Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi (1909 - 1983) used to be a famous Yemenite Kabbalist who founded the Yeshiva "Nahar Shalom" in Nachlaot / Jerusalem.
A very popular story is being told about him in Jerusalem but no one seems to know for sure if it is really true:
Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi loved to sit outside in the yard of his house and enjoy the sunshine. His house was located right next to the Yeshiva "Nahar Shalom" and until today, you can take a look at those buildings.
One day, a seven floor building was being built next to his facilities and the sunshine didn't reach the yard of the Rabbi anymore. Rabbi Sharabi was so upset that he cursed the new building. Other say that he cursed the new building because it was much higher than his Synagogue behind it.
The building was supposed to be an office and shopping center but what happened was that in the course of all those years, the majority of the shops went bancrupt. There are some private people renting apartments and some branches of Jerusalem's Municipality have their offices inside. However, on the ground floor, all shops never made it but only one: Our Bakery !
Why the bakery ?
It is said that before the bakery moved in, the father of the owner took away the Sharaby curse. Rabbi Alon used to be a famous Kurdish Rabbi in Jerusalem and he was the father of Chezi Alon, the owner of our bakery.
Curse or not ? Fact is that no shop has ever made it in the building and our bakering is making plenty of money ! By the way, Rabbi Sharabi's students buy our products and no one speaks about the curse anymore. Nevertheless, the building is inofficially called the "haunted building" and a tourist attraction among Israeli visitors.
Last Wednesday night, Yeshivat Nahar Shalom was commemorating Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi's Yahrzeit:
Photos: Miriam Woelke
That bakery mamash saves the lives of all the children of Yerushalayim by making whole grain sourdough bread (Spelt, Rye, or wheat) available and affordable. Zchus avos yagen aleinu, yay for the smart cursesthat allow holy things to live forever. Breirat Tivaiti!
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ReplyDeleteI actually used to work there until two years ago but I must admit that I buy my bread at TELLER.
I used to help take care of Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi (metapelet). Me and his Tunisian wife would clean him up and dress him. She couldn't lift him alone. Then I would read Tehilim to him on Shabbat. He was like a grandfather to me. Shmuel Shueli was one of his students. I remember the fasulia beans sabzi from the local kosher restaurant and the huge potatoes in his Hamin (cholent).
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