Sage of Marrakesh who studied with its leading rabbis and in 1833 succeeded Hakham Avraham Pinto as chief rabbi of the city and its region. His commentary Maskil LeDavid, his sermons and the responsa of his rabbinic court survive in print.
Who was Hakham David Sabbah?
Hakham David Sabbah was one of the leading sages of Marrakesh in the nineteenth century and the city’s chief rabbi for a quarter of a century. A scholar of the Bible and the Talmud and the head of its rabbinic court, he led the Jewish community of Marrakesh and the surrounding region, one of the oldest and largest in Morocco.
Marrakesh
David Sabbah was born in Marrakesh; his mother’s name was Mira. He studied with two of the great sages of the city, Hakham Shlomo Assebag and Hakham Moshe ben David Ohayon, and became known for his learning in Torah and halakha.
In 1833, after the death of Hakham Avraham Pinto, he was appointed chief rabbi of Marrakesh and its surroundings. As head of the community’s rabbinic court, he decided questions of Jewish law for the Jews of the city and the region, at a time when the mellah of Marrakesh was home to one of the largest Jewish populations in Morocco.
Works
Most of his writings were lost. Those that were published include Maskil LeDavid, an original commentary on the Bible and the Talmud together with sermons; Moreh Tzedek, a collection of essays; and the responsa and Torah insights of Rabbi David Sabbah and his rabbinic court.
Death
According to the tradition of his community, Hakham David Sabbah passed away at the time of Yom Kippur in the year 5618, in 1857. On the anniversary of his death, families and students light a candle in his memory and study Torah in his name.
Legacy
Hakham David Sabbah belongs to the long line of sages who led the Jews of Marrakesh, from the rabbis of the sixteenth century to the families of rabbis who served the community until its emigration in the twentieth. His works and his memory are part of the rich rabbinic heritage of Moroccan Jewry, which Moroccan Jews in Israel, France and the Americas continue to study and honor.
Sources
- "Hacham David Sabbah," Hyomi (Moroccan Jewish heritage)
