Today marks the thirtieth day since the passing of the saintly Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef ben Rabbi Yaakov and Gorgia zt”l. Let us now discuss some eulogies that we have delivered for Maran in several places.
The Gemara (Berachot 5b) recounts that when Rabbi Elazar ben Pedath fell ill, Rabbi Yochanan came to visit him. When Rabbi Yochanan entered the home of Rabbi Elazar, he saw that the house was dark and dreary because Rabbi Elazar was extremely poor and did not have the means to illuminate his home. Rabbi Yochanan then revealed his arm and light burst forth and illuminated the entire house, for Rabbi Yochanan was so holy, even his skin shined. When Rabbi Elazar saw this, he began to cry.
Rabbi Yochanan asked, “Why are you crying? If it is because you did not merit having children, do not feel bad, for I indeed fathered ten children and they all passed away during my lifetime. If it is because you are so destitute, do not feel bad, for not everyone merits two tables and you were indeed very great in Torah. If it is because you did not merit teaching enough Torah, do not feel bad, for our Sages tell us, ‘It is irrelevant if one does more or less as long as one does it for the sake of one’s Father in Heaven.’”
Rabbi Elazar replied, “I am crying for this beauty which will be swallowed up by the ground.” This means that he was crying for the supreme beauty of Rabbi Yochanan who would eventually pass away and his beauty will be removed from us.
This seems strange, however, for the verse states, “Charm is for naught and beauty is futile.” How is it that the great Rabbi Elazar who did not find it necessary to cry about the Torah, children, or wealth cried for something as useless as Rabbi Yochanan’s beauty?
Maran zt”l this based on the Gemara in Masechet Baba Metzia (84a) which states that Rabbi Yochanan exclaimed about himself that he was from the last remaining handsome men of Jerusalem. He was referring to a time when the earlier residents of Jerusalem were great sages, righteous people, and whose very complexion was indeed special. Rabbi Yochanan, who lived to an extremely advanced age, was one of the only remainders of this unique generation.
It is for this reason that Rabbi Elazar cried; it is because we are not dealing with any regular beauty. This beauty reminds us of the wisdom and greatness of the earlier generations which was lost.
The same applies to us, friends. With the passing of Maran Rabbeinu zt”l we all feel a downward turn in spirituality. We feel a loss of not only one or two generations, but a fall of a long period of time, for Maran zt”l was truly unique and belonged to a generation of Torah giants long before ours.
Hagaon Harav Ezra Attieh zt”l, Rosh Yeshivat Porat Yosef, was the glory of Sephardic Jewry and Torah scholars all over the world subordinated themselves to him. Upon inspecting the written correspondence between Harav Attieh and Maran zt”l, we can see the great esteem he had for Maran by calling him, “My dear friend, splendor of Israel.” The Rosh Yeshiva would indeed honor Maran above and beyond the honor he would bestow upon any of the other luminaries of Porat Yosef.
Other Torah giants in Jerusalem in the days of yesteryear too loved Maran dearly and would rejoice him as one would upon finding great treasures, although they were actually decades older than him. Now, we have lost this last great remnant of the previous generation. Maran’s insights in Torah were frightening and were on the level of the greatest Acharonim who lived hundreds of years ago. His mastery of the entire Torah, his great holiness, and his genuine love for every single Jew were truly legendary. And now, we have lost our leader and our crown has fallen.
Nevertheless, the Responsa of the Geonim states that when a great individual passes away, all of the tremendous strengths and character traits that were stored in this individual are dispersed throughout the world and whoever wishes to take them is permitted to do so.
Indeed, now that Maran zt”l has left us, all of his great powers are available for anyone who seeks them. Fortunate is the individual who strengthens himself to designate a time for Torah study every single day for which Maran zt”l gave his entire existence. Similarly, one should quickly enroll one’s children in schools which offer a Torah education. This applies in all areas and one should seek to strengthen himself in all spiritual areas so that Maran’s merit can defend us all.
The verse (Yeshaya, 40) states: “Those who believe in Hashem shall have renewed strength, they shall soar high like eagles; they shall run and not become fatigued, they shall walk and not become tired.” Maran zt”l once exclaimed that the words of the prophet are somewhat perplexing. If the prophet means to say that those who believe in Hashem will rise from strength to strength without feeling weak, it would have been sufficient to say, “They shall run and not become fatigued.” Why is it necessary to say that “They shall walk and not become tired”? If one will not become tired while running, is this not certainly the case if one is walking?
Maran zt”l answered that the verse refers to two different situations. There are times when those who believe in Hashem must run and there are other times when they must walk. For instance, if one is teaching Torah scholars, one must accompany them at a brisk pace so that they continue to eagerly learn more and more. However, when one speaks before laymen, one must walk with them slowly while speaking clearly and pleasantly while incorporating interesting anecdotes and other things which will pull these people closer to their Father in Heaven. This is why the prophet says, “They shall run and not become fatigued, they shall walk and not become tired,” for in whichever way they go, they shall not become weak.
Maran zt”l acted this way his entire life: A loving father to the downtrodden and as strong as iron to those who degraded the Torah. He would always rush everywhere he went so as not to lose out on even one spare moment of precious Torah study. On the other hand, when broken souls sat with him, he would hear their tales of woe, feel their pain, cry with them, and pray for them tens of times every single day as if the individual was his only child.
Our Sages tell us (Pesachim 92a) that any righteous individual who leads his nation pleasantly and calmly shall lead them in the World to Come as well, as the verse states, “He who shows them mercy shall lead them and along springs of water shall he guide them.” Indeed, our saintly Maran zt”l guided his flock mercifully and patiently and as busy as he was, he would always spare time to listen to the cries of the less fortunate, to hear a widow’s suffering and an orphan’s plea; he would commiserate and care for the needs of every single Jew as though it were his own child. May we merit that our leader and master, Maran zt”l, never leave us and may he stand before Hashem’s heavenly throne and pray that Hashem pity the last remnant of the Jewish nation. May Hashem save us from any suffering, tragedy, and illness and may Maran’s merit stand with us forever, Amen.
If anyone has any special photos or unique documents pertaining to Maran zt”l, we would be especially grateful if you could send this to us (by contacting us through the website) so that we may use this memorabilia as a public service by including it in the following volumes of the Sefer Abir Ha’Ro’im (a special biography on Maran zt”l of which the first volume was published during Maran’s lifetime and which he was actually involved with and enjoyed very much), especially now since we are preparing the second volume for publishing, with Hashem’s help.
