JOURNEY TO ANCONA & ROME {Full Journey}

Man, for many years we endeavored to come to this holy location to find the Kev of Refalia Azulai, the oldest son of the we knew that he was buried in Anona, but to find the cemetery and then in the cemetery to find the grave where you see here in the cemetery, everything is overgrown. This kev, we've seen pictures of it from more than 10 years ago and it was pristine white and clear. But today, 12 years later, to be able to read it, it's almost impossible. But we've definitively identified, we want to thank our dear friend Rabbi Natan Shunak for bringing us here today. We have a distinguished member of the Kahila, Gabriel Ben Abraham, Ainu, who opened up for us. This is definitively the Kev of Rafal, Isai, Azulai, Kav, Hayash, Han, Marana, Vana. Here you have it. Rafael reammed. And you have the three dots on top. Rafael shin a zudic. And just to be sure, he went Gimmelat and then Schnas hey tough pay he tough kof pay that's the year 1926 so rebra fai was born in 1743 in 1780 to 1785 he went on aus to taria in 1785 the chief rabbi of anona passed away raim Abraham Israel and the community of anona asked the who the thought should be the next rabbi in Anona. Now the had previously been asked to be the rabbi in anona and the ka did not take the job but the suggest made three suggestions who should be the rabbi in anona. One of them was a and in fact three years later oneshal auli signed the document of the city. He said as follows. In other words, in this year, he's prepared to be able to serve Hashem in joy as the leader of this community. He served from 1788 till 1826. He served for many years. Now, the had a very close relationship with his son. Whenever the wrote to his son, he would say, "My my son and my yadid nephesh ye navi Rafal Yesh. There are about 50 letters that the wrote to his son. A number of them, 47 were published by Rafaim Rosenberg in Budapest, Taf Pion uh in the 100th year of the Petira of Rabalushi Azulai." Now, Rabalishia was a very sickly person. And we have a letter from the that the says that he himself became ill thinking about how much suffering that his son had. But the wrote to his son. Look at these words. No, my son, my beloved. Hashem is with you. Nothing bad will happen to you. No plague will come into your tent. I will pour my soul before God. for your healing. In other words, the so to speak guaranteed his son, assured his son that his son would be okay. We have a number of chuvo from Falhai Azulai. published in they're called chubisam they're published as moa through the son of riverfall in the safer zosa but the himself published a number of chuvas from the son of the from his son the published a chuva from his son likewise in y's simalid you have a chuva from rberal Yeshul if I could take the opportunity to share with you two that the brings down from a he says based on the garra in paral the garra says that something that ordinarily would cause somebody to have improper thoughts rebi would not rebihuda would not have improper thoughts when he was sitting in the shul of because since the was there it would not bring to her So says, "My son, he calls him Sara." My son said, "This is the meaning of the Pak [Music] daughter of what do you mean sing daughter?" But you're not allowed to listen to the singing of a woman. It's how could we tell who's feminine? You can't listen to the singing of a woman. The answer is in this case there's not a problem. Why? Since the is present. So there's it won't lead to says a quoted by Shel in the upcoming and thera of paras. Here's one more. The in commentary to the PK says it says give a portion for seven, a portion for eight because you don't know what will be. So the the brings down in the go from his son is the seven days of pes the gamma is the idea of yumpti shalus where we add another day of gulos because of now explained based on the garra why do we add an extra day of yamt in the gulus the gumar says mishad meaning even though nowadays we know exactly we're We know exactly when is but we're afraid that maybe we'll go back to a time of persecution. So that's the meaning of the p says is the seven days of yamt the are the eight days of yamt. Why do we keep an eighth day? But we know we're we're clear about the calendar. The answer is we don't know what will be. There might be and that's the reason why we have to add an extra day for by the way another great godal who lived here in Anona Ravakov Shimshine Shabsi from the Safarit Sani Gala the author of Shab Shami also mentions in the Safar Kasha Rafal Yesha Azulah he calls him Harav of Hamuak mayor Kabarak Ario he gives him great accolades. So just to share something amazing that the wrote to his son when when Rab Fisha took the job here in Anona it was very difficult for him there were a lot of responsibilities he had and it seems like he wasn't necessarily pleased with his responsibilities it was a very very heavy workload. So we have a letter from the to his son. He says, I want to tell you, my beloved friend, anyone who goes out to carry the burden of the Jewish people, they themselves are carried. Don't think that it's a hard job you have to carry the people. When you go to carry the