Rabbi Kalifa ben Malka

Moroccan sage born around 1680, probably in Tétouan, he studied under the sages of Fès and Safi and lived many years in Tétouan before settling in Agadir, where he served as rabbi and judge in the rabbinical court. A wealthy merchant whose ships sailed the world, he chose to conduct his own affairs without intermediaries, out of concern for honesty, while making study his principal occupation. A great grammarian and poet, he devoted a central part of his life to correcting and establishing versions of prayers and to defending the liturgical customs of Morocco. Praised by the Hida (who nicknames him "the Hassid" and "he who is versed in miracles"), he was reputed as one of the greatest rabbis of Morocco of his time. According to Agadir tradition, in his great age (over 80 years), he prayed on Yom Kippur itself that his ships laden with cargo would sink to prove that his fortune meant nothing compared to his love of God; ruined at the end of his life, he died on 2 Eloul after 1760 and was buried in the old cemetery of Agadir.

The days of this book

Sources & resources

• Shaul Tanji, Encyclopédie des sages et rabbins du Maroc ↗

Works by this author