Rabbi Israel Najara ישראל בן משה נאג’ארה was born in Safed, Israel in 1555. At a very early age, his family moved to Damascus, Syria. The family Najara comes from “Nájera”, a small town located in the “Rioja Alta” , Spain, on the river Najerilla.
His father, Moshe Najara, served for many years as the rabbi of the community of Damascus and during his father’s lifetime, rabbi Israel, was the secretary of the community. From his mother’s side, rabbi Israel was the grandson of (and named after) the famous Rabbi Israel de Curiel (1501-1573) one of the few Musmakhim that were ordained in Safed by Rabbi Ya’aqob Berab, together with Maran Rabbi Yosef Caro.
In Damascus, his father Rabbi Moshe Najara, would lead the Mishmarot. Kept until our own days among many Syrian Jews, the mishmarot are long sessions of learning Tora which take place the eve of the beginning of the months and every Shabbat afternoon.
Because of the position of this father, Rabbi Israel Najara was not an active rabbi in Damascus. Rabbi Najara served as the Hazan (cantor) and the Rabbi (traditionally, in Sephardic communities, these two positions were performed by the same person) of the Jewish community of Jobar, in the outskirts of Damascus.
The city of Jobar was predominantly a Jewish town. Shams Ibn Tulun Al Dimashki, who died in 1546, mentioned that “Jobar is a Jewish village with a Muslim presence.”
Jobar is (was) very famous for its Synagogue: Eliyahu haNabi. We have a very interesting testimony of the town of Jobar and its Synagogue from a Rabbi and traveler, Rabbi Moshe Basula: “The town of Jobar, is one mile away from Damascus. The Jewish community of Jobar counts 60 families musta’arabim (= local Jews, from the ancient Syrian community. The word musta’arabim is usually used in opposition to “Sephardim”, Jews who came from Spain. Ultimately, these two “communities” integrated into one). In the town there is a beautiful synagogue, I have never seen anything like it… with six columns on the right side and seven on the left side. The Synagogue called Eliyahu haNabi was built atop a cave. People say that this is the cave where Eliyahu haNabi hid himself [=when he escaped from Ahab, King of Israel] and that this Synagogue is from the time of the Prophet Elisha. [At the entrance of the synagogue, toward the middle of the wall to the right] there is an irregularly formed stone, on which can be observed traces of several steps. According to tradition, this is where Elisha anointed Hazel [King of Aram, old Syria]. The Synagogue was restored by rabbi Elazar ben Arakh. And people told me that many miracles happened in the Synagogue. And in times of sorrow, the Jews get together and find refuge from their enemies in it” .
Rabbi Israel Najara is very famous for his poetry. He wrote hundreds of religious poems known as Piyutim (we know of 346) mainly about Jewish suffering and the yearning for redemption. Probably, the most famous of his poem is Y-ah Ribbon Olam VeOlmaya a poem written in rabbinical Aramaic that was adopted by Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews alike. Another poem which is also well known is the ketubba lehag haShabu’ot (“Marriage Contract for Shabuot”), read in many Sephardic communities in Shabu’ot, a poem comparing the covenant between God and Israel with a wedding ceremony.
Rabbi Najara also wrote a book called Mikve Israel. Which is a collection of 40 sermons that he delivered at the time of the Mishmarot in the Jobar synagogue. In these sermons (derushim), rabbi Najara combines profound Talmudic concepts with Jewish philosophy and mysticism. It is worth noticing that his father, rabbi Moshe Najara, was a student of the famous Mequbbal the Ari z”l haQadosh, who appreciated very much rabbi Israel Najara’s poems and he said that “his poetry is well appreciated in heavens”.
In his sermons, the philosophical and even the mystical aspects are not as important for Rabbi Najara as the Musar (ethical and moral Talmudic teachings). Rabbi Najara sought to instruct people and inspire them to improve and refine their personality and character. In his sermons he talked about the importance of tsedaqa, helping and supporting each other financially, and gemilut hasadim, helping each other in areas that are not necessarily related to money, like visiting the sick, comforting the mourners, etc.
In the last years of his life, after the passing of his father, Rabbi Najara moved to the town of Gaza in Israel. He was the rabbi of the Jewish community of Gaza until his death in 1625. He is buried in Gaza. Upon his death, his son, Moshe replaced him in this position.
To download the book Mikve Israel, click here
