The Work and the Torah and Worldview Teaching of Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen of Djerba (5634–5710, 1874–1950)
19 min read3,748 words
Summary
The report presents an in-depth analysis of the rabbinic and public work of Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen (Moharmakh), who served as Chief Rabbi and Ravad of the Djerba community in southern Tunisia in the first half of the twentieth century. Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen is regarded as one of the greatest Torah sages of his generation, and he was known for his efforts to preserve Djerba's conservative Torah tradition in the face of the influences of modernity and secularization. His vast body of writing, comprising some one hundred works, foremost among them the responsa series Sho'el ve-Nish'al and the book of customs Brit Kehuna, provided a stable framework of halakhic ruling for Tunisian Jewry. Moreover, his worldview presented a unique combination of deep-rooted Zionism and principled opposition to secular education, as he advocated making local Torah purity the basis for the repair of the world (tikkun olam).
Introduction and Clarification of the Figure's Identity
This report is devoted to an in-depth analysis of the vast work and the Torah and worldview teaching of the Gaon Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen (known by the acronym Moharmakh), who served as Chief Rabbi and Ravad (Rosh Av Beit Din, head of the rabbinic court) of the Jewish community on the island of Djerba in southern Tunisia. Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen, who was born on 12 Shevat 5634 (1874) and died on 18 Tevet 5710 (1950), is regarded as one of the greatest Torah sages of the twentieth century and had a decisive influence on the patterns of halakhic ruling and study among Jews of Tunisian origin as a whole.[1, 2, 3]
It should be noted that although the user's query referred to "Rabbi Chaim Khalfon," the research data point unmistakably to Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen as the central Torah figure of Djerba in his time, whose Torah and public work is the main subject of discussion in both rabbinic literature and academic research.[4, 5] The name "Chaim" in the query may have arisen from confusion with members of his family, such as his father, Rabbi Shalom HaKohen, who wrote the book Chaim ve-Shalom [6], or Eliyahu son of Rabbi Chaim Khalfon, who is mentioned as the author of a Kabbalistic Hebrew dictionary.[7] The following analysis will therefore focus on the multifaceted legacy of Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen.
Chapter 1: Introduction and Historical Context – Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen and the World of Djerba
1.1 Djerba – An Island of Tradition in the Modern Age
Understanding the magnitude of Moharmakh's work requires attention to the unique standing of the Djerba community. The island of Djerba, located in southern Tunisia, served in recent centuries as a steadfast Torah stronghold. The Jewish community there succeeded to a considerable degree in preserving its traditional and conservative way of life, while standing firm against the profound changes that characterized the main communities of northern Tunisia, foremost among them the capital, Tunis, which absorbed modern European influences as a result of the French protectorate.[4]
Research points to a unique phenomenon: whereas in northern Tunisia profound changes were evident and broad circles inclined toward Haskalah (Enlightenment) and secularization, the patterns of life in Djerba remained conservative to an unprecedented degree. Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen stood at the head of the effort to preserve the spiritual resilience of the community, and under his patronage local Torah creativity even developed all the more in his time.[4]
1.2 Moharmakh's Central Role in Preserving the Community's Character
Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen not only led his community but was also the architect of its Torah defenses. He was among the staunch opponents of introducing secular and vocational studies, and he worked to prevent the establishment of a school of the "Kol Yisrael Chaverim" network (Alliance Israélite Universelle) in Djerba.[8]
His leadership rested on a principled conception: preserving local Torah purity and educational separateness (in Djerba) constituted an indispensable basis for training the generation that would carry the religious-national vision. The conclusion that follows from his work is that cultural and educational isolation, when accompanied by immense internal Torah productivity, does not lead to decline but can give rise to a strong intellectual legacy that is not merely local.
