Author: Vladimir Pyatsky
Translation: Natasha Tsimbler
I met Eliyahu when he was seventy-two years old. I helped him bathe and massaged his leg, which was healing from a fracture. During the massage I used oils he had made himself from medicinal herbs.
Eliyahu and his wife, Messody, have eleven children, all of whom possess a fiery, penetrating gaze. Eliyahu is a tireless experimenter. For example,instead of photodynamic therapy and electrophoresis for his legs, he chose to whip them with nettles. A self-taught scholar in all areas of literature, he skillfully absorbed lively and fascinating knowledge not only from books but also through conversation. He shared stories about the magical aspects of his personal experiences only after several months of acquaintance.
Eliyahu told me that his father owned a spice shop in Casablanca. One day, his father developed severe eczema on both hands. The inflammation spread from his palms up to his elbows, making it impossible for him to work. He spent his savings on numerous treatments, but the disease did not go away. His hasidic friends, with whom he was close, offered him a teaching job at a primary school, and he started earning for life again.
One day, a friend suggested that he seek advice from a healer. The healer told him, “The first person you meet after the Havdalah prayer will give you the cure.”
The first person his father greeted after the prayer struck up a conversation with him. He started asking him about his life and when he learned about his illness, he then asked to see his hands. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” he asked in surprise. “I have medicine for this disease”. He then gave him a recipe for a rather complex medical compound that included a certain poisonous substance, eggs, and other ingredients. After preparing and using the remedy, Eliyahu’s father was cured of eczema for the rest of his life. Later, he used the same treatment to help others.
Messody, Eliyahu’s wife, told me about her grandfather. He was a rabbi who “wrote” – that is, he healed the sick by correcting the causes of their ailments through the special application of sacred names of G-d. This practice is considered dangerous, and many religious Jews see it as controversial and inconsistent with the Torah teachings. He had fourteen children, but ten of them died in early adolescence, so that only four daughters lived.
Messody’s grandmother once told a story about walking with him one evening when he suddenly disappeared. When she returned home, she found him lying in bed. She asked him what had happened. He revealed that demons had abducted him and taken him underground, where he found himself at a demonic wedding. Everything there looked just like a human wedding, with food and music. The demons approached him and said, “Let’s make a deal! Stop inscribing the sacred names, and we will ensure your children live long lives. If you need anything, just call us!” He agreed and stopped “writing” for a while. But one day, he woke up to find his hands covered in henna – the same henna he used to inscribe the sacred names of G-d. Taking this as a divine command, he resumed his work.
After his death, a neighbor visited his widow on Shabbat and clearly saw the deceased rabbi and heard him recite a blessing.
Eliyahu added that Messody’s grandfather was famous as a miracle worker. Many years later, when Eliyahu and his wife visited Morocco, some people still came to her grandfather’s house and kissed the doorpost, hoping to resolve their troubles.
Eliyahu’s perspective on miracles is that, beyond physical interactions, people also share energetic connections. Miracle workers use these connections.
After Messody shared her grandfather’s story, Eliyahu spoke of his own.
Like Messody’s grandfather, his grandfather was a rabbi too. He too “wrote” the sacred names of G-d to solve people’s problems. Eliyahu recalled childhood memories of seeing his grandfather sitting on the doorstep with his notebook and writing instruments. Visitors – both Jews and Arabs – approached with their requests, and his grandfather would “write”. Some visitors he invited inside for private consultations.
Eliyahu’s grandfather began his studies to become a rabbi at the age of twelve, after traveling from a remote village to the city. He worked and studied there for seven or eight years and after that earned a certificate confirming his education. He later became the personal rabbi of a wealthy merchant who frequently traveled between Morocco and Spain, staying in Spain for long periods. While in Spain, he married an eleven-year-old girl.
Eliyahu explained that such early marriages were common among Spanish and Moroccan Jews due to fears that Muslim rulers would hunt young Jewish girls for their harems. Families sought to marry off beautiful girls as early as possible. However, when his grandfather decided to return to Morocco, his young wife refused to leave Spain. To the surprise of his patron, the rabbi did not force her to go. He explained that, according to Jewish law, if a girl, at a moment of being taken to her husband’s homestead, had not yet reached puberty, she had the right to reject the marriage. He paid her the financial settlement required by the marriage contract and returned to Morocco alone, bringing only a few keepsakes in an inlaid casket.
