Prominent Rabbi Describes ’Divine Light’ During First Meeting with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI

"In my life, I have met many heads of state, sovereigns, presidents... Some consider me a friend. [...] Before meeting him, I had heard a lot about Mohammed VI. In the Jewish religion, we have a special prayer for sovereigns. I never had the heart or the desire to recite it," he recounts in an interview with TelQuel. "But when I met His Majesty, I had the text of this prayer in my hand. Seeing him, I saw a divine light on his face. I had never felt this divine light before. Since that moment, I pray for him every day. I have written it in my books and said it in my conferences: I have never experienced a more intense spiritual moment," continues Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto.

In 2019, the sovereign had appointed him to head the rabbinical court. The one whose history is linked to that of Morocco wants to act as a bridge between Moroccans and the Jewish community. He intends to create a balance and contribute to living together. "I want to make sure that everything goes well," he pledges, before briefly recounting a part of his family’s history. "I am a descendant of King David (the tutelary figure of the Bible as the third king of Israel, the prophet Daoud in Islam, editor’s note). Since King David, all the men in my family have been rabbis, and that has been the case for more than 3,000 years. The Pintos have lived in Syria, Spain and Portugal in particular," he says.

"But we can say that the golden age of our family is our passage through Morocco. Rabbi Haïm Pinto, who is one of the most important figures in my family, was the rabbi of Essaouira (between the 18th and 19th centuries, editor’s note). Other Pintos have held the same position in Casablanca and Marrakech in particular," says the star rabbi. On his mother’s side (the Abuhatzeira family, editor’s note), he states that they are originally from the Tafilalet and Midelt regions.

"I am a descendant of Baba Sali (whose real name is Israël Abuhatzeira, editor’s note). He is considered one of the greatest rabbis of the last few centuries (considered a saint, his tomb in the Negev attracts nearly 600,000 pilgrims each year, editor’s note). Incidentally, when Baba Sali left Morocco for Israel, he kept a photo of King Mohammed V with him. And during every major religious holiday, he prayed for the king. When people asked him ’why do you pray for him?’, he replied: ’He is our king even in Israel’," adds Rabbi Yossef Pinto.