Indeed, the force of Moharmakh's work extended beyond the borders of Djerba. Although he lived and worked in an isolated community, his works became a solid basis for halakhic ruling for rabbis originating from Djerba and its environs [9], and he himself won wide recognition among sages of various communities in Israel and the Diaspora. This phenomenon demonstrates that systematic and authentic Torah creativity, such as that which Rabbi Khalfon Moshe promoted, can overcome geographic and cultural barriers and establish a broad national legacy that serves as a focus of scholarly gatherings even many years after his death.[4, 5]
Chapter 2: His Life and the Transition from Study to Halakhic Ruling (1874–1950)
2.1 Roots, Early Education and Training
Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen was born into a distinguished rabbinic family belonging to the "Abrish" priestly (kohanim) families, which according to family tradition descend from Ezra the Scribe.[2, 3] His father was the Gaon Rabbi Shalom HaKohen of blessed memory, who was Av Beit Din of the town of Zarzis and wrote the books Nahar Shalom, Chefetz Yakar and Chaim ve-Shalom. His paternal grandfather was Rabbi Moshe HaKohen, author of the book Penei Moshe, after whom he was named.[2]
Rabbi Khalfon Moshe began his studies with his father, and afterward he studied with the Gaon Rabbi Yosef Berebi of blessed memory, later the rabbi of Djerba.[2, 3] Already in his youth it was evident that he was destined for greatness, and he applied himself to his studies with great diligence.[3] At the age of twelve ("tov") he moved with his father to Zarzis, where he learned the craft of ritual slaughter and inspection and was appointed shochet and bodek (slaughterer and inspector).[3] Upon reaching the age of twenty-one he married his cousin.[3]
In the course of his life Moharmakh and his wife had seven children, among them two sons who were geonim and authors of books: Rabbi Avraham Megutz HaKohen (who died young at the age of 33, author of Birkat Avraham) and Rabbi Shushan HaKohen (who succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Djerba and later served as rabbi of Moshav Eitan in Israel).[2, 3]
2.2 Serving as a Judge under Public Compulsion
Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen was characterized by great humility and by a desire to earn his living by the labor of his hands. Already at the age of twenty-five he was offered the post of member of the rabbinic court in Djerba, but he refused, and because of his humility and his willingness to work for his livelihood he even went so far as to swear that he would under no circumstances serve as a dayan (rabbinic judge).[3]
The story of his appointment symbolizes his deep conception of the rabbinic office as a heavy yoke requiring personal sacrifice. His firm refusal and the oath attest to the understanding that this office is not meant for personal honor or a comfortable livelihood, but demands total devotion.
Only after the Ravad of Djerba, the Gaon Rabbi Moshe Zaken Mazuz of blessed memory, passed away did the rabbis of Djerba and the great rabbis of Tunis return and entreat Rabbi Khalfon Moshe. After two years of stubborn refusal, he acceded to the public's request in 5677 (1917) and had his oath annulled (the details of the responsum on this matter were printed in the responsa Sho'el ve-Nish'al, vol. 2).[3] After accepting the post, he was appointed Ravad of Djerba, and his whole life was devoted to dealing with the "burdens of the public."[3]
2.3 Leadership in the Shadow of Crisis and a Belated Aliyah
During the years of his tenure, Rabbi Khalfon Moshe stood at the head of his community in difficult times. During the period of the Nazi occupation, he displayed courage and strength of leadership, which involved mortal danger, and succeeded in leading his community through that dark period.[8]
Despite the burdens of the public, an eye disease that prevented him from writing at night, and all the obstacles, Rabbi Khalfon Moshe managed to compose some one hundred books and pamphlets in all fields of Torah.[3]
Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen died in Djerba on 18 Tevet 5710 (7 January 1950), at the age of 75, on the eve of his planned aliyah to the Land of Israel.[2, 10] His national vision was fulfilled 55 years later, when his coffin was brought up to Israel. On 7 Cheshvan 5766 (2005) his remains were buried on Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem, together with Torah scrolls that had been interred with him.[3, 10]
Chapter 3: The Literary Enterprise – An Analysis of the Vast Body of Work
Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen left behind a comprehensive literary enterprise comprising some one hundred varied works and pamphlets in the fields of halakha, grammar, the calendar (intercalation), mussar and worldview.[3] This exceptional scope of writing, produced in the course of a strenuous public tenure, attests not only to genius but also to exemplary systematicity. Rabbi Khalfon Moshe stressed in many places the importance of writing Torah novellae (chiddushim) and publishing them [3], and his literary productivity was an inseparable part of his method of education and leadership, which championed order and clarity.