Eliyahu also told about the childhood memories of playing with a doll made from soft goat leather. He also played pretend, mimicking his father, who ran a shop. He also engaged in special games where, like his grandfather who “wrote” sacred names, he would write letters inside magical squares, searching for the code to the ultimate, secret name of G-d. Neighborhood girls eagerly played the role of people that came to the rabbi seeking solutions, while Eliyahu gave them blessings in the form of writings.
Another remarkable story happened immediately after Eliyahu was born. His mother was a seamstress, and his cradle was kept in her workshop, where she saw her clients ordering fine sewing. One day, a courtesan entered the workshop to order embroidery on an expensive belt. Since the order was urgent, Eliyahu’s mother completed it within a few hours while the courtesan waited in the shop. Shortly after the courtesan left, Eliyahu’s mother began nursing him but noticed that he tensed up and turned away from her breast. The same thing happened in the evening and again the next day – he refused to eat. Fearing that the courtesan had cast the evil eye on her child, his mother sought help from her father, who was knowledgeable in esoteric matters. After investigating the situation and finding out where the courtesan lived, he went to see her. He did not accuse her but instead asked what materials she had used for her belt.
Here, it is important to make clear that in Morocco courtesans used their belts as magical tools to attract clients. They embedded enchanted stones and other magical substances into them and rubbed them with special ointments that emitted aphrodisiac scents.
At first, the woman adamantly refused to reveal the secrets of her belt, fearing that its power would be lost if she did. But Eliyahu’s grandfather persisted, explaining that the child’s life was at risk since he had stopped nursing. Eventually, the courtesan agreed to lend him the belt for one day. When he returned home, the grandfather suggested that Eliyahu’s mother wear the belt and try feeding her baby again. This time, the starving infant eagerly latched on and drank milk heartily. From that day forward, he nursed normally.
Author
Author: Vladimir Pyatsky
Translation: Natasha Tsimbler
I met Eliyahu when he was seventy-two years old. I helped him bathe and massaged his leg, which was healing from a fracture. During the massage I used oils he had made himself from medicinal herbs.
Eliyahu and his wife, Messody, have eleven children, all of whom possess a fiery, penetrating gaze. Eliyahu is a tireless experimenter. For example,instead of photodynamic therapy and electrophoresis for his legs, he chose to whip them with nettles. A self-taught scholar in all areas of literature, he skillfully absorbed lively and fascinating knowledge not only from books but also through conversation. He shared stories about the magical aspects of his personal experiences only after several months of acquaintance.
Eliyahu told me that his father owned a spice shop in Casablanca. One day, his father developed severe eczema on both hands. The inflammation spread from his palms up to his elbows, making it impossible for him to work. He spent his savings on numerous treatments, but the disease did not go away. His hasidic friends, with whom he was close, offered him a teaching job at a primary school, and he started earning for life again.
One day, a friend suggested that he seek advice from a healer. The healer told him, “The first person you meet after the Havdalah prayer will give you the cure.”
The first person his father greeted after the prayer struck up a conversation with him. He started asking him about his life and when he learned about his illness, he then asked to see his hands. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” he asked in surprise. “I have medicine for this disease”. He then gave him a recipe for a rather complex medical compound that included a certain poisonous substance, eggs, and other ingredients. After preparing and using the remedy, Eliyahu’s father was cured of eczema for the rest of his life. Later, he used the same treatment to help others.
Messody, Eliyahu’s wife, told me about her grandfather. He was a rabbi who “wrote” – that is, he healed the sick by correcting the causes of their ailments through the special application of sacred names of G-d. This practice is considered dangerous, and many religious Jews see it as controversial and inconsistent with the Torah teachings. He had fourteen children, but ten of them died in early adolescence, so that only four daughters lived.
