Hedaya, Shalom. Shalom La'Am.

R. Shalom Hedaya (1864-1945), a native of Aleppo and member of an illustrious Rabbinic family, moved to Jerusalem as a young man and was soon appointed Chief Justice of the Sephardic Beth-Din of Jerusalem and Head of the Beth-El Yeshiva. This ethical work, Shalom La'Am became very popular, and in the words of David Sutton: "Many attribute the great respect in Aram-Soba for Torah institutions and Torah scholars to the intense study of this book by the community." (Aleppo: City of Scholars, p. 219). Besides the many haskamoth of the Rabbis of Aleppo, the book is graced by the endorsement of the Rishon le-Zion, Jacob Saul Elyashar. The author's son, R. Ovadyah Hedaya (1890-1969) served as judge of the Senior Appeals Beth Din in Jerusalem, as well as head of the reconstituted Beth-El Yeshiva (which was destroyed when the Old City fell to the Jordanians in 1948). He authored a work of halachic responsa, Yaskil Avdi, and a work of kabbalistic responsa, De'ah ve-Haskel. (Sutton, Aleppo, no. 309) The author's daughter Mazal married R. Jacob Kassin (1900-1994), who became Chief Rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community of New York. (Sutton, Aleppo, no. 330)