Maroc-Chine: partenariat commercial atteint un niveau record    France : Sébastien Lecornu nommé Premier ministre    Rabat Business School dans le Top 20 mondial du classement Financial Times    Hydrogène: le Maroc s'active dans la recherche...    Le Maroc condamne vivement l'agression israélienne odieuse contre le Qatar    Les prévisions du mercredi 10 septembre 2025    Cannabis médical: le Maroc autorise la mise en vente de 67 produits    La douane traque les huiles moteur contrefaites provenant d'Espagne    Polémique autour des plaques internationales : le ministère de Kayouh clarifie    Tourisme : Eté record au Maroc avec plus de 13,5 millions de touristes à fin août    Sahara : La Centrafrique porte la voix de 40 États en appui au Maroc    UE : Dimiter Tzantchev prend ses fonctions à Rabat    Maroc : Le PJD et Al Adl wal Ihsane condamnent la frappe israélienne sur le Qatar    Elim Mondial 2026 : Le Niger surprend la Tanzanie (1-0)    Yassine Bounou décroche le prix du meilleur arrêt en Saudi Pro League    WeCasablanca International Challenge 2025 : la métropole en mode sport urbain    Après la TICAD9, le Polisario se prépare à participer au 7e sommet UA-UE    Le Maroc condamne fermement l'attaque israélienne contre le Qatar    Fès-Meknès : Amine Tahraoui s'enquiert de l'avancement de projets sanitaires    Plus de 1200 artistes boycottent les productions israéliennes impliquées dans le génocide en Palestine    La Fondation Dr Leila Mezian inaugure l'« Espace Amazigh » au cœur de l'Alhambra de Grenade    De Lorient à Lusaka : Igamane enchaîne les coups d'éclat    Omar El Hilali, débuts discrets mais inoubliables avec les Lions de l'Atlas    Côme et Fàbregas relancent la piste Hakim Ziyech    Salon du Cheval: El Bouari s'enquiert des préparatifs de la 16e édition    La police de l'environnement et les droits de l'Homme au menu du prochain Conseil de gouvernement    Partenariat: L'Institut Amadeus signe un MoU avec l'Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research    Enfin, une Ecole Numérique voit le jour à Samara    Météo : Averses orageuses avec chutes de grêle et rafales de vent prévues ce mardi    Enseignement : Saad Berrada inaugure des établissements scolaires à Errachidia    Nasser Bourita s'entretient avec Sergueï Lavrov en pleine préparation de la 8ème Commission Mixte    Retraite de haut niveau sur l'avenir des relations euro-méditerranéennes »    Musique : décès du maître gnaoua Mustapha Baqbou    Un marroquí muere en un accidente de coche en el norte de Italia    Prince Hicham Alaoui calls to «break with Netanyahu» but not with the Israeli people    Maroc : Les anti-normalisation appellent à boycotter le Forum mondial des femmes pour la paix    Le prince Hicham Alaoui appelle à «rompre avec Netanyahu» mais pas avec «le peuple israélien»    Países Bajos: Un testigo clave en el juicio de Ridouan Taghi será liberado próximamente    Prépa CDM féminine de futsal : Italie - Maroc ce mardi    Sahara : Quand Staffan de Mistura met le Polisario et l'Algérie dans le même panier    Un élève rend hommage à son professeur après 22 ans : une Omra en guise de gratitude    Leïla Benali engage à Nouakchott une concertation approfondie avec Mohamed Ould Khaled sur l'interconnexion électrique et les chantiers communs des énergies renouvelables    Entretien téléphonique entre Nasser Bourita et son homologue sénégalais    Le Maroc figure sur la liste européenne des pays d'origine sûrs tandis que l'UE+ voit chuter ses demandes d'asile de 23 % au premier semestre 2025, un chiffre historique    Le Maâlem Mustapha Baqbou n'est plus    L'Alhambra de Grenade accueille un nouvel espace amazigh en l'honneur de la Dr Leila Mezian    Moroccan Gnaoua master Maalem Mustapha Bakbou passes away at 72    Erick Baert, l'homme aux 100 voix, de retour au Maroc avec son spectacle "Illusions vocales"    







Merci d'avoir signalé!
Cette image sera automatiquement bloquée après qu'elle soit signalée par plusieurs personnes.



Jewish pilgrimage in Morocco #14 : Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench, Ourika's beloved saint
Publié dans Yabiladi le 01 - 10 - 2019

Venerated by both Muslims and Jews, Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench is the saint of Ourika. The Rabbi is known for the many legends that have been associated to his life and death throughout the years.
Not very far from Ourika, a tourist destination in Al Haouz Province of the Marrakesh-Tensift-El Haouz region of Morocco, lays the grave of rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench. His name has been associated with a number of legends and mysteries that marked the inhabitants of the region and his many visitors that come from all over the world.
Several accounts suggest that he was an emissary from the land of Israel, who came to Morocco to raise funds, before deciding to settle down in the Kingdom. It is believed that he died around the fifteenth century, when the region of Ourika was home to a big Jewish community.
In the 1590s only, 300 Jewish families lived there and had «two synagogues, Jewish schools, rabbis to perform circumcisions, bar-mitzvahs and weddings, and plenty of kosher food and matzah for Pesach», a platform called Scattered among the Nations recalled.
Venerated by Jews and Muslims
«Rabbi Shlomo (Solomon) who was nicknamed 'Ben Lhench' remains one of the most venerated Jewish saints in Morocco, visited by Muslims who call him 'Moul Asguine'», said Soly Anidjar, a Casablanca-born Moroccan settled abroad.
What makes his grave a remarcakble one is the story of the man who has been living there for more than 30 years : Hananiyah Alfassi. The latter is «the last Jew in the Ourika Valley of Morocco's High Atlas mountains». He «guards the tomb of the 'Tzadik' who died 500 years ago. Foreign pilgrims visiting the Tzadik's tomb taped snapshots of famous rabbis to the wall behind him», the same source adds.
Hananiyah Alfassi, however, died six years ago. The sad news was brought to us last month by Fadma, who takes care of his family and the shrine of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench.
Apart from the story behind this place, several legends have been associated with the figure of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench. Two of them were reported by the Jews of the region from one generation to the other. Moreover, one of these stories is shared by a blog on the Moroccan Jewish diaspora called Dafina.
«One day Rabbi Shlomo went to Marrakech on his mule to solve a conflict», a user recalled. His mission was successfully accomplished and while he was headed back home the sun started going down. «He did a gesture with his hand and waved at the sun which stopped immediately», the same source added. The legend goes that he made «time stop» and only after he reached his village that the sun started moving again.
Legends about snakes
The other legend is linked to the name of the Rabbi, Bel Hench, which refers to snakes. Again, this story has two versions to it. According to the first one, the Rabbi was nicknamed Bel Hench because «a snake encircled his head before dying». Others believe that the Tasdik would have «turned into a snake to protect the village's horses from thieves».
This legend is highly reported by Jews who made a pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench. «In the sanctuary of the saint, we slept sometimes in the ground floor, or sometimes in the small room near the synagogue on the first floor», a pilgrim said.
According to the same account, during the night and near the tomb of Rabbi Shlomo, «a big snake fell from the ceiling in front of the saint's grave and directly near my brother's legs. My father was very frightened, but the people in the saint who were in the room told him not to move and that the snake would go away, and that's what happened», he said.
Today, the shrine of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench is visited annually. «We have visitors from Israel, France and Morocco in addition to our Moroccan visitors [of Muslim faith, ed]. Everyone is welcome», says Fadma, who looks after the place.


Cliquez ici pour lire l'article depuis sa source.