Messody’s grandmother once told a story about walking with him one evening when he suddenly disappeared. When she returned home, she found him lying in bed. She asked him what had happened. He revealed that demons had abducted him and taken him underground, where he found himself at a demonic wedding. Everything there looked just like a human wedding, with food and music. The demons approached him and said, “Let’s make a deal! Stop inscribing the sacred names, and we will ensure your children live long lives. If you need anything, just call us!” He agreed and stopped “writing” for a while. But one day, he woke up to find his hands covered in henna – the same henna he used to inscribe the sacred names of G-d. Taking this as a divine command, he resumed his work.
After his death, a neighbor visited his widow on Shabbat and clearly saw the deceased rabbi and heard him recite a blessing.
Eliyahu added that Messody’s grandfather was famous as a miracle worker. Many years later, when Eliyahu and his wife visited Morocco, some people still came to her grandfather’s house and kissed the doorpost, hoping to resolve their troubles.
Eliyahu’s perspective on miracles is that, beyond physical interactions, people also share energetic connections. Miracle workers use these connections.
After Messody shared her grandfather’s story, Eliyahu spoke of his own.
Like Messody’s grandfather, his grandfather was a rabbi too. He too “wrote” the sacred names of G-d to solve people’s problems. Eliyahu recalled childhood memories of seeing his grandfather sitting on the doorstep with his notebook and writing instruments. Visitors – both Jews and Arabs – approached with their requests, and his grandfather would “write”. Some visitors he invited inside for private consultations.
Eliyahu’s grandfather began his studies to become a rabbi at the age of twelve, after traveling from a remote village to the city. He worked and studied there for seven or eight years and after that earned a certificate confirming his education. He later became the personal rabbi of a wealthy merchant who frequently traveled between Morocco and Spain, staying in Spain for long periods. While in Spain, he married an eleven-year-old girl.
Eliyahu explained that such early marriages were common among Spanish and Moroccan Jews due to fears that Muslim rulers would hunt young Jewish girls for their harems. Families sought to marry off beautiful girls as early as possible. However, when his grandfather decided to return to Morocco, his young wife refused to leave Spain. To the surprise of his patron, the rabbi did not force her to go. He explained that, according to Jewish law, if a girl, at a moment of being taken to her husband’s homestead, had not yet reached puberty, she had the right to reject the marriage. He paid her the financial settlement required by the marriage contract and returned to Morocco alone, bringing only a few keepsakes in an inlaid casket.
Eliyahu also told about the childhood memories of playing with a doll made from soft goat leather. He also played pretend, mimicking his father, who ran a shop. He also engaged in special games where, like his grandfather who “wrote” sacred names, he would write letters inside magical squares, searching for the code to the ultimate, secret name of G-d. Neighborhood girls eagerly played the role of people that came to the rabbi seeking solutions, while Eliyahu gave them blessings in the form of writings.
Another remarkable story happened immediately after Eliyahu was born. His mother was a seamstress, and his cradle was kept in her workshop, where she saw her clients ordering fine sewing. One day, a courtesan entered the workshop to order embroidery on an expensive belt. Since the order was urgent, Eliyahu’s mother completed it within a few hours while the courtesan waited in the shop. Shortly after the courtesan left, Eliyahu’s mother began nursing him but noticed that he tensed up and turned away from her breast. The same thing happened in the evening and again the next day – he refused to eat. Fearing that the courtesan had cast the evil eye on her child, his mother sought help from her father, who was knowledgeable in esoteric matters. After investigating the situation and finding out where the courtesan lived, he went to see her. He did not accuse her but instead asked what materials she had used for her belt.
Here, it is important to make clear that in Morocco courtesans used their belts as magical tools to attract clients. They embedded enchanted stones and other magical substances into them and rubbed them with special ointments that emitted aphrodisiac scents.
At first, the woman adamantly refused to reveal the secrets of her belt, fearing that its power would be lost if she did. But Eliyahu’s grandfather persisted, explaining that the child’s life was at risk since he had stopped nursing. Eventually, the courtesan agreed to lend him the belt for one day. When he returned home, the grandfather suggested that Eliyahu’s mother wear the belt and try feeding her baby again. This time, the starving infant eagerly latched on and drank milk heartily. From that day forward, he nursed normally.