Jewish people, you yourself are carried. You will be purified by learning to doing mitzvah. Any burden that a person carries to bring merit to the his soul is elevated. He will see descendants. He will live long and Hashem will give him success. So this was a braha so to speak that the gave his beloved son. On another occasion, by the way, Rab Falhaya was offered a better paying job in Sienna, he was getting paid, he would have been paid 200 sudi more than he was getting here in Anona. And the told him not to take the job, that this job is more of a respectful, a more of a dignified position here in Ancona. Ultimately in Anona, they raise his salary as well. But the says to his son, I'm just telling you my opinion. You decide. You choose. I'm not imposing it on you. So you see the loving relationship. By the way, after the prayed for his son to recover from his illness lived another 30 years. So especially for us who we like to consider ourselves of the this is also in a way uh in the greatness of as well as the greatness of his illustrious father all of our okay we're here in the cemetery in Anona and in the middle of the cemetery we have this at Kev of Rabio Yehuda a descendant of the great Pekk who lived about 300 years ago Rav Shamshin Muporo Rav Shamshin Muporo who was one of the greatest Italian po of all time as a young man he's born in 1681 he learned by Rabyakovets and Raanasha but then he went to learn by one of the great piskim of Venice Abuhab was the the Abuhab was one of the great piskim here in Italy and then he learned from Rabihuda Bril in Mounta. Now it's very interesting. Rav Shamshin Porgo then went to Padwa and in Padwa there were many esteemed scholars who were philosophers and thinkers but Rav Shamshin Moro did not find so to speak his calling in life in Padawa because although they were great and excellent in many disciplines but Rav Shamshin Moro yearned to be able to delve into the depths of the Talmud and the Piskim and just to learn philosophy and other disciplines was not satisfying. for Shamshin Moro. He wrote Shauch Shemesh Sedako which is one of the greatest authoritative work works of halaka of any of the Italian gdam later on in Anona he be he met Ravo Piamata and then he became the son-in-law of Ravose Piamata. Now it's very interesting. There's a tradition here in Anona that of all the mak of all the traditionally they would come to pray. They would come they would come. It's a shame that we haven't been able to locate the actual of Shamshin. He wrote the Sodak on the four which was published postumously after his after his demise was the authority here in an Kona and really for all Italian Jews. He was for 30 years. And in this may all of our bees, we're here opposite the Adriatic Sea. >> Yes. >> And we're at the cemetery in Anona, the ancient cemetery in Anona. And there was a great god doll buried here aside from Sha Zulai, aside from Shanchiporgo. and his name is Rabyakov Shimshine Shapi Sanigalia. Here I have one of his farm sedar tayag mitzvah which is an amazing safar where he breaks up the 613 mitzvo to the 248 mitzvah sass the 365 mitzv and he breaks up the mitzvah and mitzvah into three categories. the mitzvah that are relevant on a regular basis, mitzvoid, mitzvah that are relevant only specific occasions and then mitzvo that are no longer relevant that he gives a pneummonic to help remember each one of the three categories of positive commandments and negative commandments. Interestingly, Shimchin Shabsi Sanalya never held any official rabbitic post. He was not a rashiva and he asked his family that on the kev all they should write is he had for tora. He desired tora. He did not want to use the Torah as a way of advancing himself, promoting himself, getting a position. His only desire was to delve into the depths of Torah knowledge. Now there are a number of amazing swarm that Rev Yakov Shimshine Shabsi Sanigalia wrote that many may not be aware of but these are names of swar that people know but they're not aware that he wrote it. So for example he wrote a classic safer shabi he wrote on all of what's particular meaningful to me is because there's a question in the matim that I never saw anywhere else the matikim asks the migillah that in light of the fact that the garan aravan teaches us that we never paskin like Rabbi Mayor. The is never like Raor because theim could not understand the rationale of Rabbi Mayor. Why does the Shas Pin that Sakro ka that you need to read the entire migilla? Actually we have a a whole safer predicated on this question of the matas eloim. Then he wrote a safer meged shamayim shall chuvas. Besides this, many of his forum lay in manuscript form. Mate O on PB a parish on the Zakurim a parish on Tanak Zamasi a parish on the tanum aunt that we mentioned that's this which is actually now p published and cifas that were not published yet So he's buried here in this cemetery and okay we're here looking over the Adriatic Sea at the port of Ancona. The port of Anona has great historic significance and great Jewish significance because in the years 1534 to 1549, Pope 3 had declared Ancona a free port, which means Jews were allowed to return here and practice their religion. And an Kona became