Rabbi Shalom Sharabi (1720–1777), the supreme master of Nistar (the hidden Torah) and the father of all modern Sephardic Kabbalah.

His tomb (Tziyun) on the mountain is treated by the frum world as an incredibly holy site of tefillah (prayer), particularly on his Yahrzeit (the 10th of Shevat).

The Special Kedushah of His Resting Place

For centuries, frum Jews have braved the journey to his gravesite because of a specific, recorded promise left by the Rashash himself before his petirah (passing):

Because the Rashash spent his entire life mapping out the spiritual channels through which all prayers ascend to heaven (compiled in his Siddur HaRashash), our hashkafa teaches that his neshama (soul) acts as a powerful Melitz Yosher (righteous advocate) for Clal Yisrael, carrying our pleas directly before the Kiseh HaKavod (Throne of Glory).

3 Essential Facts Every Frum Jew Knows About the Rashash of Kabbalah

1. He Re-engineered Our Tefillah

The Rashash did not just learn Kabbalah; he brought it into the daily life of the Mekubalim through the Siddur HaRashash.

While the Arizal revealed the deep mystical meanings behind the prayers, it was the Rashash who meticulously organized those secrets into practical, step-by-step mental meditations (Kavanot). When you see a Mekubal standing at the Western Wall slowing down his prayers, intensely focusing on the divine names and permutations, he is using the system handed down by the Rashash.

2. The Great Lesson of Anavah (Humility)

Before his genius was discovered, the Rashash served as the simple shamash (sexton/janitor) at the holy Beit El Yeshiva in Yerushalayim, sweeping the floors and serving water to the sages.

When the Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Gedalia Chayun, encountered an unanswerable contradiction in the Arizal's writings, young Shalom quietly slipped the exact, flawless mystical solution into the Rosh Yeshiva's sefarim in the dead of night. He ran away from honor, desperately wanting to remain hidden.

Even after his identity was revealed and he became the Rosh Yeshiva, he remained a paragon of humility, showing us that true greatness in Torah can only be achieved when a person completely nullifies their own ego.

3. Defender of the Jews of Yerushalayim

During the harsh Ottoman rule over the Land of Israel, the Jewish community in Yerushalayim suffered from crushing poverty and the constant threat of violence from local rulers. The Rashash was not just an otherworldly mystic; he was the spiritual shield of the community.

Through his immense kedushah and fasting, he frequently nullified harsh decrees against the community. It is recorded that even the non-Jewish rulers of Yerushalayim feared him and held him in immense reverence because they witnessed his open miracles.

Visiting the Tziyun Today

If you go to the Har HaZeisim cemetery today, looking down over the Temple Mount, the tomb of the Rashash is one of the most visited and well-kept sites on the mountain.

When frum Jews go there, it is customary to recite specific chapters of Tehillim (Psalms), light a Yahrzeitcandle, and pray for parnasa (livelihood), shidduchim (marriages), and refuos (healings) in the merit of this holy master of secrets. May the zechut of the holy Rashash, Rabbi Shalom Sharabi, protect all of Clal Yisrael, and may our tefillos be answered speedily in our days.