“A Heretic Who has No Faith in the Great Ones of the Age”: the Clash Over the Honor of Or Ha-Ḥayyim

Almost as soon as it was published, the book known as Or ha-Hayyim, comprising the Torah interpretations of the Moroccan sage R. Hayyim ben Attar (1696-1743), became one of the most beloved literary works within the Hasidic movement, a favorite of its leading personalities going all the way back to R. Israel Ba'al Shem Tov (the Besht) himself. The high esteem in which the Hasidim held R. Hayyim ben Attar and his book stands in contrast to the more moderate--perhaps even reserved--attitude of his fellow Sephardic Jews regarding the man and his work. Assaf examines the reasons for the widely varied reactions between factions in the Jewish community.