a haven for many many former conversals who began to openly practice Judaism and to restore Anona to a great financial power. However, shortly after, Pope IV rescended the open policy of the third pope and he imprisoned many conversos and he threatened that until unless they officially denounce their faith in Judaism, they would be burnt at the stake. Now, a great Jewish converso who returned to her faith going back to Turkey, a very powerfully financial woman, Da Da Gracia and her illustrious relative, Don Yosef Nasi, they felt that they had to do everything in their power to boycott the port of Anona because of these threats of the fourth pope. In fact, they pled with the Sultan of Turkey. And the Sultan of Turkey had a a very vehement dispute with the fourth pope. But ultimately, the fourth pope let out Turkish pe uh conversos who had affiliation with the Turkish Empire. However, he did burn at the stake 25 conversos that we're going to see the location where these conversos were burnt. So in retaliation for the fourth pope burning these conversos Donna Gratzia Deseph Nasi and with the of the Mari Ben who was a great rabbi in Turkey who was also employed by Donna Graatia they ruled and it was supported in Hala by the Marib Ben that there needed to be an official boycott on the port of Anona. Now not all Piskim agreed with this ruling and also there was a a very prestigious woman Anise of the Abarbanel Benita Abravenel disagreed with Donna Gratzia and and they said that even though the boycott may may in a certain uh sense cause the fourth pope to think twice before he would again try to uh threaten any conversos. But on the other hand, it was hurting the the ju the Jews who had always maintained their observance here in Ancona because now that the port was boycotted, they lost their livelihood. So the boycott eventually dwindled, but in the course of time, the fourth pope passed away. But this is a well-known controversy here at the port of An Kona in the aftermath of the burning at the stake of the 25 Moriranos and their their execution was described by Rabio Hako in the Sephar Achabaka. Here we are in the center of Anona at a very historic site at this location in this square in the year that's 1556. This is after the third pope made Anona a free port. So after they made it a free port, Jews began to return here and many conversos returned to open practice of Judaism. But then the fourth pope rescended that openness and because of that he threatened to burn many Jews at the stake unless they openly denouncer Judaism. And there were the forces of Donna Gracia and Yoseph Doseph Nasi tried to prevail over him. But in this location 25 Jews were burnt at the stake in 1556. One of the great Rabbanim Kona Rabd Vivanti wrote David Vivanti. By the way, he's mentioned by Palagi say vivant is called gavraadesh. He wrote a ka to say during the three weeks during the bayhammed. During the bayamsarum we'll read one phrase to be said during the three weeks in this we hear we hear the cry of our Jewish brethren crying out from the ground. They were murdered here alkashem but their souls went up to the highest makum in ganeden they should be a meio for all of kahisan we're here in Imperial Rome on the bridge in front of Castell D'Angelo which was actually built by the emperor Hadrien as a mausoleum for his remains was built a year after his demise was built in the year 139 passed away in the year 138 of the common era he lived from the year 76 only 6 years after the kurban until the year 138 about 50 years after the Hadrien becomes emperor about in the year 118 and at first he wanted to have a certain openness to the Jewish community and therefore he actually issued a decree that the Jewish people could return and rebuild the temple in the Bameikdash but the early Christians challenged this they said to Hrien the Jews are just going to aspire for autonomy independence and they're not going to pay you any taxes is and Hrien said what am I supposed to do? What should I do? I already gave word that they could rebuild the second the third temple. So the early Christians suggested tell them they could rebuild the temple only they'll have to move it five cubits away from its original location. And that is in fact what Hrien did and the Jewish people disbanded on their own the notion of rebuilding Bikdas because it has to be built in that specific spot. Now Hrien had this built starting in the year 135. It finished one year after his death in the year 139. So it's very significant that we're here during the three weeks during the binhamads because although Hadrien's ashes were originally interred here but ultimately they were scattered by intruders in the middle ages. So on the one hand while this represents Hrien's prominence and his power but what's very interesting is that after Hrien suppressed the Barva revolt when he appointed the general Severas the end of his life was quite marred in sadness. He had a frustrated marriage and unhappy life and ultimately even his ashes were scattered from here by intruders during the Middle Ages. While the Jewish people today are stronger than ever and we continue to flourish, which gives testimony to the prophecy of the great Nvidia.