“The rabbi and tzaddik, the G-dly Kabbalist, pious and ascetic, called out as sacred, one of the leading Kabbalists of Jerusalem. Nothing is concealed from him and no secret flees from him” (Rabbi Ovadia Yosef)
Pidyon nefesh kit that belonged to the G-dly Kabbalist Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi – leading Kabbalist of Yemen and Jerusalem in his generation, and one of the leading Kabbalists of all generations. Confirmation included from the rabbi’s attendant attesting that the vessel and the coins “were used by Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi ztzuk”l, who conducted pidyon nefesh on a daily basis”!
The set includes a silver plate and dozens of silver coins used by Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi to enact his renowned wonders, heal the sick, redeem the childless and open mazal to the thousands who flocked to him. The rabbi was particular to use a silver plate and silver coins, and not other metals, per what is brought in kabbalah , that צלם in gematriah is כסף [that is, 160].
Hundreds of people in search of salvation would amass every day at Rabbi Sharabi’s Nahar Shalom yeshivah in the Machaneh Yehudah neighborhood of Jerusalem. Miracles and wonders would routinely occur there. The usual way Rabbi Sharabi would carry out his wonders was through pidyon nefesh he implemented every day for those who sought salvation, using the silver plate and the silver coins offered here at auction [as appears in the attached confirmation from Rabbi Shmuel Shmueli, the rabbi’s attendant].
Kabbalistic works detail the process of pidyon nefesh , yet to execute it, a person had to be of a certain spiritual stature, such that even when the process is done according to all the instructions, there is no guarantee it will work. This set here, sanctified through its use by the Kabbalist Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi, and by which he would implement pidyon nefesh hundreds, even thousands, of times for those who came to him “daily” [as stated in the confirmation], certainly carries great and special segulah. It can, with Hashem’s help, be used to bring salvation, as it did for the tzaddik himself. It is known from the ancients that a tzaddik’s belongings absorb his sanctity, and it stays in them even after his passing. It is related in the name of the Admo”r Rabbi Mordechai of Nezkizh, that he said regarding a vessel given to him by his rabbi, the Admo”r Rabbi Michel of Zlotchov “This vessel has the power to carry out miracles and wonders ( Sefer Divrei Binah , leaf 47).
Similar words were expressed by the Ben Ish Chai in his sefer , Ben Yehoyada : “All material things used for something sacred, perforce acquire some of that sanctity, which will stay with it forever. Chaza”l therefore say that a stone Rabbi Eliezer ben Horkenus consistently sat upon is similar to Mount Sinai. The navi’s walking stick which the navi would lean on during his sacred yichudim , when he would put his forehead and head on it, would also acquire a spirit of sanctity. Hence Elisha HaNavi said to Geihazi to take his walking stick and put it on the child to revive him. Rabbi Pinchas Ben Yair’s donkey was specifically designated for him. He would ride on it through the desert and be occupied with yichudim and secrets of the Torah, clarifying matters while traveling. In this way, the donkey acquired a quality of sanctity that would hover over it always” ( Ben Yehoyada al Sanhedrin 95a).
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of
Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi
and a discussion of the pidyon nefesh process .
Silver plate: Diameter: 17.5 cm. Weight: 218 grams. Primitive engraving: “JMC.”
157 of Ottoman coins with pendant holes of various sizes (15-25 mm) with a hole for hanging.
Fine condition. With a letter by Shmuel Shmueli, the rabbi’s personal assistant, testifying that “this was used by Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi ztzk”l, who used them for pidyon nefesh every day.
