Archive

Shrine of David Umoshe in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Description

Rabbi David UMoshe: The year of David UMoshe’s appearance in southern Morocco is uncertain, as accounts place his appearance at either 900 or 250 years ago. Most accounts, however, agree that when he arrived in the High Atlas Mountains, he found the local villages ravaged by an epidemic. One of his foundational miracles revolved around the ending of his earthly life, which he is said to have willingly given up in exchange for the lives of the afflicted population. Traditionally, it is said that he came to Morocco as a rabbinical emissary (shadar or meshullaḥ) in order to raise funds for his yeshiva in Jerusalem.

The Grave: Until well into the twentieth century, David u-Moshe’s grave in Timzerit was marked only by an unadorned rock. It attracted local pilgrims from southern Morocco, especially at the time of the saint’s anniversary of his death, called hillula (lit. wedding celebration, so-called because on that day he was united with the Divine) on the first of the Hebrew month of Ḥeshvan (October/November). Some Muslim residents of the area also regarded the grave site as sacred and associated it with miracles of healing. In the twentieth century, a shrine complex was constructed, then enlarged and refurbished, to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims from throughout Morocco and its Jewish diaspora. Other sites devoted to David UMoshe exist in Safed, Ofakim, Ashkelon, Gan Yavneh, and Moshav Aderet. Since the end of the twentieth century, Israeli pilgrims have also been returning to Morocco to visit the saint’s original resting place.

Watch the video below to learn more about the site and some of the traditions surrounding the celebration of Rabbi David UMoshe's hillula:

    Shrine of David Umoshe

It includes an old cemetery, a large synagogue, and guest rooms for hundreds of pilgrims who visit the rabbi’s grave each year for his hillula (celebration on the anniversary of death).

Timzerit, Morocco

© Mapbox, © OpenStreetMap

Gallery

‹ › ×