Jacob Rakkaḥ was the son of Rabbi Solomon (Shlomo) Rakkaḥ and the great-great-grandson of Rabbi Mas"ud Hai Rakkah, author of Ma"aseh Rokeaḥ, who had come to Libya as a shadar (rabbinical emissary) from Palestine and stayed to lead the Jewish community in Tripoli for 20 years.
He was a well-known posek (arbiter of Jewish law) for Sephardi Jews, a rosh yeshiva, and author of approximately 40 sefarim, some of which were published during his lifetime. Jacob"s brother, Zion, was also a Torah scholar. Like other Tripoli rabbis, Rakkaḥ did not wish to be supported by the community, and lived a life of poverty.
He worked as an accountant for a large firm.
He was known as a great Torah scholar and posek (arbiter of Jewish law). His depth of knowledge was exemplary.
His halakhic opinions usually relied on tens of, and occasionally over 100, poskim who preceded him. His halakhic opinions are still cited today.
The Siddur Od Avinu Hai (Hebrew: עוד יוסף חי), published by Machon Hai Hai, is based on his emendations to the nusach and laws of prayer for Sephardi Jews.
Rakkaḥ founded at his own expense Yeshiva Rabbi Yaakov Tripoli, which housed an estimated 1,000 seforim and valuable manuscripts. The yeshiva convened nightly and craftsmen gathered to learn the weekly Torah portion on Shabbat. The yeshiva was destroyed by a bomber during World World War World War II In 1863 Rakkaḥ published the third volume of his great-great-grandfather"s halakhic work, Ma"aseh Rokeaḥ.
Rakkaḥ was a contemporary of many great rabbis in Tripoli and other countries.
From his writings, it is evident that he had a close correspondence with Rabbi Chaim Palagi and Rabbi Benjamin Pontremoli, author of Petach HaDvir. In Tripoli, his contemporaries were Rabbi Frajallah Dabush, Shalom Agib, Joseph Rubin, and others
Jacob Rakkah had 2 sons: Rabbi Abraham Rakkah and Rabbi Kamus Rakkah. His Hilula (commemoration of the day of death) on 23 Adar is celebrated each year in one of the Israeli moshavs populated by Libyan Jewish emigres.
