Tiveria’s residents rejoiced on Monday following the news that former Tiveria mayor Ron Kobi’s ouster from his position was finalized after the Supreme Court rejected the appeal he filed against the decision of Likud Minister Ze’ev Elkin last month to remove Kobi from office.

“Today we’re seeing [Kobi’s downfall] in practice but the matter was already sealed in Shamayim prior to today,” one of the students of the mekubal Harav Dov Kook, a resident of Tiveria, said, according to a B’Chadrei Chareidim report.

The student said that two months ago, Harav Kook recited tikkun chatzos, as he customarily does every night, and his student who stood near him suddenly heard the Rav repeating the name of Tiveria in all the pessukim.

“Suddenly I saw a startling sight,” Harav Kook’s student said. “The Rav, who cried during that tikkun chatzos, suddenly lay on the floor and said: ‘I accept mesirus nefesh upon myself. I’m not getting up from here until everything is in order.’

The Rav lay on the floor crying and suddenly arose, saying to the others in the room: “Rabbosai, Rav Chaim Abulafia came to me now and told me not to worry – ‘I was in Tiveria, I’m the mayor of Tiveria, it’s all mesudar in Shamayim.’ Rav Chaim Abulafia told me it’s all mesudar and not to worry.” [Rav Chaim Abulafia was a renowned mekubal who restablished the then desolate city of Tiveria in 1740 upon the invitation of the Ottoman authorities who wanted to rebuild the city for economic reasons.]

Harav Kook continued: “To remind you – Rav Shimon Bar Yochai purified the city of Tiveria and cleansed it, and Shamayim thanked him. Whoever comes to defile Tiveria hates Rav Shimon bar Yochai and Rav Shimon bar Yochai hates him. He hates Rav Akiva ben Yosef, he hates Rav Chiya and his sons, he hates the Ramchal and he hates Rav Chaim Abulafia. That’s what’s Rav Chaim Abulafia told me now – it’s mesudar.”

“נדבות פי רצה נא ה’ ומשפטיך למדני,” the Rav continued. “Now I’m already calmer. I don’t have koach to cry.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)