Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu Passes Away
As Jews around the country prepared to gather to pray for the health of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, news of his death arrived. Myriads at funeral.

by Hillel Fendel, Arutz Sheva
June 7, 2010

Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu
 

Just as Jews from throughout the country were preparing to gather to pray for the health of former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, news of his death reached the nation. Many tens of thousands of mourners participated in the Jerusalem funeral, which began at 10:00 PM.

Rabbi Eliyahu, 81, was the spiritual leader for much of the religious-Zionist world. Hospitalized for nearly a year in Jerusalem's Shaarei Zedek Medical Center, his condition was once again downgraded to "critical” earlier in the day. As reports went out that the sage's condition had severely deteriorated, people were organizing prayer rallies for his recovery. Family members were called to his bedside and were by his side when he passed away.

The funeral departed from Heichal Yaakov, the rabbi's synagogue and Torah study hall near the Eliyahu family residence in Jerusalem's Kiryat Moshe neighborhood. The police closed streets in the area, and were out in large numbers. Rabbi Eliyahu was laid to rest around midnight at the Har HaMenuchot cemetery in the capital.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who delivered a short eulogy at the funeral, said earlier, “I am a partner to the heavy mourning of the Nation of Israel in general, and of Jerusalem in particular, on the passing of the great Torah leader, father and rabbi to myriads, and from whom I was privileged to benefit from his proximity and learn from his wisdom. Rabbi Mordechai Eliylahu, who engraved on his flag love of Israel and outreach, and who always found the good in people, will be engraved in all our hearts and his path will light our way. I send my condolences to the Rabbanit [his widow], his sons the rabbis, his family members and his many students.”

Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpe of the Land of Israel Task Force said, “One of the great leaders of the People of Israel has been lost. He fought bravely for the integrity of the Land of Israel, and the love of Israel beat in his heart. The loss of righteous people is as terrible as the burning of the House of our G-d; who can replace him? All of those loyal to the Torah of Israel and the Land of Israel must strengthen themselves and continue in his path. We express our condolences to his son and follower in his path, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu.”

The National Union and Jewish Home parties issued a joint statement of mourning for the loss of Rabbi Eliyahu, as did the Hevron Jewish Community.

The Binyamin and Shomron Residents Committee issued this statement: “We bitterly mourn the loss of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu of saintly blessed memory. The Rabbi was the pillar of fire that walked before the camp of the residents of Judea and Samaria, encouraged them at their difficult hours and worked to helped them.”

Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu was born in 1929 in the Old City of Jerusalem to an illustrious Baghdad family renown for producing great Torah scholars; his mother was a granddaughter of the famed Ben Ish Chai. He was recognized as a prodigy at a young age and went on to become one of Israel's leading Kabalists. Rabbi Eliyahu served as Israel’s Chief Sephardic Rabbi - the Rishon LeTzion – from 1983 until 1993, together with the late Rabbi Avraham Shapira. The two Torah giants continued to lead the national-religious public in matters of Jewish Law and philosophy for years following the end of their official terms in office.

Rabbi Eliyahu authored several legal and philosophical works and was close to many leading rabbis, including the Chazon Ish, the Lubavitcher Rebbe and Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim. He also served as personal rabbi to Prisoner of Zion Jonathan Pollard. Rabbi Eliyahu headed the Keren Moreshet network of Torah core groups that settled in various cities throughout the country. For years, the beloved rabbi would sit in his Kiryat Moshe Synagogue answering hundreds of legal questions each day.

The sage was in poor and very painful condition for several months. Two weeks ago, tens of thousands of people gathered in three different locations to pray for Rabbi Eliyahu’s health, following a similar deterioration.

His son, Tzfat’s Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, told Arutz-7’s “Preparing for Redemption” radio program at that time, “The situation is not good. Ever since last Elul [August], the rabbi has been in the emergency room, and is undergoing terrible suffering. The very fact of his long hospitalization leads to a slow deterioration; sores open, close, open... things are going backward instead of forward.”