Rabbi Elazar Abuhatzeira, 70, grandson of the well-known kabbalist Baba Sali and a kabbalist in his own right, was murdered early Friday morning at his yeshiva in Be'er Sheva by a man who came to the rabbi asking for a blessing. The Abuhatzeira rabbis are leading Moroccan Sephardic spiritual leaders and kabbalists renowned for their alleged ability to work miracles through prayer. Rabbi Abuhatzeira's funeral procession began 11:00 a.m. Friday at the Porat Yosef yeshiva in Jerusalem, with eulogies from other leading rabbis. The procession proceeded to the Mount of Olives, where the rabbi is being laid to rest. Abuhatzeira leaves behind seven children and a horde of followers. Rabbi Pinchas Abuhatzeira, one of Elazar's sons, has taken over the mantle of the yeshiva's leadership. "Who will bless us now? Who will guide us now? Who will enlighten us with the Torah-" Pinchas eulogized, crying. Chief Sephardic Rabbi Shlomo Amar said Friday that "an evil hand has struck a holy man, one of Israel's great men, who led so many along the path of the Torah." A man claiming he wanted a blessing arrived during Abuhatzeira's regular visiting hours, shortly before midnight, and entered the rabbi's study. There, he pulled out a knife, stabbed Abuhatzeira several times, and fled. A number of people at the yeshiva gave chase and caught the man, while others called the police and the Magen David Adom ambulance services. Paramedics treated Abuhatzeira on the scene before he was taken to the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva in a critical condition, where he was pronounced dead. A large police contingent, including Southern District Police Commander Yossi Pariente and Negev Regional Police Commander Peretz Amar, arrived on the scene. Police say the motive for the murder remains unclear. Abuhatzeira was stabbed in his upper body, they said. The suspect, identified as 42-year-old Asher Dahan, from Elad, was arrested and taken to the Negev regional police station for interrogation. On Friday morning Dahan was brought before a judge at the Be'er Sheva Magistrates Court and had his remand extended by 13 days. According to reports, Dahan had visited the yeshiva several times before and was known to Abuhatzeira's associates. Channel 2 TV reported that Dahan has a criminal record and has served jail time. Dahan has confessed to the stabbing, Channel 2 TV reported. Dahan was sent for psychiatric evaluation, and according to his lawyer, did not intend to kill the rabbi. Army Radio reported that Dahan was unhappy with advice the rabbi gave him regarding his troubled marriage. Abuhatzeira, also known as "Baba Elazar," was a well-known kabbalist. As a young student, he spent days on end at the Porat Yosef Yeshiva, a leading Sephardic yeshiva in Jerusalem. He was the brother of Rabbi David Abuhatzeira, who serves the northern city of Nahariya, and nephew of Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzeira, also known as "Baba Baruch" who serves the southern city of Netivot. Politicians and public figures were regular visitors to Abuhatzeira's yeshiva, arriving to ask for his blessings and advice. Abuhatzeira was viewed by his followers as a spiritual leader. He was an extremely strict adherent of Jewish law and he often hid his face in public to avoid the media as well as the adulation of his followers. He was also known to travel via a specially built tunnel between his home and his yeshiva to safeguard his privacy. Interior Minister and leader of the Sephardic Shas party, Eli Yishai, arrived at the Yeshiva overnight. "We are shocked. It's impossible to comprehend. It is an indescribable loss," Yishai said. Abuhatzeira's followers on Friday discussed what they believed to be the rabbi's miracles. "A man came to see [Abuhatzeira] after his doctors told him he only had a few more days to live," said one follower. "The rabbi blessed him, and he recovered. We are deeply shocked. We cannot fathom why someone would want to hurt the rabbi." When news of Abuhatzeira's death was released, hundreds of Be'er Sheva residents rushed to the rabbi's home, crying out in anguish and disbelief at the murder of the highly esteemed rabbi.
