Hacham Eliyahu Lofes Hacham Eliyahu Lofes was born in Haleb , Syria to Hacham Yaakob and his wife. As a child he was taught & mentored by the great Hacham Ezra Shayo. As a young man , he spread Torah to everyone around him and had great influence on Am Yisrael. He learned Hok LeYisrael daily. In 1911 , the italian turkish war broke out and his family would flee to Egypt and find work there. Two years later they emigrated to Eretz Yisrael. He learned in yeshivat ohel moed. in 1916 , they once again were forced to leave their country by turkish rule kicking out all foreigners, so they went to Anatolia. In 1919 , Hacham Eliyahu was granted permission to return to Eretz Yisrael. He learned with great strength and sacrifice. 1890-1938 ד’ תמוז
אמרי פי - Darash and Mussar On the Parashah בן אביחיל- Derushim on special days He established a organization to appoint Sofrim to inspect the mezuzot and tefillin of all jews to ensure they were kosher. he would regularly learn long into the night , sleep a bit , and then make sure to pray Netz. In his later years , he wouldn’t sleep on a bed, he would sleep on a chair next to his table where he was learning and would wake up several times to continue learning. In 1923 , he began to teach Torah in Porat Yosef which would last for 15 years. One of his famous students was Hacham Ovadia Yosef. At just the age of 16 , Young Ovadia presented his sefer “Hazon Ovadia” to his teacher , Hacham Lofes. When he saw the sefer , he held it in his hands and started dancing with great joy! Hacham Eliyahu suddenly became sick and left this world to his true resting place at the age of 48. Only 17 at the time , Hacham Ovadia was instructed by Hacham Ezra Attiah to speak at the funeral of his dear Rabbi. Hacham Ovadia composed a poem about Rabbi Lofes. A miracle for the Lofes family There is a written tradition carried down speaking about the first person from the Lofes family who lived in Aram Soba by the name of Yishak. Yishak had one son, Aharon. Aharon had one son , Ezra. Ezra had a few sons , but they all passed away when they we’re just babies. His wife once again became pregnant. In the hope that they would have a healthy child , his wife traveled over 18 miles to the famous Bet Knesset of Ezra HaSofer. She lived there for the full time of her pregnancy hoping that the zechut of Ezra HaSofer would protect the child. She finally gave birth and the baby was healthy!. He was named Nissim. Nissim had two sons , Ezra and Yaakob. Yaakob had one son , Hacham Eliyahu!