3.1 The Halakhic Encyclopedia: The Responsa "Sho'el ve-Nish'al"
Moharmakh's central and most comprehensive halakhic work is the series of books of questions and answers (responsa) Sho'el ve-Nish'al, comprising nine volumes.[3, 11] This series reflects the revolution the rabbi brought about in Torah study in Djerba. Responsa literature, in which sages are asked halakhic questions by the public and give reasoned and detailed answers [12], became in his hands a tool for changing the local methodology of study. Instead of the exclusive focus on "Tunisian iyun" (in-depth study of the Talmud without application to halakhic ruling), Rabbi Khalfon Moshe pushed for systematic study of halakhic ruling, and the series Sho'el ve-Nish'al is the representative platform of this approach.
3.2 The Cornerstone of Custom: "Brit Kehuna"
Another central book in his work is Brit Kehuna, a book extending over two volumes.[3, 9] This book was devoted entirely to a single purpose: the clarification, grounding and justification of the customs of Djerba and its environs.[3]
The purpose of composing Brit Kehuna was twofold: on the one hand, to serve as a binding source for halakhic ruling within the community, and on the other, to serve as a barrier against the trends of halakhic standardization and the foreign influences that had begun to penetrate Tunisia.[3] Through the precise and documented codification of the ancient customs, Rabbi Khalfon Moshe strengthened communal identity and gave each and every custom a well-founded halakhic seal of approval. The book served, and serves to this day, as a solid basis for halakhic ruling for Jews of Djerban origin.[9]
The promotion of systematic halakhic ruling and the writing of Brit Kehuna can be seen not merely as a technical Torah contribution but as a strategic tool for maintaining communal resilience. Rabbi Khalfon Moshe fought the Haskalah and the Alliance out of the recognition that modernity brings confusion and the breaching of boundaries. His practical answer to these challenges was to provide an internal response of order, halakhic clarity and the absolute grounding of the local tradition.
3.3 Works of Mussar and Worldview
In addition to his halakhic work, Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen wrote many books in the fields of mussar and worldview, in which his great esteem for the teaching of Maimonides (Rambam) is evident.[3] Among his works is also the book Chukot Moshe, which was intended to serve as statute and law for guiding a scattered flock, while dealing with public and communal problems.[9]
Rabbi Khalfon Moshe's moral conception focused, among other things, on the formative power of speech. He taught that words a person says aloud do not merely reveal his feelings and thoughts, but penetrate his heart and shape his inner being.[8] This is a conception that places supreme responsibility on every act of speech.
The scope and types of Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen's work are summarized in the following table:
Table 1: The Scope and Types of the Torah Work of Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen (Moharmakh)
Chapter 4: His Halakhic Teaching – Ruling between Maran and the Custom of Djerba
4.1 The Pedagogical Revolution and the Training of Halakhic Decisors
Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen brought about a fundamental revolution in the ways of Torah study in Djerba. Whereas his predecessors engaged mainly in "Tunisian iyun" – in-depth study of the Talmud – he pushed for broad and systematic study of halakhic ruling.[8]
His method of teaching on Sabbaths was a clear example of his educational approach. He would present a halakhic problem on which his students labored during the week and formulated an answer. On the Sabbath they would discuss the issue while he examined their answers. This method, which was systematic and thorough, produced a backbone of decisors skilled in halakha.[8] His foremost disciple, the Gaon Rabbi Rachamim Chai Chavita HaKohen, succeeded him as Ravad of Djerba.[3]
4.2 The Balance between the Shulchan Arukh and the Tradition of Djerba
In his halakhic rulings, and especially in his responsa books, Rabbi Khalfon Moshe adopted a method combining absolute loyalty to two foundations, which were at times opposed:
- Acceptance of Maran's rulings: On the one hand, Rabbi Khalfon Moshe accepted the rulings of Maran, the author of the Shulchan Arukh, and argued that they are "not nullified even in a thousand."[3]
- Preservation of the ancient customs: On the other hand, he refused to give up the ancient and well-established customs of the Jewish community of the island of Djerba.[3]
The central tool that served this balance was the book Brit Kehuna. Through this book he took care to ground each and every custom in order to ensure its precise preservation, and thereby made custom an integral and reasoned part of halakhic ruling. This approach, which united the central authority (Maran) with local legitimacy (custom), ensured the continuation of Djerba's traditional path.
