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Rabbi Haim Messas was born in Meknes in 1843 (Elloul 5603). The Torah teacher was the master of many disciples, including Rabbi Raphaël Baroukh Toledano, his son Rabbi Yossef Messas and many others, who were Dayanim and taught Torah in Morocco and elsewhere, recalled the Hevrat Pinto foundation.
Less known than other Tsaddiks, the Jewish community remembers him by his book «Nichmat 'Hhaim» on the Torah and the Bible, as well as important halachic studies (legal interpretation of the bible). This work was also printed by his son Rabbi Yossef in 1949, and republished by the Benei Issakhar institute, thanks to his son Rav Eliahou, the same source indicates.
A dedicated saint
Furthermore, in «Saint Veneration Among the Jews in Morocco» (Wayne State University Press, 1998), Issachar Ben-Ami attributes to the Rabbi «some practices», such as banning traveling in Sabbath, eating without blessing, lacking modesty and chastity and the excessive use of candle-lighting.
The Rabbi saved his city Meknes from an attack by a tribe on April 3, 1903. According to Rabbi Raphael Baroukh Toledano, Haim Messas would have saved members of his community, by praying during these attacks.
«That morning everyone gathered on the city's streets. I found myself there too, in these terrible circumstances. Our holy master was in this crowd, he fell to the ground and uttered great prayers», he wrote. «We knew very well that it was the merit of our holy master who had protected us», he added.
Only, a few days later, Rabbi Haim Messas got ill. «He remained in bed until he died on 8 Tamouz 5564 (1904)».
The saint of Meknes and his vandalized tomb
His son and disciple, Yossef Messas, said that his father intervened to prevent a thief from being punished, because the latter did not have enough money to eat. He also recalls how Rabbi Haim Messas helped poor students.
«Once, my father presented himself to a man who demanded from a poor talmid 'hakham to pay him the rent for the past year and to leave the house», says his son Yossef.
«My father found it very difficult to make him accept a compromise: he had to pay rent for the past year and stay in the house for another year; then the talmid ‘hakham in question said that he had nothing to pay, and the owner asked him for a pawn. My father, [seeing the extent of the boy’s poverty] immediately took out my mother’s silver bracelets» and gave them to the student.
Haim Messas died in Meknes in 1904 and was buried in the city’s cemetery. His tomb was vandalized years later, giving birth to a series of legends around it. In «Folktales of the Canadian Sephardim» (Editions Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1982), André E. Elbaz says that one night, «someone decided to go steal the candles that the faithful regularly lit at the foot of Rabbi Haim Messas’ tomb».
«But no sooner had they put the first candles in their pockets than they were paralyzed. They could no longer move their hands or legs», he concluded.
