Tzefat (Safed)
During the last five hundred years Tzefat has been considered one of Eretz Yisrael’s “sacred cities.” A visit to its ancient synagogues and cemetery takes one back to the golden days of the city when Rabbi Yitzchak Luria ("Arizal") and his disciples established it as the center of Kabbalistic learning. Here too lived and died Rabbi Yosef Caro, author of the Shulchan Aruch; Rabbi Shlomo Alkebetz, author of “Lechah Dodi” sung on Shabbat eve; Rabbi Yaakov Beirav, who made an abortive attempt to reestablish the Sanhedrin; and many other famous saints and scholars.
The cool air and beautiful surroundings of Tzefat attract many people from the entire country during the summer, but the year-long population remains small. A curious blend of art, music, and mysticism endows this city with a unique personality during peak season. Among the Torah institutions functioning in Tzefat is Shalom Rav, a yeshivah for students with limited backgrounds, headed by American-born Rabbi Rafael Weingot, and a similar seminary for women, Sharei Bina, run by his wife.
