Son of Rav Safra

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Bireyh dRav Safra
Son of Rav Safra Kever
Hebrew:
בריה דרב ספרא
Spelling:
Breye, Breyh, Safra, Safrah
Kever:
Tzfat
Description:
A Tana mentioned in the Zohar.

Rav Safra's son also known as Bireyh dRav Safra is mentioned in the Zohar, Parashas Terumah. He was born due to a blessing given to his father by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochi. Rav Safra passed away while his son was still an infant. In his youth the Son of Rav Safra made Aliyah from Bavel to Eretz Yisroel where he made a vow not to reveal his Torah knowledge for a period of two months. During this time he married the daughter of an innkeeper who was impressed after seeing the lad jump off a roof to join a Minyan for Kadish. His vow of secrecy resulted in a great disappointment from his new family who had assumed he was a Torah scholar. Following the two month period, the Son of Rav Safra revealed himself to the Sages Rabbi Chiya and Rabbi Yossi who announced a celebration feast to the community where he was appointed Rabbi and Spiritual leader of the city. The son of Rav Safra was an aspect of the Angel Matat. He is buried in Tzfas at the edge of the new industrial district.

[edit] Son of Rav Safra

Rabbi Chiya and Rabbi Yossi were traveling to collect money for the Mitzvah of redeeming Jewish captives. When it became dark, the two entered into a hotel to rest for the night. At Chatzos the two Sages awoke to study the mysteries of the Torah as they were accustom to doing. The daughter of the innkeeper also awoke and noticing the two holy guests, she hurried and lit a candle, continuing to stand by the door and listining to their Torah study. This was noticed by the Sages and Rabbi Yossi began expounding on the verse "For a commandment is a candle, and the Torah is light"[1]. "A commandment is a candle", this is referring to the woman who is obligated to light the Shabbot candles. "And the Torah is light" this is referring to her husband who obligated to study Torah. Therefore even though a woman is not commanded to study Torah, the Torah of her husband lights her candle. Rabbi Yossi was trying to praise the woman for lighting the candle for them and to tell her that even though a woman herself does not study Torah she is reworded for allowing her husband to study Torah.

Upon hearing this, the woman began weeping, her cries awoke her father. Upon hearing from his daughter what Rabbi Yossi had just recited, the innkeeper began weeping as well. Rabbi Yossi inquired about their crying asking them if perhaps they were distressed that the woman's husband, was not knowledgeable in Torah. The innkeeper responded that this was the reason and that's why there were crying.

The innkeeper recited how one day while praying in the Beit Knesset he witnessed the young lad leap off the roof the adjacent building in order to join the Minyan in time for the reciting of the Kadish. Impressed by the great self sacrifice and assuming the lad was also G-D fearing, knowledgeable in Torah and had refined character traits, the innkeeper offered him on that day to marry his daughter, although he had never met the boy before or knew anything about him. Only after the wedding did they discover that the boy was a complete ignoramus that could not even recite the Shima or the Birchat Hamazon blessing. Attempts by the innkeeper to himself teach his son-in-law or hire Torah scholars to tutor him resulted in failure and he sadly resigned to the fact that his daughter had married an ignoramus.

[2]

[edit] Kever Biray dRav Safra

The son of Rav Safra is buried in the industrial section of Safed right behind the generator field of the electric company. Although the location of his Kever is described in the Kitvay Ari, in recent times it was only rediscover by Yisroel Meir Gabbi and Ohali Tzadikim.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Mishlei 6:23
  2. ^ Zohar Teruma 166-169


 
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