4.3 The Precedence of the Redemption of the Land over Custom
Another fascinating subject in his halakhic outlook concerns the commandment of settling the Land of Israel. Rabbi Khalfon Moshe was prepared to use the power of halakhic ruling to be lenient with regard to halakha and the community's ancient customs for the sake of a supreme national-religious goal: easing aliyah to the Land of Israel.[8]
The fact that a figure who supported so absolutely and uncompromisingly the preservation of ancestral customs, to the point of writing two foundational volumes on them [3, 9], was prepared to give them up for the sake of the redemption of the Land shows that the place of the commandment of the return to Zion in his halakhic outlook was higher than any stringency or custom. This position proves that Zionism was for him not an external political stance, but an integral and constitutive part of his halakhic teaching, which dictated new priorities in light of the sparks of redemption.
Chapter 5: His Worldview – Zionism, Mussar and Universalism
5.1 Deep-Rooted Zionism and Torah Nationalism
Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen was known as an ardent Zionist. He saw in the Balfour Declaration, which was ratified at the San Remo Conference, "the sparks of redemption."[8] His fervent love for the Land of Israel found frequent expression in his writings, in which he expressed intense longing for Zion and the inheritance of his forefathers.[3, 10] In his book Zekhut Moshe he wrote: "Through the oath that we swore always to remember our land and the inheritance of our forefathers, Jerusalem... therefore it always seems to us as if it had just now been destroyed, and as if we had just now gone out of it."[10]
At the same time, it is important to stress the special character of this Zionism. As Rabbi Meir Mazuz made clear, Moharmakh's Zionism was not "secular Zionism," but a nationalism rooted entirely in the Torah, along the lines of the teaching of Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi, which sought to join religion and nationalism together in the pure sense of the word.[13] His death on the eve of his aliyah [2], and the bringing up of his remains to Jerusalem, symbolize the completion of his national vision after his death.
5.2 Humility, Social Justice and an Ethics of Leadership
Although Rabbi Khalfon Moshe was known as one who stood firmly against those who breached the fences of tradition, he was also known for his great humility.[3] A central example illustrating his moral conception and his humane considerations is his renunciation of the stringency of eating shmura matzah, a stringency he had observed for years, after he discovered that this stringency would not be accessible to the whole of the public who wished to observe it.[8] This act expresses the principle of social justice and of a leadership that places the good of the public and the accessibility of the commandment before personal stringencies.
His teaching on the power of speech, according to which the words a person says aloud not only reveal his thoughts but also penetrate his heart and shape his personality [8], shows the emphasis he placed on the education of children and on the ethics of speech.
5.3 A Universal Vision – World Justice from Zion
Alongside his engagement with halakha and with guarding the boundaries of the community, Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen developed a far-reaching worldview vision concerning world peace. In his writings he expressed support for the establishment of the League of Nations (the organization that preceded the UN) and proposed establishing an international court whose seat would be in Jerusalem.[8]
This conception, voiced by the leader of an isolated and conservative community, is not a contradiction of his character, but part of a hierarchy of vision. Rabbi Khalfon Moshe saw in the preservation of local Torah purity (in Djerba) the basis for training the generation that would carry the banner of religious nationalism (Zionism), which would in turn lead to the repair of the world (tikkun olam). The establishment of a world court in Jerusalem was perceived as the realization of the prophetic vision ("For out of Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem"), and expresses the belief that the Torah of Israel is the key to universal justice and law.
