Biography
Sofer was born in Baghdad, where he studied under Sephardi sages such as Yosef Chaim (the Ben Ish Chai) and Abdallah Somech. In 1904, he journeyed to Palestine in order to pray at the graves of tzadikim ("the righteous"). After visiting Jerusalem, he decided to settle there permanently. He studied in the Bet El yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem, well known for the study of kabbalah. In 1909 he moved to the newly founded Shoshanim leDavid yeshiva. It was here that he composed his works.
Rabbi Sofer authored several works of halakha and aggadah. His books are known for discussing the original traditions of Iraqi Jews and are studied to this day. Rabbi Chaim was well known for his role in working on behalf of Torah education in Jerusalem. His great grandson founded two yeshivot in his memory, Kaf Hachaim and Torat Yaakov.
Read more about this topic: Yaakov Chaim Sofer
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