Folktales of the Jews, Volume 1: Tales from the Sephardic Dispersion

26. The Immigration Pangs of Rabbi Chilibon Franco of Rhodes (IFA 13405)

* See Psalms 95:10. ** See Avot 4, 15.§ Religious school; an allusion to Exodus 33:11 and Joshua son of Nun.§§ See Numbers 27:17. 187 26 The Immigration Pangs of Rabbi Chilibon Franco of Rhodes YA ’ A K O V E L A Z A R When Rabbi Chilibon Franco, who was the rabbi of the town of Rhodes on the island of the same name, had passed the first years of old age, he summoned the magnates of the town. With great emotion, he told them, “‘Forty years I was provoked by that generation’* —that is, for four decades I have served you. Today, my vigor has not fled nor my strength waned, and my strength today remains as it was at the beginning of my time with you. Nevertheless, because no man knows his life and course on earth, I have decided to pass the end of my days in the land of our ancestors , in the holy city of Jerusalem.” Turning to the synagogue wardens, who had sometimes harried him in his youth and sometimes, by mistake, in his old age as well, he said, “Thus far I have been the chief among the foxes. Now I am going to be the least among the lions.”** Presenting to them his student Rabbi Joshua Bonfils, he continued, “As you know, this is my student Joshua, who does not stir from my beit midrash.§ I have instructed him, and I appoint him to serve in my stead. He will go out before you and come in before you;§§ and, with God’s help, will steer your ships safely and bring your judgments to light.” When he finished speaking, the head of the community, Rabbi Leon Caniti, stood up and spoke. “Honored Rabbi! It is with a broken and heavy heart that we part from you. Since, however, you are going to the dwelling place of the great sages of Israel in the Holy City, we do not dare stand in your way. We hope that your knowledge of Torah will place you among the lions themselves.”  188  Folktales of the Jews: Volume 1 The magnificent interior of the synagogue at Rhodes. Next there rose his student Rabbi Joshua. With copious tears, he preached a sermon that dealt with the parting of rabbi and disciple, delving deeply into the theme in order to demonstrate the greatness of his teacher and his own accomplishments. He also asked forgiveness on behalf of all of them. After a number of days, the [elderly] rabbi, accompanied by dozens of small boats filled with the leading lights of the community, both Jews and non-Jews, boarded a ship that was on its way to Saloniki, from where he took another ship to Jaffa. The rabbi’s fame went before him. Many of the inhabitants of Jaffa and Jerusalem came out to greet him, especially rabbis and young scholars who knew him through his learned volumes on the laws of divorce. Very slowly, the rabbi began to find his place and got to know the rabbis of the city whom he had not known previously, the community leaders, the merchants, and the common folk. Each Sabbath he attended a different synagogue. During the week, he visited the various yeshivot;* but [he] took up a regular seat for a number of hours each day in the Pereira yeshiva, not for gain, since he had not come empty-handed and the synagogue wardens of his town had not sent him away empty-handed. Nor did his sons forget him; each month he received what they had promised him. In this way, he supported others rather than having to be supported by them. As was the way of the rabbis of Jerusalem in sacred matters, whenever they encountered a scholar who had just arrived, especially one whom they had not known previously, they were very curious about the quality of his scholarship. More than once, rabbis from abroad who came to Jerusalem had been found to be hollow inside: Their hats and long coats and beards were very heavy and broad, but when they opened their mouths their coat became their disgrace.** But Rabbi Chilibon was not one of these. When some of the aspiring young scholars saw that he had a solid command of Talmud, they moved on to midrash§ , and from midrash to halakhah.§§ Some tested him in the wording of a bill of...