# Shalom Messas
> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Shalom_Messas
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Shalom_Messas.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalom_Messas
> Source revision: 1341130081
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
{{Short description|Moroccan rabbi}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Rabbi Shalom Messas
| image = Rav Chalom Messas.jpg
| caption =
| native_name = שלום משאש
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1909|02|13}}
| birth_place = [Meknes](/source/Meknes), [Morocco](/source/French_protectorate_in_Morocco)
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|04|12|1909|02|13}}
| death_place = [Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem), [Israel](/source/Israel)
| body_discovered =
| death_cause =
| resting_place = [Har HaMenuchot](/source/Har_HaMenuchot), Jerusalem, Israel
| resting_place_coordinates = {{Coord|31.796856|35.180755|type:landmark|display=inline}}
| citizenship =
| native_name_lang = he
| other_names =
| known_for = Religious teacher
| education =
| alma_mater =
| employer =
| occupation =
| years_active =
| height =
| title = [Chief Rabbi](/source/Chief_Rabbi) of Jerusalem
| term =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| party =
| opponents =
| boards =
| spouse =
| partner =
| children =
| parents =
| relatives = [Ruth Elkrief](/source/Ruth_Elkrief) (great-niece)[{{cite web|title=Ruth Elkrief|url=https://www.gala.fr/stars_et_gotha/ruth_elkrief|website=[Gala](/source/Gala_(magazine))|accessdate=November 3, 2016}}]
| callsign =
| awards =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Shalom Messas''' ({{Langx|he|שלום משאש}}) was a [Moroccan](/source/Moroccan_Jews) [rabbi](/source/rabbi) and scholar who served as [Chief Rabbi](/source/Chief_Rabbi) of Morocco, and later as [Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem](/source/Chief_Rabbi_of_Jerusalem).
== Biography ==
Messas was born in [Meknes](/source/Meknes), [Morocco](/source/French_protectorate_in_Morocco) in 1909. He was the son of Rabbi Maimoun Messas and his wife, Rachel. In his youth, he studied with his father and with Rabbi Yitzhak Sabag, Dayan and Rosh Yeshiva in Meknes.
Messas also attended an [Alliance Israélite Universelle](/source/Alliance_Isra%C3%A9lite_Universelle) school. He was a promising Torah prodigy at a very young age, and was a leading student of Morocco's Chief Rabbi Yehoshua Berdugo. The Messas family is an old one, with roots deep within Spain and Portugal. In 1960, he was appointed Chief Rabbi of Casablanca; he later served as Chief Rabbi of all Morocco. In 1978, then [Israeli Chief Rabbi](/source/Chief_Rabbinate_of_Israel) [Ovadia Yosef](/source/Ovadia_Yosef) asked Rabbi Messas to come to the holy city and become its Chief Sephardic Rabbinical authority. When he departed for Israel, Messas was escorted to the airport by Morocco's [King Hassan II](/source/Hassan_II_of_Morocco) himself, who requested that the Rabbi bless him one last time before his departure, and with that was his last official act in Moroccan.
Ovadia Yosef consulted with Messas in matters of Jewish law and scholarship, often citing him as his support in issuing bold ''[halachic](/source/halakha)'' decisions.[{{cite web|url=https://jewishlink.news/features/25481-the-most-under-appreciated-posek-of-the-generation-ribi-shalom-messas-zt-l|title=The Most Under-Appreciated Posek of the Generation: Ribi Shalom Messas, zt"l|first=Haim|last=Jachter|date=7 June 2018}}]
Messas worked on important matters of ''[Halacha](/source/halakha)'' right up to his last days. He was said to be very exact in preserving [Sephardic](/source/Sephardi_Jews) customs, and would work full days and nights to try to find a Halachic way to solve the issue at hand. As an author of many books, he wrote his first significant scholarly work, ''Mizrach Shemesh'' in 1930, and his last work, ''V'Cham HaShemesh'' was written in 2002.
Messas died on [Shabbat ''Hagadol''](/source/Special_Shabbat) (April 12), 2003, at the age of 94. He was buried in [Har HaMenuchot](/source/Har_HaMenuchot) in Jerusalem. His many works include: ''Mizrah Shemesh'', ''Tevouot Shemesh'', ''Shemesh Umagen'', ''Beit Shemesh'' and ''Veham Hashemesh''.[{{cite web|url=http://www.loebtree.com/messas.html#chalom|title=MESSAS Family Tree|accessdate=December 1, 2011}}]
He also edited and published the following books:
* ''Divre Moshe'' by Chief Rabbi Moses ben Abraham Berdugo, called "Mashbir"
* ''Divre Mordechai'' by Rabbi Mordechai Berdugo, Hamarbitz
* ''Torot Emet, Me Menuhot, Rav Peninim'' and ''Messamehe Lev'' by his great-great-great-grandfather Rabbi [Raphael Berdugo](/source/Raphael_Berdugo)
* ''Lev Mevin'' and ''Penei Mevin'' by Rabbi Mimoun Berdugo
* ''Edout Beyaakov'' by his great-grandfather Rabbi Yaacov Berdugo.
* ''Divre Chalom'' by his grandfather also named Rabbi Chalom Messas.
* ''Guevoul Binyamine''
* ''Divre Yossef''