The Askenazi Synagogue of the ARIZAL (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, 1534 - 1572).
Photo: Miriam Woelke
B"H
The northern Israeli town of Zfat (Safed) has two ARI (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, 1534 - 1572) Synagogues. Both are located in the old city. One is the Sephardi ARI Synagogue and the second one is the Aschkenazi ARI Synagogue.
There is a very famous story about the Sephardi Synagogue of the ARI going around in Zfat. Until the beginning of the 20th century, no one felt the urge entering this Synagogue and the Jew who had the key kept the Synagogue locked and wouldn't let anyone inside. The reason was that everyone walking in never came out alive.
No one had an explanation for what happened inside the building until the, later on, famous Rabbi Israel Abuchatzeira (the later BABA SALI) came to Zfat. He went to the Jew who owned the key to the Synagogue but the Jew refused opening the door to anyone. He told the Baba Sali that no visitor had ever left the Synagogue alive.
However, the Baba Sali finally convinced the keyholder to open the door and went inside. He went straight up to the Aron HaKodesh, took out a Sefer Torah and started reading from it with a loud pious voice. The keyholder couldn't believe his eyes but after a while the Baba Sali announced that everything would be fine and, from now on, anyone could enter the Synagogue without loosing his life inside.
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This must have taken place in the 1920ies or 1930ies.
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