Chapter 6: Summary and Conclusions – His Eternal Legacy and His Appraisal in Later Generations
6.1 The Essence of His Historical and Torah Work
Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen played a decisive role in preserving the identity of Djerban Jewry in the face of the challenges of modernity and French influence.[4] His principal Torah work comprised two central layers:
- The methodological change: leading the transition from "iyun" alone to the systematic study of halakhic ruling, thereby producing a backbone of new decisors.[8]
- Codification: the creation of vast written works (some one hundred books), foremost among them the responsa Sho'el ve-Nish'al and the monumental book of customs Brit Kehuna.[3, 9] This body of work provided the community with a stable halakhic framework and made custom a reasoned part of halakhic ruling.[3]
Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen served as Ravad of Djerba from 1917 to 1950.[3] His place in the rabbinic succession of Djerba is shown in the following table:
Table 2: The Place of Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen on the Timeline of the Rabbis of Djerba
6.2 The Appraisal of the Great Sages of Later Generations and His Legacy in the Diaspora
Recognition of Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen's greatness extends beyond the borders of the Djerba community. His works entered the general Torah canon, and he won enthusiastic appreciation from the great sages of later generations, from all ends of the Torah spectrum. Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef of blessed memory praised his work.[3] Especially notable is the appreciation of Maran the Rosh Yeshiva, the Gaon Rabbi Meir Mazuz, shlita, who called Moharmakh "the Gaon of the generation, the giant of the generation in wisdom, in understanding, in mussar, in fear of Heaven, in uprightness, in justice, in truth and in humility – none like him has arisen!"[3, 14] Rabbi Mazuz further determined that although he lived all his days in a small community in Djerba, "there is almost none like him in the world."[3]
The appreciation that Rabbi Khalfon Moshe received, both from the greatest rabbis of our generation and from academic research institutions that hold conferences and publish collections on his work [4, 5], attests to acceptance and recognition across sectors and disciplines. He left behind a double legacy: halakhic leadership that became the basis of halakhic ruling for entire communities, and a model of traditional rabbinic leadership that knew how to deal with modernity in a sophisticated way. He did not merely hold back external influences, but created a deep internal response, which made him a key figure in modern Jewish history.
Rabbi Khalfon Moshe HaKohen offers a unique model: a leader who was an incisive man of halakha and devoted to ancestral custom, yet at the same time possessed a national and even universal vision, combining personal humility with public firmness, and who prepared the remedy before the blow by building an internal Torah system that would sustain the community for generations.
Sources14
- 1.הרב כלפון משה הכהן - שערים, shearim.org.il/leaders/הרב-כלפון-משה-הכהן/
- 2.גדולי ישראל - רבי משה כלפון הכהן - רוטר.נט, rotter.net/mobile/viewmobile.php?forum=torah&thread=21328
- 3.על הגאון רבי כלפון משה הכהן זצ;quot&ל ועל השקפתו בענייני ... - מכון שלמה אומן, machonso.org/uploads/images/כהן_1.pdf
- 4.הרב כלפון משה הכהן וחכמי תוניסיה בעת החדשה - עיונים ביצירתם, פועלם והשפעתם - אדרא, idra.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/חלקי-הרב-כלפון-משה-הכהן.pdf
- 5.ספרים דיגיטליים | אדרא- הוצאה לאור, idra.org.il/ספרים-דיגיטליים/
- 6.עיונים בספרות המוסר של ר' שלום הכהן מג'רבה - Bar-Ilan University, cris.biu.ac.il/en/publications/עיונים-בספרות-המוסר-של-ר-שלום-הכהן-מגרבה/
- 7.מילון עברי קבלי / אליהו ב"ר חיים כלפון - אינטלקט ספרים, intellectbooks.co.il/product/מילון-עברי-קבלי/
- 8.סיפורים על הרב כלפון משה הכהן - אגדה - בית סיפורי העם היהודי, agadah.org.il/person/הרב-כלפון-משה-הכהן/
- 9.ברית כהונה ב' כרכים / מרן הגאון הגדול ר' כלפון משה הכהן זצוק''ל - אוצר הספרים, sefer.org.il/items/4932019-ברית-כהונה-ב-כרכים-מרן-הגאון-הגדול-ר-כלפון-משה-הכהן-זצוק-ל-הוצאה-לאור-מכון-הרב-מצליח-איש-מצליח
- 10.אודות רבי כמייס חלפון - מוסדות התורה חכמת רחמים, yhr.org.il/about3
- 11.שו"ת שואל ונשאל חלק א | רבי כלפון משה הכהן לקריאה הורדה ועריכה בקובץ וורד / pdf - אור הגנוז | ברסלב, or-breslev.co.il/books/שות-שואל-ונשאל-חלק-א-רבי-כלפון-משה-הכהן/
- 12.שאלות ותשובות - ויקישיבה, yeshiva.org.il/wiki/index.php/שאלות_ותשובות
- 13.ציונות של מרן רבי כלפון זצוק"ל - ישיבת כסא רחמים, ykr.org.il/tips/ציונות-של-מרן-רבי-כלפון-זצוקל/
- 14.טרקלין המדות של רבי כלפון - יד מאיר, yadmeir.co.il/?CategoryID=353&ArticleID=1065