Chaim ibn Attar’s legacy extends far beyond this single document. As a leading advocate for Jewish emigration to the land of Israel, he led by example during a period of severe persecution and famine in Morocco. These challenging circumstances not only influenced his decision to immigrate but also impacted the writing of his seminal work Or HaChaim, where he acknowledged variations in commentary length due to the period’s upheavals.

In a journey that would shape Jerusalem’s religious landscape, Chaim ibn Attar arrived first in Acre with 30 students, intending to establish a yeshivah. After navigating through epidemics in the Galilee, he settled in Jerusalem, where he purchased a historic courtyard—now known as the Old Yishuv Courtyard, it is traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, commonly known as the Ari, two centuries earlier—and established his study hall.

Chaim ibn Attar, a Sephardic rabbi, achieved unprecedented recognition among Chasidic communities throughout Europe, with his writings becoming cornerstone texts in Chasidic thought. The study hall he founded demonstrated similar resilience, surviving the 1948 Jordanian destruction of Jewish institutions and later undergoing renovation on Or HaChaim Street in the Jewish Quarter following the Six-Day War.

Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar’s influence continues well beyond his brief life, which ended at age 47 in 1743. His tomb on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives serves as a pilgrimage site, drawing thousands annually who seek blessings at the final resting place of this scholar.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.