| ‘A Day-away’ Events: Jewels of Yemen: Rabbanit Bracha Kafah, And R. Yosef Kafah, Zâ€L, And The Jews of Yemen
The sounds of Yemenite song and the beautiful dance of Boaz Gadkeh, as well as the ancient inscription as we entered the synagogue: “The Great Synagogue of the Yemenite Jewsâ€, carried us into the world of Yemenite Jewry to begin our journey for the day.
Dr. Uri Melammed then opened up the gates into the world of Yemenite learning. He introduced us to Rav Kafah, through traditional Yemenite texts as well as his interesting personal stories of the Rav. Through him, we began to understand the unbelievable scope of the legacy Rav Kafah has left us.
We then turned to each other as we studied a Midrash of a woman who had the insight to the importance of Hesed. This proved as an interesting introduction to the special talk with Rabbanit Bracha Kafah.
We attentively listened as the Rabbanit untwined her story. Her marriage at age eleven, her aliya to Israel, and through story after story of helping people we slowly began to grasp how much kindness she has showered upon the people of Israel.
We were then guided into the mysterious world of a different culture, as we followed the guides of the Yemenite Jewish Heritage Museum. We were given insight into the story of their aliya to Israel. We met some young students, who came to learn with us for the day, with their Mori, their teacher. We met the classic Yemenite professionals: an embroiderer, a jeweler, a basket-maker and of course, the woman who was baking us pitot.
By this point the smells and tastes of Yemenite cookery led us across the street, where we tasted the delicacies of the Yemenite kitchen. The courtyard was bursting with spices and herbs, colors and smells, which we savored as we ate.
After lunch, we focused on the Rambam, the main spiritual leader of the Jews of Yemen. In small groups, we had a chance to learn with some of Pardes’ best teachers, and studied different aspects of Maimonides.
Rabbi Daniel Landes then brought us all together, and put everything in perspective, as with him we studied the Iggeret Teiman, the special letter from the Rambam to the Jews of Yemen. We were able to comprehend how important an effect the Rambam had on the entire Yemenite tradition, and were able to appreciate much more Rav Kafah’s immense contribution to the continuation of that tradition.
We then dispersed on a walking tour in which we unraveled the story of a small Jerusalem neighborhood. One we’ve probably walked by many times, but never had a clue as to the wealth of stories and history that it contained. We were privileged to daven Mincha in Rav Kafah’s shul, and then returned for the evening festivities.
We concluded the day with a joyous Henna celebration. The women of Rosh HaAyin brought us into their world, as they taught us their dance steps, spread henna on our hands, and dressed us in their beautifully embroidered clothing. While we ate, drank and rejoiced, we listened to the magical sounds of the Yemenite songs, and wandered among the various stations.
We left with a deepened understanding of this unique Jewish couple, who founded a house which contained an immense love of Torah and of the People of Israel, a love that flowed out of the small house on Rehov Lod, into the lives of many Jewish people today, and for many generations to come. We walked away with a deep sense of appreciation of their gifts and of the richness and uniqueness of their Yemenite culture.
This “A Day Away†was produced as a fundraising event for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.
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