Raphael Ankawa - Biography

 Raphael Ben Mordechai Ankawa, also spelled Ankavah or Encouau, (1848–1935) was the Chief Rabbi of Morocco and a noted commentator, talmudist, posek and author.

Biography

Born in Sale, Morocco in 1848, he is known to the Jews of North Africa as "Malach Raphael" or the Angel Raphael. In 1880 he became President of the Rabbinical Court or Beit Din in Sale and founded a yeshiva there. In 1918 he was appointed the first President of the High Rabbinical Court of Rabat, Morocco. Admired for his wisdom, open-mindedness, righteousness, moral authority and charisma, he published numerous works on jurisprudence, including "Karne Reem" (Jerusalem 1910), "Hadad Vetema" (Jerusalem 1978), "Paamone Zahav" (Jerusalem 1912), and "Paamon Ve-Rimon" (Jerusalem 1967), some of them continue to be regarded as authoritative.

Funeral and Legacy

His funeral, on August 2, 1935, was a remarkable event in the history of Moroccan Jewry in the 20th century, symbolizing their vitality and cohesion. Over 50,000 followers participated in the funeral, and after his death, his grave became a place of Jewish pilgrimage venerated by many. Rabbi Ankawa is survived by hundreds of descendants today, mostly in Israel, France, and the United States. The leading Halachic Rabbis around the reference his books as sources for contemporary Jewish legal works.

Bibliography

Ankawa, Raphael ben Mordecai. Sefer Pa`amone zahav: rigle `emdah be-mishor Be-makhelim avarekh et H. ... / koh divre Refa'el ben Mordekhai Ankava. Pp. 179 [i.e. 358]. Yerushala[y]im: Bi-defus Sh. ha-Levi Tsukerman, 672 [1912].
Ankawa, Raphael ben Mordecai. Sefer Sh. u-t. Karne re'em. [Brooklyn: Ahim Goldenberg,2 vols. 752 (1991). 2 v.
Ankawa, Raphael ben Mordecai. Sefer To`afot Re'em: she'elot u-teshuvot be-arba`ah helke Shulhan `arukh / pe`ulat Refa'el Ankava. Pp. 28, 180 (i.e. 360) 52. Yerushalayim: Hotsa'at Ahavat Shalom, 760 [1999]
Ankawa, Raphael ben Mordecai. Sefer Karne Re'em: she'elot u-teshuvot be-`inyene Shulhan `arukh Yoreh de`ah, Even ha-`ezer ve-Hoshen mishpat / pe`ulat Refa'el Ankava. Pp. 24, 251 [i.e. 502]. Yerushalayim: Hotsa'at Ahavat Shalom, 760 [1999].