910.

Before his death, Rabbi HaCohen gave a manuscript of his work Va’Yechalkhel Yosef to his son-in-law, Rabbi Amram Aburbeh who edited, proofread and published it in 1966 as a kuntris (booklet) within his own book Netivey-Am. Va’Yechalkhel Yosef contains the Rabbi's responsa, as well as additional answers by Rabbis Solomon Eliezer Alfandari and Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld. [11] [12] In 2008, a new edition of Va’Yechalkhel Yosef was published by HaCohen's grandson Ehud Avivi.[13]

VaYechalkhel Yosef book by Rabbi Yosef Haim HaCohen. Edited by Ehud Avivi. Rehovot 2008
Rabbi Yosef Haim HaCohen book Va'Yechalkel Yosef

The Rabbi's views on Halachic matters were published in the HaMe’asef Toranic journal edited by Rabbi Ben Zion Avraham Cuenca, Head Judge in Jerusalem. [14] [15]

His students

Among his students were:

[17] [18]

References
  1. יוסף חיים הכהן [Yosef Haim HaCohen]. Jewish Encyclopedia Daat (in Hebrew). Herzog College. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  2. הרב ר′ יוסף חיים הכהן ז"ל [HaRav Rabbi Yosef Haim HaCohen Z”L]. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  3. Doar Hayom September 26, 1921 p. 3. “HaRav Rabbi Yosef Haim HaCohen Z”L.” by Elmaliah Avraham.
  4. "Hodaa Gluya Umefursemet". Doar Hayom: 1. July 14, 1921.
  5. "Toda U'Bracha". HaHerut Yerushalayim: 4. May 10, 1914.
  6. "Harabanim Hasepharadim VeHageulah". Doar Hayom: 4. July 4, 1920.
  7. HaCohen-Rabin, Yehudah (1989), Zarach Kochav Me-Yaakov: History and priesthood of Bukhara Rabbis
  8. רבין, אברהם (1988), "Eretz Israel Emissaries in Bukhara 1881-1913", Pe'amim: Studies in Oriental Jewry / פעמים: רבעון לחקר קהילות ישראל במזרח (35): 139–155, JSTOR 23427476
  9. "Tanchumim". Doar Hayom: 1. August 12, 1920.
  10. "HebrewBooks.org Sefer Detail: מנחת כהן - חלק א -- כהן, יוסף חיים בן יהודה, 1851-1921". hebrewbooks.org.
  11. "HebrewBooks.org Sefer Detail: נתיבי עם חלק א -- רבי עמרם אבורביע". 29 October 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012.
  12. "HebrewBooks.org Sefer Detail: נתיבי עם חלק ב -- רבי עמרם אבורביע". 30 January 2013. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013.
  13. "HebrewBooks.org Sefer Detail: ויכלכל יוסף -- כהן, יוסף חיים בן יהודה". hebrewbooks.org.
  14. "Mitzvah HaBa'a B'Avera Im Shayechet B'Mitzvah D'Rabanan". HaMeasef: 201. January 1982.
  15. "Ochel Achila Achat VeChayav Daled Chatat". HaMeasef: 133. December 1895.
  16. Netivei Am, Volume I, first edition, 5724
  17. Sefer Hod Yosef
  18. The Maarav Scholars in Jerusalem
  • Montefiore censuses 1875 Jerusalem Municipal archive and web site Montefiore censuses. http://www.montefiorecensuses.org The link is found when entering the ID number as follows for Census year 1875, ID 1916, Scan Line 18 the result is City Jerusalem, Kolel Sephardim, Name Yosef Cohen, Age 18, Status Married, Male, Place of Birth Morocco, Notes Lives in the courtyard known to the Rabbi Yedidia Eiiakim

Sources

The link is found when entering the ID number as follows for Census year 1866, ID 1447, Scan Line 24, City Jerusalem, Kolel North African, the result is Yosef Cohen son of Simha and Yehudah Cohen. Name Yosef Cohen, Age 10, Status Orphan, Male, Father's Name Yehuda, Mother's Name Simha . Name Simha Cohen, Age 25, Status Widow, Female Spouse's Name Yehuda, Place of Birth Morocco, Year of Arrival 1864, Occupation Unemployed, Economic Status Poor.

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