Tonight and tomorrow will mark the Yahrzeit (anniversary of his passing) of Maran zt”l, therefore let us discuss this today and tomorrow in the discussion on Parashat Noach, in honor of Shabbat.
Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt”l was a very practical person; he never delivered lectures just for the sake of lecturing. He always made sure that something practical emerged from his discourses and teachings. Thus, we shall also discuss some things in honor of his Yahrzeit that will, G-d-willing, lead to practical growth in our service of Hashem.
From his youth, Maran zt”l loved people and tried to bring them closer to Torah. He always tried to influence people to lead a life in service of Hashem. We have already recounted how when he was just a young boy, he would write out the entire text of Birkat Hamazon in his impeccable handwriting on scraps of paper (like “Benchers” we have today) and he would give it out his friends who promised to recite Birkat Hamazon using them. As he grew up, he continued his holy work of returning the Jewish nation to their Creator. We have not seen a man who was able to influence such a broad spectrum of Jewish people coupled with unrivaled mastery of every facet of Torah knowledge for many generations. It is no secret that Maran’s success in his public ventures was due to the power of Torah that he possessed.
Let us discuss a point regarding the sanctity and modesty of Maran zt”l:
We have just concluded the Sukkot holiday. Our Sages explain that there was a spectacular celebration on the nights of Chol Ha’Moed Sukkot when the Bet Hamikdash stood. The Rambam (end of Hilchot Lulav) describes how the Temple Mount was prepared for this celebration:
“Before the first night of Sukkot, areas were prepared for women on high balconies and for men below, so that men and women do not mingle. The celebration began from the end of the first day of Yom Tov. Celebrations resumed every evening of Chol Ha’Moed after the evening offering had been brought and continued throughout the night.”
This “great institution” on the Temple Mount was made specifically so that men and women would not mingle during the celebrations. Such guidelines for modesty create sanctity (see Rashi, beginning of Parashat Kedoshim).
Maran zt”l was extremely careful about guarding his eyes throughout his entire life. He would encourage his followers to do the same. In all his years serving as a rabbinical judge on the Bet Din, his eyes were always looking down and he never gazed at the women standing before him. He would always be busy writing or with other matters. Similarly, when he opened his home in the Bet Yisrael neighborhood of Jerusalem to men and women coming to ask questions, the women would pass their questions through his wife, Rabbanit Margalit, and Maran would send her back to the women to find out more details about the question, until a clear verdict was determined.
This was all until he was appointed to the rabbinate, at which point he began receiving women very briefly to bless them. Once, approximately two years before his passing, Maran zt”l was talking to the chairman of the Shas party, Rabbi Aryeh Deri, about the saintly Rabbeinu Yisrael Abuchatzera zt”l (“Baba Sali”) and how he did not receive women in his home. Maran zt”l exclaimed, “I wish I could behave that way as well, but what can I do? I cannot send away all the women who want my blessing, especially brides on their wedding day, empty handed. I just cannot do it.”
Rabbi Shimon Hai Aluf Shlit”a (rabbi of Ahaba Ve’Ahva in Brooklyn, NY) recounts: “I remember that on the night of Yom Kippur, 5739 (1979), Maran zt”l stood at his seat next to the Aron Kodesh to bless those who passed by to greet him and kiss his hand. I stood next to him until the last of the congregants had left. Maran then began walking towards the exit of the synagogue and I accompanied him.
We he reached the exit of the synagogue, which was situated on the second floor of the Rishon Le’Zion’s residence in the Talbiyeh neighborhood of Jerusalem (since we only prayed their during the High Holidays; during the rest of the year, Maran prayed in his consistent Minyan in his home), Maran zt”l quickly turned around and made his way back into the synagogue. I immediately went out to see what had happened. I saw that an elderly woman accompanied by a younger woman had been descending the stairs from the women’s section (situated on the third floor) and had reached the second floor where the synagogue was situated. When Maran noticed this from the corner of his pure eyes, he quickly retreated back into the synagogue. I saw that Maran had sat down at a random seat and pulled a Gemara out of a pile of books at the edge of the table (I believe it was Masechet Baba Metzia; the building was rented to a Yeshiva at the time), opened it, and began to learn diligently for several minutes until he estimated that the women had enough time to exit the building. (The building was constructed in an older style which means there were more stairs than usual because the ceilings were higher.)
Maran zt”l then turned to me and said, ‘Let’s go.’ Although I had just internalized this unbelievable lesson on the laws of sanctity and modesty, it bothered me that Maran was held up like that. Not only did he wait for the last of the congregants to leave, now he had to be held up even more?
I turned to Maran and said, “Rabbeinu! Tomorrow, I will tell the Gabbaim to make an announcement that the women should not begin coming down the stairs until the Rav leaves. By that time, there will already be plenty of space in the stairwell between us so that the Rav does not need to be needlessly delayed!’
Maran zt”l responded immediately and decisively, ‘You will do no such thing. Why should they have to wait for me, are they not also rushing to get home? I am requesting that you do not talk to anyone about this.’”
The above story portrays how, although Maran zt”l was extremely pious and modest, he would nonetheless never inconvenience any other man or woman in the process. One should serve Hashem humbly and modestly, as the verse states, “And walk modestly with your G-d.” One should Hashem’s will exactly how Hashem wants it!
Nowadays, as the levels of modesty have plummeted throughout the world, we must strengthen ourselves in this area and to be proud that we are Jews, and it is inappropriate for us to resemble the other nations of the world in this regard. One should make sure to have the appropriate filters in place for all technological devices belonging to every single member of the family so that one will not be exposed to forbidden content, G-d-forbid. Women should make sure to cover their hair in accordance with Halacha and to dress modestly. In the merit of this sanctity and modesty, may we merit that Hashem rest His presence among us and that He usher in the Final Redemption, speedily and in our days, Amen!
May the merit of Maran zt”l protect us all and may we merit to see him once again through the Resurrection of the Dead, sitting at the head of the circle Hashem will make for the righteous, Amen!
